rival
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rival
A person, group, or company that competes with another for the same goal. Rivalry can relate to areas such as sports, business, politics, or even personal relationships.
Die beiden Firmen sind seit Jahren erbitterte Rivalen auf dem Technologiemarkt.
The two companies have been bitter rivals in the technology market for years.
'Der Rivale' (the rival) is an N-declension noun. This means it takes the ending '-n' in all cases except the nominative singular. A common mistake is to forget this ending.
Er traf seinen alten Rivalen auf der Konferenz.
He met his old rival at the conference.
'Rivale' (rival) is often combined with adjectives that describe the intensity of the competition. Typical examples are 'ein erbitterter Rivale' (a bitter rival), 'der größte Rivale' (the biggest rival), or 'ein ewiger Rivale' (an eternal rival).
Die beiden Läufer waren jahrelang erbitterte Rivalen.
The two runners were bitter rivals for years.
To name the competitor, you often use the preposition 'von' (of/from). To name the goal of the competition, you use the preposition 'um' (for).
Das Unternehmen ist ein starker Rivale von uns.
The company is a strong rival of ours.
opponent
A Gegner is the person or team one is competing against in a particular game or contest. A Rivale competes with someone for the same goal over a longer period or repeatedly. A Rivale can therefore be the current opponent, but does not have to be.
Seit Jahren ist Leon mein Rivale im Kampf um die Meisterschaft.
Leon has been my rival in the fight for the championship for years.
Heute ist Leon mein Gegner im Halbfinale.
Today, Leon is my opponent in the semifinal.
