der Gründer
founder
A person who brings something into existence or establishes it, especially a company, organization, or city.
EXAMPLE
Bill Gates ist einer der Gründer von Microsoft.
Bill Gates is one of the founders of Microsoft.
der Gründer
founder
der Gründer, die Gründer
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Gründer, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Gründer |
| genitive | des Gründers |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Gründer | die Gründer |
| accusative | den Gründer | die Gründer |
| dative | dem Gründer | den Gründern |
| genitive | des Gründers | der Gründer |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Word family
'Der Gründer' (the founder) is the person who carries out an action described by the verb 'gründen' (to found). A founder is therefore someone who founds something.
EXAMPLE
Er träumt davon, eines Tages selbst ein Unternehmen zu gründen.
He dreams of founding a company himself one day.
Grammatical connection
To say what was founded, you usually use the genitive or the preposition 'von' (of/from). For example: 'der Gründer des Unternehmens' (the founder of the company) or 'der Gründer von dem Unternehmen' (the founder of the company).
EXAMPLE
Steve Jobs war der Gründer von Apple.
Steve Jobs was the founder of Apple.
Die Gründer der Stadt entschieden sich für diesen Ort am Fluss.
The founders of the city chose this location by the river.
Typical compounds
The word 'Gründer' (founder) is often used as the second part of compound nouns to specify the type of founder, e.g. 'Firmengründer' (company founder), 'Unternehmensgründer' (business founder), or 'Stadtgründer' (city founder).
EXAMPLE
Als Firmengründer trägt man viel Verantwortung.
As a company founder, you carry a lot of responsibility.
Das Museum ehrt die Stadtgründer mit einer Ausstellung.
The museum honors the city founders with an exhibition.
Compare with
Gründer vs Unternehmer
entrepreneur
Gründer and Unternehmer can refer to the same person, but they emphasize different things. Gründer refers to the fact that someone brought a company into existence. Unternehmer describes their economic activity and the associated risk, especially when they continue to run the company.
Gründer
Jonas ist der Gründer der Firma, weil er sie vor zehn Jahren ins Leben rief.
Jonas is the founder of the company because he brought it into existence ten years ago.
Unternehmer
Heute führt Jonas die Firma als Unternehmer und trägt ihr wirtschaftliches Risiko.
Today, Jonas runs the company as an entrepreneur and bears its financial risk.
In real life
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