der Letzte
last person
The person at the end of a line, sequence, or ranking.
EXAMPLE
Der Letzte in der Schlange musste fast eine Stunde warten.
The last person in line had to wait almost an hour.
der Letzte
last person / scumbag
die Letzte, die Letzten
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Meanings
der Letzte
last surviving member
The last remaining or living member of a group, family, or species.
EXAMPLE
Er war der Letzte seiner Familie und lebte ganz allein.
He was the last surviving member of his family and lived all alone.
der Letzte
scumbag
An informal term for a person considered particularly unsuitable, indecent, or despicable.
EXAMPLE
Du bist wirklich der Letzte, wenn du deine Freunde so behandelst.
You're a real scumbag if you treat your friends like that.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Letzte, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Letzten |
| genitive | der Letzten |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Letzte | die Letzten |
| accusative | die Letzte | die Letzten |
| dative | der Letzten | den Letzten |
| genitive | der Letzten | der Letzten |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Nominalized adjective
'Der Letzte' (the last person) is a nominalized adjective: the word is used as a noun and is therefore capitalized. The article indicates that it refers to a person.
EXAMPLE
Der Letzte bekommt den Schlüssel.
The last person gets the key.
Typical sentence pattern
To describe a position at the end, 'der Letzte' (the last person) is often used with a phrase indicating location or order. The construction 'als Letzter' (last) also describes who arrives or leaves last.
EXAMPLE
Der Letzte in der Gruppe musste den Raum abschließen.
The last person in the group had to lock the room.
Nina kam als Letzte ins Ziel.
Nina crossed the finish line last.
Family connections
In this sense, 'der Letzte' (the last surviving member) is often used with a genitive phrase such as 'seiner Familie' (of his family), 'seiner Art' (of his kind), or 'seiner Generation' (of his generation). This explains which group the last person belongs to.
EXAMPLE
Er gilt als der Letzte seiner Generation, der noch in diesem Dorf lebt.
He is considered the last surviving member of his generation still living in this village.
Informal reproach
This sense is informal and is often used as a direct insult or a sharp reprimand. 'Der Letzte' (a scumbag) is especially common after 'sein' (to be) when judging someone's behavior.
EXAMPLE
Wer hilflose Menschen ausnutzt, ist für mich der Letzte.
Anyone who takes advantage of helpless people is a scumbag in my eyes.
In real life
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