der Stadtstaat
city-state
A state whose territory essentially consists of a city and its immediate surrounding area.
EXAMPLE
Singapur ist ein moderner Stadtstaat in Südostasien.
Singapore is a modern city-state in Southeast Asia.
der Stadtstaat
city-state
der Stadtstaat, die Stadtstaaten
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Meanings
der Stadtstaat
city-state
A German federal state that essentially consists of one city or a few cities.
EXAMPLE
Berlin, Hamburg und Bremen gelten als deutsche Stadtstaaten.
Berlin, Hamburg, and Bremen are considered German city-states.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Stadtstaat, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Stadtstaaten |
| genitive | des Stadtstaates |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Stadtstaat | die Stadtstaaten |
| accusative | den Stadtstaat | die Stadtstaaten |
| dative | dem Stadtstaat | den Stadtstaaten |
| genitive | des Stadtstaates des Stadtstaats | der Stadtstaaten |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Compound word
'Stadtstaat' (city-state) is made up of 'Stadt' (city) and 'Staat' (state). It therefore refers to a state whose political territory is closely connected to a city.
EXAMPLE
Der Stadtstaat kontrollierte früher auch das Gebiet rund um die Stadt.
The city-state once also controlled the area surrounding the city.
Historical context
This meaning often appears in historical or political texts, especially in discussions of antiquity and international politics. Typical collocations include 'antiker Stadtstaat' (ancient city-state), 'moderner Stadtstaat' (modern city-state), and 'Stadtstaaten der Antike' (city-states of antiquity).
EXAMPLE
Im Geschichtsunterricht lernten wir viel über die Stadtstaaten der Antike.
In history class, we learned a lot about the city-states of antiquity.
German context
When referring to Germany, 'Stadtstaat' (city-state) often appears in connection with federal states and federalism. Typical phrases include 'ein deutscher Stadtstaat' (a German city-state) and 'die deutschen Stadtstaaten' (the German city-states).
EXAMPLE
Im Bundesrat haben die deutschen Stadtstaaten eine besondere politische Bedeutung.
The German city-states have particular political significance in the Bundesrat.
In real life
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