merchant / businessman
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merchant / businessman
A person who works in trade professionally, meaning they buy and sell goods in order to make a profit. The term includes both self-employed entrepreneurs and managerial employees in commerce.
Ein kluger Kaufmann kauft günstig ein und verkauft mit Gewinn.
A clever merchant buys at a low price and sells at a profit.
merchant
A legal term from commercial law for a person or company that operates a commercial business. This status is associated with special rights and obligations.
Laut Handelsgesetzbuch ist jeder, der ein Handelsgewerbe betreibt, ein Kaufmann.
According to the Commercial Code, anyone who operates a commercial business is a merchant.
The word is made up of 'kaufen' (to buy) and 'Mann' (man). A 'Kaufmann' (merchant/businessman) is therefore literally a man who engages in trade by buying and selling goods.
Schon als Kind wollte er Kaufmann werden und einen eigenen Laden haben.
Even as a child, he wanted to become a merchant and have his own shop.
'Kaufmann' (merchant/businessman) belongs to the N-declension. This means that in all cases except the nominative singular it takes the ending '-n' or '-en'. This is a common mistake among learners.
Ich habe mit dem Kaufmann über den Preis verhandelt.
I negotiated the price with the merchant.
The plural of 'Kaufmann' is 'Kaufleute' (merchants/businesspeople). The ending '-leute' instead of '-männer' is often used with job titles and emphasizes the group of people in their function.
Die Kaufleute der Stadt trafen sich einmal im Monat.
The merchants of the town met once a month.
You can recognize the legal meaning of 'Kaufmann' (merchant) from the context. It is used almost exclusively in legal or business texts, often in connection with laws such as the Handelsgesetzbuch (HGB) (German Commercial Code).
Im Handelsregister ist er als Kaufmann eingetragen.
He is registered in the commercial register as a merchant.
dealer
Händler and Kaufmann can both refer to a person who professionally buys and sells goods. Händler emphasizes this specific trading activity. Kaufmann focuses more strongly on the professional role in commerce and can also refer to a managerial employee.
Als Kaufmann leitet Paul den Einkauf und Verkauf eines großen Handelsbetriebs.
As a merchant, Paul manages the purchasing and sales operations of a large trading company.
Als Händler kauft Paul Obst von Bauern und verkauft es auf dem Markt weiter.
As a dealer, Paul buys fruit from farmers and resells it at the market.
