first lieutenant
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first lieutenant
An officer rank in the armed forces, for example in the army or air force. In the German Bundeswehr, an Oberleutnant ranks above a Leutnant (second lieutenant) and below a Hauptmann (captain).
Der Oberleutnant gab seiner Kompanie den Befehl zum Abrücken.
The first lieutenant gave his company the order to move out.
The word is made up of 'Ober-' and 'Leutnant' (lieutenant). The prefix 'Ober-' means 'higher' or 'superior' and here indicates a higher rank than that of a simple lieutenant.
Nach seiner Beförderung war er nicht mehr Leutnant, sondern Oberleutnant.
After his promotion, he was no longer a lieutenant but a first lieutenant.
The prefix 'Ober-' is used in many German professional and rank titles to indicate a higher position. If you know this pattern, you can also understand other words like 'Oberarzt' (senior physician) or 'Oberkellner' (head waiter) more easily.
Der Oberkellner ist für alle Kellner im Restaurant verantwortlich.
The head waiter is responsible for all the waiters in the restaurant.
As a form of address or title before a name, 'Oberleutnant' is used without an article. When speaking generally about the person, the article is used.
Oberleutnant Weber meldet sich zum Dienst.
First Lieutenant Weber reporting for duty.
This is a specific technical term from the military field. Outside contexts such as the Bundeswehr, history, or films, this word is hardly used.
Im Geschichtsbuch las er über die Rolle der Offiziere wie dem Oberleutnant im Krieg.
In the history book, he read about the role of officers such as the first lieutenant in the war.
captain
'der Hauptmann' and 'der Oberleutnant' are both military ranks for officers. That is why they can easily be confused if you do not know the order of ranks. The most important difference is the level: an Oberleutnant ranks below a Hauptmann. A Hauptmann therefore has a higher rank than an Oberleutnant. When the exact position in the military matters, you should not use the words interchangeably.
Nach zwei Jahren wurde mein Bruder zum Oberleutnant befördert.
After two years, my brother was promoted to first lieutenant.
Der Hauptmann erklärte der Kompanie den Plan für die Übung.
The captain explained the plan for the exercise to the company.