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subject
A person who is subject to the rule of a monarch or government and owes obedience. Today, the term is mostly used in a historical context.
Der König verlangte von seinen Untertanen unbedingten Gehorsam.
The king demanded absolute obedience from his subjects.
submissive subject
A derogatory term for a person who submits to an authority in a servile way and without an opinion of their own.
Er ist kein kritischer Geist, sondern nur ein gehorsamer Untertan seines Chefs.
He is not a critical thinker, but merely an obedient subject of his boss.
The word derives from 'untertan sein' (to be subject to), which means 'unterworfen sein' (to be subjugated). It describes a person who is 'untergeordnet' (subordinate) to the power of another person.
Die Bevölkerung war dem Willen des Herrschers untertan.
The population was subject to the ruler's will.
In its original meaning, 'Untertan' (subject) is now used almost exclusively in historical contexts when talking about monarchies, kingdoms, or empires.
In den Geschichtsbüchern lasen wir über das Leben der Untertanen im Mittelalter.
In our history books, we read about the lives of subjects in the Middle Ages.
In modern usage, 'Untertan' (submissive subject) is a strongly derogatory term. It criticizes a person for their lack of moral courage and their uncritical, submissive attitude toward authorities.
Sie kritisierte ihren Kollegen als Duckmäuser und willenlosen Untertan der Geschäftsführung.
She criticized her colleague as a coward and a spineless subject of management.
The negative meaning of the word was strongly shaped by the novel 'Der Untertan' (The Subject) by Heinrich Mann (1918). The book is a famous satire of the authority-obedient bourgeois type in the German Empire.
Im Deutschunterricht haben wir Heinrich Manns Roman „Der Untertan“ analysiert.
In German class, we analyzed Heinrich Mann's novel 'Der Untertan' (The Subject).
subject
Both words can refer to a person under the rule of a monarch or state. In this meaning, Subjekt now sounds rather outdated or especially formal, while Untertan is mainly used in historical contexts. In a historical text, Untertan is usually the better choice; Subjekt can sound deliberately old-fashioned.
Der König erwartete von jedem Untertan Gehorsam.
The king expected obedience from every subject.
Der König erwartete von jedem Subjekt Gehorsam.
The king expected obedience from every subject.
