slave
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slave
A person who is the property of another person, has no personal rights, and is forced to work.
In der römischen Antike verrichteten Sklaven einen Großteil der schweren Arbeit.
In ancient Rome, slaves performed a large part of the hard labor.
'Der Sklave' (the slave) belongs to the N-declension. This means it takes the ending '-n' in all cases except the nominative singular.
Das Leben eines Sklaven war hart.
The life of a slave was hard.
The word 'Sklave' (slave) has a very strong historical meaning. In its literal form, it is used today mainly in historical or legal contexts.
Die Ausstellung thematisiert die Geschichte der Sklaven in Nordamerika.
The exhibition addresses the history of slaves in North America.
In the figurative meaning, 'Sklave' (slave) is often used with the preposition 'von' (of/from) or a genitive to express dependence. For example, someone can be 'ein Sklave der Gewohnheit' (a slave of habit) or 'ein Sklave des Geldes' (a slave of money).
Er ist ein Sklave seiner Arbeit und hat nie Freizeit.
He is a slave to his work and never has any free time.
gentleman / Mr.
'der Herr' and 'der Sklave' can express a contrast between power and dependence. In this meaning, 'der Herr' is someone who has control over others. 'Der Sklave' is someone who has no freedom and belongs to another person or is completely controlled. This pair can be confusing because 'Herr' in everyday language is usually just a polite form of address for a man. But as the opposite of 'Sklave', it is not about 'Herr Müller' (Mr. Müller), but about the old or figurative meaning of power and rule.
In dem Roman träumt der Sklave von einem Leben in Freiheit.
In the novel, the slave dreams of a life in freedom.
Der reiche Herr bestimmte, welche Arbeit die Menschen auf seinem Land tun mussten.
The rich master decided what work the people on his land had to do.