reservist
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reservist
A person who has completed active military service but remains part of the military reserve and can be called back to duty if needed.
Wegen der angespannten Lage wurden mehrere tausend Reservisten mobilisiert.
Because of the tense situation, several thousand reservists were mobilized.
The word is derived from 'Reserve' (reserve). The ending '-ist' is often used in German to refer to a person who belongs to a certain group or performs a certain activity.
Er ist ausgebildeter Reservist und nimmt regelmäßig an Übungen teil.
He is a trained reservist and regularly takes part in exercises.
'Reservist' (reservist) is a noun of the N-declension. This means that it takes the ending '-en' in all cases except the nominative singular. This is a common mistake.
Der Kommandant sprach mit dem Reservisten.
The commander spoke with the reservist.
In a military context, reservists are often 'einberufen' (called up), 'mobilisiert' (mobilized), or 'eingesetzt' (deployed). These verbs describe the process of bringing them back into active service.
Im Krisenfall können Reservisten schnell einberufen werden.
In a crisis, reservists can be called up quickly.
soldier
'Soldat' and 'Reservist' both belong to the field of the military. A 'Soldat' is generally a person in the armed forces and may be on active duty. A 'Reservist' has already completed active military service but remains part of the reserve for emergencies. Learners may confuse the words because both may have military training. The important point is: 'Soldat' mainly says that someone belongs to the military; 'Reservist' additionally says that the person normally no longer serves actively but can be called up again.
Nach seinem aktiven Dienst blieb Mehmet Reservist und nahm einmal im Jahr an einer Übung teil.
After his active service, Mehmet remained a reservist and took part in an exercise once a year.
Am Bahnhof wartet ein Soldat auf den Zug zur Kaserne.
At the station, a soldier is waiting for the train to the barracks.