German · Nature, Animals & Weather

"Star" in German: Stern

der Stern

Say it: shtairnmasculine · der Sternnoun/ʃtɛʁn/

Star in German is der Stern, masculine. Plurals are die Sterne. A starry sky is der Sternenhimmel.

Camping

Zähl die Sterne, wenn du nicht schlafen kannst.
Count the stars if you can't sleep.
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How to pronounce Stern

Say it

shtairn

/ʃtɛʁn/

shtairn. Initial st like sht. Air vowel. Soft final n.

"Star" in German: quick reference

GermanEnglish
der Sternthe star

Masculine noun.

die Sternethe stars

Plural.

Sternenhimmelstarry sky

Night compound.

Filmstarmovie star

Celebrity compound.

How to use Stern in real life

  1. 1Camping

    Zähl die Sterne, wenn du nicht schlafen kannst.

    Count the stars if you can't sleep.

    Die Sterne plural.

  2. 2Wish joke

    Wünsch dir was beim ersten Stern.

    Make a wish on the first star.

    Beim ersten Stern.

  3. 3City lights

    In der Stadt sieht man kaum einen Stern.

    In the city you can barely see a star.

    Einen Stern accusative.

Mistakes English speakers make with Stern

Incorrect: Die Stern leuchtet.

Correct: Der Stern leuchtet.

Stern is masculine: der Stern.

Incorrect: Viele Sterns am Himmel.

Correct: Viele Sterne am Himmel.

Plural is Sterne, not Sterns.

Good to know

Sterne also mark hotel and restaurant ratings. Saying ein Drei-Sterne-Hotel is ordinary travel talk—context separates sky stars from quality stars.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Lying on a blanket away from city lights

  1. ChatPal

    Siehst du den hellen Stern rechts?

    Do you see the bright star on the right?

  2. You

    Ja. Der Stern flackert ein bisschen.

    Yes. The star is twinkling a bit.

  3. ChatPal

    Vielleicht ist es doch ein Planet, kein Stern.

    Maybe it's a planet, not a star.

  4. You

    Egal. Ich genieße die Sterne trotzdem.

    Doesn't matter. I'm enjoying the stars anyway.

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"Star" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Star" in German

What gender is Stern?

Masculine: der Stern.

How do you say stars?

Die Sterne.

How do you say shooting star?

Die Sternschnuppe.

Does Stern mean celebrity?

In compounds like Filmstar, yes—not bare Stern for a person usually.

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