A male person who plays the sport of handball, whether as an amateur or as a professional.
example
Als professioneller Handballer trainiert er fast jeden Tag in der Halle.
As a professional handball player, he trains in the sports hall almost every day.
Usage tips
Word structure
The word is formed from the sport 'Handball' (handball) and the ending '-er'. The ending '-er' is often added to nouns or verbs to refer to a male person who performs that activity.
EXAMPLE
Mein Bruder ist ein begeisterter Handballer.
My brother is an enthusiastic handball player.
Productive suffix -er
The suffix '-er' is very productive for naming people who play a sport. If you know the name of the sport, you can often derive the person, e.g. 'Fußball' (football/soccer) → 'Fußballer' (footballer/soccer player) or 'Tennis' (tennis) → 'Tennisspieler' (tennis player).
EXAMPLE
Viele junge Fußballer träumen von einer Profikarriere.
Many young footballers dream of a professional career.
Typical collocations
Common adjectives are 'professionell' (professional), 'erfolgreich' (successful), or 'ehemalig' (former). The club or position is also often mentioned, e.g. 'Handballer bei den Rhein-Neckar Löwen' (handball player for the Rhein-Neckar Löwen) or 'Handballer in der Nationalmannschaft' (handball player on the national team).
EXAMPLE
Er war jahrelang professioneller Handballer in der Bundesliga.
He was a professional handball player in the Bundesliga for years.