meine Wenigkeit
my humble self
A joking, mock-modest way of referring to oneself; the speaker means themselves.
EXAMPLE
Und wer hat am Ende die ganze Küche aufgeräumt? Meine Wenigkeit!
And who ended up cleaning the whole kitchen? My humble self!
die Wenigkeit
my humble self
die Wenigkeit
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Wenigkeit, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| genitive | der Wenigkeit |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Wenigkeit | – |
| accusative | die Wenigkeit | – |
| dative | der Wenigkeit | – |
| genitive | der Wenigkeit | – |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Word formation
'Wenigkeit' is formed from 'wenig' (little) and the suffix '-keit' and literally means being little. Therefore, someone who refers to 'meiner Wenigkeit' (my humble self) jokingly presents themself as something insignificant.
EXAMPLE
Zur Eröffnung kamen der Bürgermeister, zwei Stadträte und meine Wenigkeit.
The mayor, two city councilors, and my humble self attended the opening.
Ironic use
Today, 'Wenigkeit' is used almost exclusively in the expression 'meine Wenigkeit' (my humble self). It sounds deliberately over-modest and is used jokingly or ironically. The verb is in the third-person singular, even though the speaker is referring to themselves.
EXAMPLE
Meine Wenigkeit hat den ganzen Bericht noch vor dem Mittagessen fertiggestellt.
My humble self finished the entire report before lunch.
In real life
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