Bewerbung, Antrag and Anmeldung: three kinds of application
Bewerbung is an application where you seek a position or selection, such as a job. Antrag is a request for a decision, permission, benefit or other formal action. Anmeldung is registration: you provide details to join, attend or be recorded. English application can describe all three, so translating it word for word is risky. Ask what the organization will do next: select a candidate, decide a request, or register a person.
| Word | Core meaning | Typical context | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bewerbung | application for selection | Jobs, training places and competitive opportunities | Die Bewerbung; plural die Bewerbungen. Common phrases: eine Bewerbung schreiben/einreichen, eine Bewerbung um + accusative, and eine Bewerbung bei + dative institution. |
| Antrag | formal request; motion | Approval, benefits and official decisions | Der Antrag; plural die Anträge. Useful phrases: einen Antrag stellen/einreichen; ein Antrag auf + accusative, such as auf Erstattung. |
| Anmeldung | registration; sign-up | Courses, events and recorded attendance | Die Anmeldung; plural die Anmeldungen. Common phrases: die Anmeldung für + accusative event; die Anmeldung zum + dative course; Anmeldung bei + dative organization. |
Bewerbung
Meaning and usage: Bewerbung names the act of applying or the submitted application documents. A job Bewerbung normally presents your qualifications for a position. It can also apply to other selection processes; it is not limited to paid employment. Whether a particular course requires a Bewerbung depends on that institution’s process.
Grammar: Die Bewerbung; plural die Bewerbungen. Common phrases: eine Bewerbung schreiben/einreichen, eine Bewerbung um + accusative, and eine Bewerbung bei + dative institution.
Ich schicke meine Bewerbung für die Stelle heute ab.
I am sending my application for the position today.
Meine Bewerbung um einen Ausbildungsplatz war erfolgreich.
My application for a training place was successful.
Antrag
Meaning and usage: Antrag asks a responsible person or organization to approve or decide something. The word can also refer to the form itself. In a meeting, an Antrag may be a motion put to a vote. A Heiratsantrag is a marriage proposal, so Antrag is broader than government paperwork alone.
Grammar: Der Antrag; plural die Anträge. Useful phrases: einen Antrag stellen/einreichen; ein Antrag auf + accusative, such as auf Erstattung.
Ich stelle einen Antrag auf Erstattung der Fahrtkosten.
I submit a request for reimbursement of the travel costs.
Der Verein stimmt über den Antrag ab.
The association votes on the motion.
Anmeldung
Meaning and usage: Anmeldung records that you want to participate or that you must be registered. It can name the process, submitted registration or, colloquially, a reception area where you check in. The word itself does not guarantee that there is no approval step, fee or limit on places.
Grammar: Die Anmeldung; plural die Anmeldungen. Common phrases: die Anmeldung für + accusative event; die Anmeldung zum + dative course; Anmeldung bei + dative organization.
Die Anmeldung zum Sprachkurs ist bis Freitag möglich.
Registration for the language course is possible until Friday.
Bitte melden Sie sich zuerst an der Anmeldung.
Please check in at reception first.
Overlap and context
One process can involve more than one word: an institution might ask for an Antrag on a registration form or require a Bewerbung before an Anmeldung. Follow its actual headings instead of forcing the entire process into one noun. These are language distinctions, not a description of legal eligibility or every institution’s procedures.
Common mistakes
- A routine sign-up is not automatically eine Bewerbung.
- Remember the umlaut in the plural Anträge; Bewerbungen and Anmeldungen add -en.
Memory aid: Selection: Bewerbung. Decision requested: Antrag. Entry in a register: Anmeldung. Match the word to the action the recipient must take.
Try it
Which noun fits signing up for an open language course: Bewerbung, Antrag or Anmeldung?
Show the answer
Anmeldung
The stated action is registration, rather than selection for a job or a separate request for approval.
Sources for meaning and usage
Termin, Frist or Datum: appointment, time limit and date
A Termin is a scheduled point in time or an appointment; a Frist is a set period in which something must be done; a Datum is a calendar date. A Frist can end on a particular Datum, and a Termin can take place on that same day. Termin is broader than “doctor’s appointment”.
| Word | Core meaning | Typical context | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Termin | scheduled time; appointment | a meeting or fixed completion point | der Termin; plural Termine |
| Frist | time limit; allotted period | a period for replying or paying | die Frist; plural Fristen |
| Datum | calendar date | day, month and year | das Datum; plural Daten |
Termin
Meaning and usage: Termin can name an agreed appointment, the meeting itself or a fixed time by which something should happen. Use it when booking a doctor’s visit, arranging a meeting or discussing a scheduled event. It can also refer to a court hearing.
