mittellos
destitute
Without sufficient financial means or possessions; poor and unable to pay for one's own living expenses.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Verlust seiner Arbeit war er plötzlich mittellos.
After losing his job, he suddenly became destitute.
mittellos
destitute
mittellos – mittelloser – am mittellosesten
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry mittellos, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Comparison
| basic form | mittellos |
|---|---|
| comparative | mittelloser |
| superlative | am mittellosesten |
After der, die, das
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -e | -e | -e | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -e | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to mittellos.
After ein, eine
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to mittellos.
Without article
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -e |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -e |
| dat. | -em | -er | -em | -en |
| gen. | -en | -er | -en | -er |
Add the ending to mittellos.
Usage tips
Word formation
'Mittellos' (destitute) consists of 'Mittel' (means) and '-los' (-less). '-los' indicates that something is missing; in 'mittellos', 'Mittel' refers to financial resources or possessions.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Betrug stand die Familie plötzlich mittellos da.
After the fraud, the family suddenly found themselves destitute.
Typical sentence pattern
'Mittellos' (destitute) is often used with the verbs 'sein' (to be), 'werden' (to become), or 'bleiben' (to remain). It can also be used with 'zurücklassen' (to leave behind) when a person is left without financial means.
EXAMPLE
Der Unternehmer verschwand und ließ seine Familie mittellos zurück.
The businessman disappeared and left his family destitute.
Register and context
The word sounds fairly factual and is typical of written language. It occurs particularly often in reports about social hardship, unemployment, poverty, or financial difficulties.
EXAMPLE
Die Beratungsstelle unterstützt mittellose Menschen bei der Wohnungssuche.
The counseling center supports destitute people in finding housing.
In real life
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