derselbe
German, determiner/deːɐ̯ˈzɛlbə/
derselbe is spelled D-E-R-S-E-L-B-E (8 letters) and appears 7.2 times per million words in written German, the 9,162nd most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Derselbe is a German determiner meaning “the same” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
What does derselbe mean in English?
pronoun
- 1
the same
- 2
selfsame
- 3
idem
determiner
- 1
the same
- 2
selfsame
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
pronoun: 1. bezeichnet die Identität mit einem vorausgegangenen oder bekannten Ding im Gegensatz zu einem anderen Ding derselben Art, für das "der gleiche" zu verwenden ist 2. weist substantivisch auf ein vorausgegangenes Ding zurück und steht statt "er", "sein" oder "dieser"
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of derselbe
- ders. alternative abbreviation
- der selbe alternative
- dieselbe feminine nominative singular
- dasselbe neuter nominative singular
- dieselben nominative plural
- desselben genitive masculine singular
- derselben feminine genitive singular
- demselben dative masculine singular
- denselben dative plural
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce derselbe?
- /deːɐ̯ˈzɛlbə/
- /dɛɐ̯ˈzɛlbə/
- [deːɐ̯ˈzɛlbə]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to derselbe
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is derselbe in German?
derselbe appears 7.2 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).