Grammar: Der Termin; genitive des Termins or Termines; plural die Termine. Einen Termin vereinbaren, verschieben or absagen. Einen Termin bei jemandem haben uses bei + dative.
Ich habe am Dienstag um neun Uhr einen Termin beim Zahnarzt.
I have a dentist’s appointment at nine o’clock on Tuesday.
Frist
Meaning and usage: Frist names an allotted period, often for an action such as sending documents or making a payment. English “deadline” often highlights its endpoint, while German can describe the whole Frist. A Frist begins, runs and expires; it can be extended.
Grammar: Die Frist; genitive der Frist; plural die Fristen. Eine Frist von zwei Wochen; eine Frist setzen, einhalten or verlängern. Für + accusative names the required action or purpose.
Für die Antwort gilt eine Frist von zehn Tagen.
There is a ten-day time limit for replying.
Datum
Meaning and usage: Datum names the calendar date, independent of what happens on that date. It is useful on forms, letters and event notices. The plural Daten also appears in information and computing, so context decides whether dates or data are meant.
Grammar: Das Datum; genitive des Datums; plural die Daten. Das Datum eintragen; nach dem Datum fragen uses nach + dative. “Datums” is a singular genitive, not the standard plural.
Welches Datum soll ich auf dem Formular eintragen?
Which date should I enter on the form?
Overlap and context
A submission notice might say Die Frist endet am 15. November: that date is the endpoint of the period. A fixed Abgabetermin may refer to the same practical requirement. The nouns organize the information differently, so the appointment-versus-deadline distinction is useful but not absolute. Always read the full notice to understand the requested action and time.
Common mistakes
- Avoid das Termin and der Frist: learn the nouns with der and die.
- Do not assume every Termin involves meeting another person.
- The plural of Datum is Daten, not Datümer or Datums.
Memory aid: Termin: fixed time. Frist: time allowed. Datum: the calendar label.
Try it
Complete: Bitte antworten Sie innerhalb einer ___ von sieben Tagen.
Show the answer
Frist
The phrase describes an allotted period for replying.
Sources for meaning and usage
Wert, Preis and Kosten: value, price and cost in German
Wert is value or worth; Preis is the price asked or paid for something; Kosten are the expenses associated with obtaining or doing it. A selling price can differ from an item’s value, and total costs can include more than the purchase price. Kosten is a plural noun in this financial sense.
| Word | Core meaning | Typical context | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wert | value; worth | financial worth or importance | der Wert; plural Werte |
| Preis | price; prize | a purchase amount or an award | der Preis; plural Preise |
| Kosten | costs; expenses | a project’s or activity’s expense | die Kosten; plural-only noun |
Wert
Meaning and usage: Wert can express financial worth, importance, a measured value or an ethical value. Der Wert eines Autos is its value, while persönliche Werte concerns principles. Worth is not necessarily a price quoted by a seller, although market value and price can be close.
Grammar: Der Wert; genitive des Werts or Wertes; plural die Werte. Etwas hat einen Wert; Wert auf etwas legen uses auf + accusative in the fixed expression for regarding something as important.
Der persönliche Wert dieser Uhr ist für mich höher als ihr Verkaufspreis.
The personal value of this watch to me is higher than its selling price.
Preis
Meaning and usage: Preis commonly names the amount charged for a product or service. It can also mean a prize or award; a competition context normally makes that meaning clear. Figuratively, something can einen Preis haben when it involves a sacrifice rather than a payment.
Grammar: Der Preis; genitive des Preises; plural die Preise. Der Preis für etwas uses für + accusative; zu einem Preis uses zu + dative.
Der Preis für das Fahrrad beträgt 280 Euro.
The price of the bicycle is 280 euros.
Kosten
Meaning and usage: Kosten are expenses or the monetary effort involved in an activity. They may include several components, but the noun remains plural even for one overall amount. A plural grammar pattern does not tell you whether the bill has one item or twenty.
Grammar: Die Kosten, plural only; genitive der Kosten; dative den Kosten. Use plural agreement: die Kosten sind hoch. The verb kosten is a different word class: das Fahrrad kostet ….
Die Kosten für Lieferung und Montage kommen noch dazu.
