01
fünf
five
The cardinal number that follows four; the numeral 5.
example
Ich habe fünf Äpfel gekauft.
I bought five apples.
fünf
five
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Cultural context
In the German school system, 'eine Fünf' (a five) is a bad grade. The grading scale ranges from 1 ('sehr gut' — very good) to 6 ('ungenügend' — insufficient), and a 5 means 'mangelhaft' (poor), i.e. failed.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe Angst, dass ich in der Prüfung eine Fünf bekomme.
I'm afraid I'll get a five on the exam.
Fixed expression
The idiom 'fünf gerade sein lassen' means to be lenient or not apply a rule quite so strictly. It is commonly used in colloquial language.
EXAMPLE
Normalerweise dürfen wir das nicht, aber der Chef hat heute mal fünf gerade sein lassen.
Normally we're not allowed to do that, but the boss was lenient today.
Fixed expression
Another common idiom is 'fünf vor zwölf' (five to twelve). It means that it is almost too late and one must act immediately.
EXAMPLE
Wir müssen die Tickets jetzt buchen, es ist fünf vor zwölf!
We have to book the tickets now; it's five to twelve!
Compare with
fünf vs fünft
fifth
'fünf' and 'fünft' are both connected to the number 5, but they have different jobs. 'fünf' names a quantity: five people, five euros, five minutes. 'fünft' is an ordinal number and names a position in a sequence: 'der fünfte Tag' (the fifth day), 'die fünfte Etage' (the fifth floor), 'das fünfte Kapitel' (the fifth chapter). Learners may confuse the words because they look similar. Just ask yourself: Is it about the quantity? Then use 'fünf'. Is it about the place in a sequence? Then use 'fünft' with the appropriate ending.
fünf
Im Wartezimmer sitzen fünf Personen.
There are five people sitting in the waiting room.
fünft
Unsere Wohnung liegt im fünften Stock.
Our apartment is on the fifth floor.
In real life
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