person behind the scenes / person behind someone
der Hintermann, die Hintermänner
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person behind the scenes
A person who works behind the scenes and influences other people's decisions or actions without appearing publicly themselves.
Die Polizei vermutete einen mächtigen Hintermann hinter dem Betrug.
The police suspected that a powerful person was pulling the strings behind the fraud.
person behind someone
A person who is positioned behind another person, for example in a line or while doing an activity.
Mein Hintermann im Bus musste sich wegen des Gepäcks seitlich hinstellen.
The person behind me on the bus had to stand sideways because of the luggage.
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Hintermänner |
| genitive | des Hintermannes |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Hintermann | die Hintermänner die Hinterleute |
| accusative | den Hintermann | die Hintermänner die Hinterleute |
| dative | dem Hintermann | den Hintermännern den Hinterleuten |
| genitive | des Hintermannes des Hintermanns | der Hintermänner der Hinterleute |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
'Hintermann' is made up of 'hinter' (behind) and 'Mann' (man). The basic idea is a person who stands behind another person or remains in the background.
Der Hintermann der Organisation trat nie selbst öffentlich auf.
The person behind the organization never appeared publicly themselves.
When the topic is fraud, secret planning, or influence, 'Hintermann' usually refers to a person working behind the scenes. Location details and situations involving a line, a bus, or a group, on the other hand, point to the spatial meaning.
Die Ermittler suchten den Hintermann hinter dem illegalen Geschäft.
The investigators searched for the person behind the illegal business.
Der Hintermann in der Schlange wartete geduldig auf seinen Termin.
The person behind him in the line waited patiently for his appointment.
In the sense of an influential person working behind the scenes, 'Hintermann' often occurs with verbs and expressions such as 'einen Hintermann vermuten' (to suspect a person behind something), 'den Hintermann finden' (to find the person behind something), or 'die Hintermänner festnehmen' (to arrest the people behind something). This meaning appears particularly often in reports about crime or political events.
Die Journalisten wollten herausfinden, wer hinter dem Skandal als Hintermann agierte.
The journalists wanted to find out who was acting as the person behind the scandal.
