unerfahren
inexperienced
Having little or no experience or knowledge in a specific area or in life in general.
EXAMPLE
Als unerfahrener Koch hielt er sich genau an das Rezept.
As an inexperienced cook, he followed the recipe exactly.
unerfahren
inexperienced
unerfahren – unerfahrener – am unerfahrensten
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry unerfahren, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Comparison
| basic form | unerfahren |
|---|---|
| comparative | unerfahrener |
| superlative | am unerfahrensten |
After der, die, das
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -e | -e | -e | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -e | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to unerfahren.
After ein, eine
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to unerfahren.
Without article
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -e |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -e |
| dat. | -em | -er | -em | -en |
| gen. | -en | -er | -en | -er |
Add the ending to unerfahren.
Usage tips
Word structure
The word consists of the prefix 'un-', which expresses negation, and the adjective 'erfahren' (experienced). So it is the direct opposite of 'erfahren' (experienced).
EXAMPLE
Der junge Arzt war noch unerfahren, aber sehr motiviert.
The young doctor was still inexperienced, but very motivated.
Correct preposition
To name the area in which someone has no experience, you use the preposition 'in' followed by the dative. The pattern is: unerfahren in etwas sein.
EXAMPLE
Ich bin noch sehr unerfahren im Umgang mit dieser neuen Software.
I am still very inexperienced in using this new software.
Typical collocations
'Unerfahren' (inexperienced) is often used to describe people in a specific role. Typical examples are 'ein unerfahrener Fahrer' (an inexperienced driver), 'eine unerfahrene Mitarbeiterin' (an inexperienced employee), or 'ein unerfahrener Anfänger' (an inexperienced beginner).
EXAMPLE
Als unerfahrener Reisender hat er einige typische Fehler gemacht.
As an inexperienced traveler, he made a few typical mistakes.
Compare with
unerfahren vs grün
green
Grün and unerfahren can both describe a person with little practical experience. Grün sounds figurative and somewhat colloquial, while unerfahren is neutral and direct. Use grün in a casual description and unerfahren in a factual statement about a lack of knowledge or practical experience.
unerfahren
Unser neuer Kollege ist noch unerfahren und muss die Abläufe erst kennenlernen.
Our new colleague is still inexperienced and has to learn the procedures first.
grün
Unser neuer Kollege ist noch ziemlich grün und muss die Abläufe erst kennenlernen.
Our new colleague is still pretty green and has to learn the procedures first.
In real life
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