der Großonkel
great-uncle
A brother of one's grandmother or grandfather.
EXAMPLE
Mein Großonkel ist der jüngere Bruder meiner Großmutter.
My great-uncle is my grandmother's younger brother.
der Großonkel
great-uncle
der Großonkel, die Großonkel
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Großonkel, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Großonkel |
| genitive | des Großonkels |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Großonkel | die Großonkel |
| accusative | den Großonkel | die Großonkel |
| dative | dem Großonkel | den Großonkeln |
| genitive | des Großonkels | der Großonkel |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Word formation
'Großonkel' (great-uncle) is made up of 'groß' (great) and 'Onkel' (uncle). Here, the first part indicates a family relationship one generation further back: it refers to an uncle from the grandparents' generation.
EXAMPLE
Mein Großonkel erzählt gern Geschichten aus seiner Kindheit.
My great-uncle likes telling stories about his childhood.
Family relationships
With 'Großonkel' (great-uncle), you can specify the branch of the family: he can be related to you 'mütterlicherseits' (on your mother's side) or 'väterlicherseits' (on your father's side). These terms indicate the side of the family through which you are related.
EXAMPLE
Mein Großonkel väterlicherseits lebt heute in Hamburg.
My great-uncle on my father's side now lives in Hamburg.
Typical collocations
'Großonkel' (great-uncle) often occurs with verbs relating to contact and family history, such as 'besuchen' (to visit), 'anrufen' (to call), 'kennenlernen' (to get to know), or 'von einem Großonkel erzählen' (to tell stories about a great-uncle).
EXAMPLE
Wir besuchen unseren Großonkel jeden Sommer.
We visit our great-uncle every summer.
In real life
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