nämlich
German, adjective/ˈnɛːmlɪç/
nämlich is a German adjective meaning “(the) very same, selfsame (as was mentioned or described previously; either the same object by identity, or sometimes just the same in type…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “der-, die-, dasselbe”.
What does nämlich mean in English?
adjective
- 1
dated(the) very same, selfsame (as was mentioned or described previously; either the same object by identity, or sometimes just the same in type or appearance)
adverb
- 1
namely, specifically; used to further specify what exactly one was talking about just before
Mehr als die Hälfte, nämlich 56%, sehen das kritisch.
- 2
because, after all; used to follow up a statement with a second one that justifies the former, treated as a revealing of new information
Ich hab morgen keine Zeit, ich hab nämlich einen Termin.
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
adjective: 1. der-, die-, dasselbe
conjunction: 1. Konjunktionaladverb: 2. und zwar 3. Kausale Konjunktion oder Adverb (vgl. Anmerkung): 4. als betonendes Füllwort: tatsächlich; bekanntlich
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 nämlich
- nämlicher masculine nominative singular
- nämliche feminine nominative singular
- nämliches neuter nominative singular
- nämlichen genitive masculine singular
- nämlichem dative masculine singular
- der nämliche definite includes-article masculine
- die nämliche definite feminine includes-article
- das nämliche definite includes-article neuter
- die nämlichen definite includes-article nominative
- des nämlichen definite genitive includes-article
- der nämlichen definite feminine genitive
- dem nämlichen dative definite includes-article
- den nämlichen dative definite includes-article
- nemlich obsolete
- näml. abbreviation
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce nämlich?
- /ˈnɛːmlɪç/
- /ˈneːmlɪç/
- colloquial /ˈnɛm(l)ɪç/
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to nämlich
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is nämlich in German?
nämlich appears 126 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).