das Gemeindemitglied
parishioner
A person who is part of a church congregation or another religious community.
EXAMPLE
Der Pfarrer kennt jedes Gemeindemitglied persönlich.
The pastor knows every parishioner personally.
das Gemeindemitglied
community member
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Meanings
das Gemeindemitglied
municipality member
A person who lives in a political municipality or local community; a resident or citizen.
EXAMPLE
Als Gemeindemitglied hat man das Recht, an den Kommunalwahlen teilzunehmen.
As a municipality member, you have the right to take part in local elections.
Usage tips
Word structure
The word is made up of 'die Gemeinde' (the community, parish, municipality) and 'das Mitglied' (the member). The structure '(X)-mitglied' is very productive in German, as you can also see in 'Vereinsmitglied' (club member) or 'Familienmitglied' (family member).
EXAMPLE
Jedes neue Parteimitglied wird persönlich begrüßt.
Every new party member is personally welcomed.
Context clue
The context tells you whether a religious or political Gemeinde (community, parish, municipality) is meant. Words like 'Kirche' (church), 'Pfarrer' (pastor), or 'Gottesdienst' (church service) point to the religious meaning; 'Rathaus' (town hall), 'Bürgermeister' (mayor), or 'Wahlen' (elections) point to the political one.
EXAMPLE
Die Gemeindemitglieder spendeten für die Renovierung der Kirche.
The parishioners donated money for the renovation of the church.
Register and style
In the political sense ('Einwohner einer Kommune' — resident of a municipality), 'Gemeindemitglied' often sounds very formal or bureaucratic. In everyday language, the words 'Einwohner' (resident) or 'Bürger' (citizen) are more common.
EXAMPLE
Laut Satzung muss jedes Gemeindemitglied Müllgebühren zahlen.
According to the statutes, every municipality member must pay waste disposal fees.
Compare with
Gemeindemitglied vs Einwohner
resident
Einwohner and Gemeindemitglied can refer to the same person in a municipality. Einwohner emphasizes that someone lives there and is registered there; Gemeindemitglied emphasizes belonging to the political municipality. Use Einwohner for the place of residence, and Gemeindemitglied when membership in the municipality is the main focus.
Gemeindemitglied
Als Gemeindemitglied nimmt sie an der Versammlung der Gemeinde teil.
As a member of the municipality, she is attending the municipal meeting.
Einwohner
Als Einwohner der Gemeinde muss sie ihre neue Adresse melden.
As a resident of the municipality, she has to report her new address.
In real life
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