01
selten
rare
Not occurring or existing often; scarce.
example
Diese Briefmarke ist extrem selten und wertvoll.
This stamp is extremely rare and valuable.
selten
rare / seldom
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Two grammatical roles
'Selten' can describe a noun as an adjective or describe how often something happens as an adverb. As an adjective, it is declined; as an adverb, it remains unchanged.
EXAMPLE
Das ist eine seltene Pflanze.
That is a rare plant.
Position in the sentence
As an adverb of frequency, 'selten' (seldom) usually comes directly after the conjugated verb and before other parts of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Ich esse selten Fleisch.
I seldom eat meat.
Typical collocations
In the meaning 'rar' (rare), 'selten' is often combined with nouns such as 'Gelegenheit' (opportunity), 'Gast' (guest), 'Exemplar' (specimen / copy), or 'Anblick' (sight).
EXAMPLE
Ein solches Angebot ist eine seltene Gelegenheit.
Such an offer is a rare opportunity.
Compare with
selten vs nie
never
'nie' and 'selten' can both express that something is not normal or does not happen often. But the difference is: 'nie' means not at all, so zero times. 'selten' only means very little or at long intervals. Learners can easily confuse the words because both feel like negative frequency words. If something maybe happens once a year, it is 'selten'. If it does not happen at all, it is 'nie'.
selten
Heute koche ich seltene Gewürze nicht, sondern nehme einfach Salz und Pfeffer.
Today I'm not using rare spices; I'm just using salt and pepper.
nie
Im Urlaub schreibt ihr nie E-Mails für das Projekt.
On vacation, you never write emails for the project.
In real life
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