The costs of delivery and assembly are added on top.
Overlap and context
Der Preis der Reise and die Kosten der Reise may both refer to what someone pays. Costs can also be a broader total including travel, meals and incidental expenses. Preis does not always mean money, because it also means prize. Read the whole sentence before deciding which English sense applies.
Common mistakes
- Avoid Die Kosten ist hoch. The noun requires sind.
- Do not use Wert automatically for the number on a price tag. Preis is the clearer shopping word.
- A prize in a competition is also ein Preis; it is not necessarily a purchase amount.
Memory aid: Wert: worth. Preis: quoted or paid amount. Kosten: expenses involved. Remember Kosten with sind.
Try it
Complete: Die Kosten für den Umzug ___ höher als erwartet.
Show the answer
sind
Kosten is grammatically plural, even if one total amount is meant.
Sources for meaning and usage
Menge vs. Anzahl vs. Nummer vs. Zahl: which German “number” do you need?
Menge is an amount or quantity. Anzahl emphasizes how many countable people or things there are. Nummer identifies something, such as a room or ticket. Zahl is a numerical value and can also mean a count. Choose by what the number does, not simply by the English word “number.”
| Word | Core meaning | Typical context | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menge | amount; quantity | materials; quantities; a lot of things | die Menge; plural Mengen |
| Anzahl | count; number of items | how many people or objects | die Anzahl; specialist plural Anzahlen |
| Nummer | identifying number | rooms; phones; tickets; sequence labels | die Nummer; plural Nummern |
| Zahl | numerical value; count | mathematics; figures; number of people | die Zahl; plural Zahlen; count sense generally singular |
Menge
Meaning and usage: Menge can describe water, food, or a collection of objects. Eine Menge can also mean a lot, even without an exact figure. It is not restricted to uncountable substances: a large Menge of apples is perfectly possible.
Grammar: Feminine: die Menge, genitive der Menge, plural die Mengen. Useful patterns include eine Menge Wasser and große Mengen an or von something. In informal quantity expressions, the following noun can appear directly without a preposition.
Für den Teig brauchen wir nur eine kleine Menge Wasser.
We need only a small amount of water for the dough.
Anzahl
Meaning and usage: Anzahl foregrounds counting individual units. Use it for participants, rooms, or tickets. It can describe an approximate count as well as an exact one, so the word does not guarantee that somebody has counted precisely.
Grammar: Feminine: die Anzahl, genitive der Anzahl; normally singular in everyday usage. The plural die Anzahlen occurs in specialist language. The pattern die Anzahl der + plural noun uses genitive, as in die Anzahl der Gäste.
Die Anzahl der Gäste ist auf zwanzig begrenzt.
The number of guests is limited to twenty.
Nummer
Meaning and usage: Nummer labels an item or gives its position in a sequence. Room 12 contains the Nummer 12; it does not contain twelve rooms. The word has additional senses, including a performance item, but identification is the key distinction here.
Grammar: Feminine: die Nummer, genitive der Nummer, plural die Nummern. It is often abbreviated Nr. in labels and lists. Compounds such as Telefonnummer and Zimmernummer name the particular kind of identifier.
Auf meinem Ticket steht die Nummer 208.
My ticket shows the number 208.
Zahl
Meaning and usage: Zahl names a number considered as a value, such as twelve or a negative number. It also overlaps with Anzahl in expressions about how many people or things there are. A printed numeral can represent a Zahl.
Grammar: Feminine: die Zahl, genitive der Zahl, plural die Zahlen. Mathematical values are countable: zwei Zahlen. In the meaning “number of,” it is usually singular, as in die Zahl der Besucher.
Zwölf ist eine gerade Zahl.
Twelve is an even number.
Overlap and context
The Zahl 208 may serve as your ticket's Nummer, while the Anzahl of tickets sold is 208. Menge can also cover countable objects, and Zahl can overlap with Anzahl. These words emphasize quantity, counting, identity, or numerical value rather than dividing the world into absolute categories.
Common mistakes
- Use Telefonnummer, not Telefonzahl, for a phone number.
- Do not use Anzahl for an unmeasured amount of water.
- Do not assume Menge only goes with uncountable nouns.
Memory aid: Menge: how much. Anzahl: how many. Nummer: which one. Zahl: the numerical value.
Try it
Which word fits a hotel key label: Zimmer ___ 14?
Show the answer
Nummer
Fourteen identifies the room; it does not count the rooms.