der Penner
bum
A derogatory and colloquial term for a homeless person who lives on the street.
EXAMPLE
Am Bahnhof saßen ein paar Penner und tranken Bier.
A few bums were sitting at the train station drinking beer.
der Penner
bum / loser
der Penner, die Penner
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Meanings
der Penner
loser / bum
A crude insult for a person who is seen as lazy, unkempt, or incompetent.
EXAMPLE
Beweg dich endlich, du fauler Penner!
Get moving already, you lazy bum!
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Penner, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Penner |
| genitive | des Penners |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Penner | die Penner |
| accusative | den Penner | die Penner |
| dative | dem Penner | den Pennern |
| genitive | des Penners | der Penner |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Strongly derogatory
'Penner' is a very negative and insulting swear word. It is purely colloquial and should definitely be avoided by German learners so as not to hurt anyone.
EXAMPLE
Er wurde wütend und beschimpfte den Fahrer als „Penner“.
He got angry and insulted the driver by calling him a 'Penner' (bum/loser).
Origin of the word
The word is derived from the colloquial verb 'pennen', which means 'to sleep'. So a 'Penner' is literally someone who sleeps somewhere, often outdoors.
EXAMPLE
Nach der langen Wanderung wollen wir heute Nacht nur noch pennen.
After the long hike, all we want to do tonight is sleep.
Two kinds of insult
The word can refer directly to a homeless person or be used as a general insult for a person seen as lazy or unkempt, regardless of their housing situation.
EXAMPLE
„Steh auf, du fauler Penner!“, rief sein Mitbewohner.
'Get up, you lazy bum!' his roommate shouted.
In real life
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