stray / drifter
der Streuner, die Streuner
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stray
An animal, especially a dog or cat, that wanders around without a permanent home or supervision.
Wir haben einen hungrigen Streuner gefunden und ins Tierheim gebracht.
We found a hungry stray and took it to the animal shelter.
drifter
A person who wanders around without a fixed destination and often has no permanent home.
Der alte Streuner zog von Dorf zu Dorf und schlief mal in einer Scheune, mal unter freiem Himmel.
The old drifter went from village to village, sleeping sometimes in a barn and sometimes under the open sky.
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Streuner |
| genitive | des Streuners |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Streuner | die Streuner |
| accusative | den Streuner | die Streuner |
| dative | dem Streuner | den Streunern |
| genitive | des Streuners | der Streuner |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
'Streuner' (stray / drifter) is derived from 'streunen' (to roam) and refers to someone or an animal that wanders around. The ending '-er' indicates the person or thing carrying out the action here.
Der Streuner suchte hinter dem Restaurant nach etwas Futter.
The stray searched behind the restaurant for some food.
You can usually tell whether an animal or a person is meant from the accompanying words: 'Tierheim' (animal shelter), 'Leine' (leash), or 'Futter' (food) point to an animal; 'Dorf' (village), 'Straße' (street), or 'Unterkunft' (accommodation) more often point to a person.
Der Streuner wurde von einer Mitarbeiterin des Tierheims versorgt.
The stray was cared for by an employee of the animal shelter.
Der Streuner zog seit Jahren durch verschiedene Städte.
The drifter had been traveling through various cities for years.
When referring to an animal, 'Streuner' (stray) is often used with verbs such as 'finden' (to find), 'füttern' (to feed), 'aufnehmen' (to take in), and 'ins Tierheim bringen' (to take to an animal shelter). It is also often mentioned that the animal is hungry, injured, or without an owner.
Die Familie nahm den verletzten Streuner vorübergehend bei sich auf.
The family temporarily took in the injured stray.
When 'Streuner' (drifter) refers to a person, the word often has an evaluative, sometimes derogatory connotation. In narrative texts, it can also express a romantic idea of life without a permanent home.
Die Dorfbewohner hielten den fremden Streuner zunächst für verdächtig.
At first, the villagers considered the unfamiliar drifter suspicious.
