businessman
Loading your saved state.
businessman
A man who works professionally in trade or business, especially as an entrepreneur, merchant, or executive.
Er ist ein erfolgreicher Geschäftsmann und leitet mehrere Firmen.
He is a successful businessman and runs several companies.
This word is a clear compound made up of 'Geschäft' (business), the linking -s, and 'Mann' (man). So it literally describes a man who has to do with business.
Ein Geschäftsmann aus Japan besuchte unsere Firma.
A businessman from Japan visited our company.
The component 'Geschäfts-' is used in many other words that have to do with the world of work and business. Examples are 'Geschäftsreise' (business trip), 'Geschäftspartner' (business partner), or 'Geschäftsessen' (business dinner/lunch).
Morgen habe ich ein wichtiges Geschäftsessen mit einem neuen Kunden.
Tomorrow I have an important business dinner with a new client.
Common adjectives that describe a 'Geschäftsmann' (businessman) are 'erfolgreich' (successful), 'seriös' (respectable), 'international' (international), or also 'skrupellos' (unscrupulous).
Er hat den Ruf, ein sehr seriöser Geschäftsmann zu sein.
He has the reputation of being a very respectable businessman.
manager
'der Manager' and 'der Geschäftsmann' can both refer to people in business. But a manager mainly has a specific role in a company: he plans, organizes, and leads employees or departments. A businessman is more generally a man whose work involves business, trade, or companies. He may be an entrepreneur, a merchant, or also an executive employee. Learners may confuse the words because both sound connected to jobs and business. As a practical rule: when the leadership role in a company is important, 'Manager' fits better. When you are talking generally about a man in the business world, 'Geschäftsmann' is more natural.
Im Zug telefonierte ein Geschäftsmann lange mit einem Kunden.
On the train, a businessman had a long phone call with a customer.
Der Manager bespricht mit seinem Team die Ziele für das nächste Quartal.
The manager discusses the goals for the next quarter with his team.