drinker
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drinker
A person who consumes alcohol regularly and often excessively; an alcoholic.
Er war in der ganzen Stadt als Trinker bekannt, bevor er eine Therapie begann.
He was known throughout the city as a drinker before he began therapy.
The word 'Trinker' (drinker) is derived directly from the verb 'trinken' (to drink). The ending '-er' is often used in German to refer to a male person who performs a particular activity.
Er ist ein leidenschaftlicher Kaffeetrinker und braucht morgens drei Tassen.
He is a passionate coffee drinker and needs three cups in the morning.
When 'der Trinker' (the drinker) is used on its own, it usually means 'Alkoholiker' (alcoholic) and has a strongly negative meaning. To express the neutral meaning 'person who drinks something', the drink is almost always mentioned.
Man sagte ihm nach, er sei ein Trinker.
People said he was a drinker.
The neutral meaning is most often expressed through compound nouns. Examples are 'der Kaffeetrinker' (coffee drinker), 'der Teetrinker' (tea drinker), 'der Weintrinker' (wine drinker), or 'der Biertrinker' (beer drinker).
Als passionierter Weintrinker kennt er sich gut mit verschiedenen Rebsorten aus.
As a passionate wine drinker, he knows a lot about different grape varieties.
alcoholic
'der Alkoholiker' and 'der Trinker' can both mean a person who drinks a lot of alcohol. However, 'Alkoholiker' is more precise and refers to alcohol dependency. 'Trinker' is less specific: it can mean a person who drinks heavily, but also simply someone who is drinking something at the moment or likes a particular drink. That is why 'Trinker' can sound much more harmless depending on the context. Learners should be careful: when talking about an illness or addiction, 'Alkoholiker' is more precise. 'Trinker' needs more context.
Bei der Weinprobe saßen erfahrene Trinker neben Leuten, die nur probieren wollten.
At the wine tasting, experienced drinkers sat next to people who only wanted to sample the wine.
Sein Vater war viele Jahre Alkoholiker und hat später Hilfe gesucht.
His father was an alcoholic for many years and later sought help.