German · People & Family

"Teacher" in German: Lehrer / Lehrerin

der Lehrer / die Lehrerin

Say it: LAY-rermasculine / feminine · der Lehrer / die Lehrerinnoun/ˈleːʁɐ/

Teacher in German is der Lehrer for a man and die Lehrerin for a woman. Plural is die Lehrer or die Lehrerinnen. University staff may be der Dozent / die Dozentin.

Homework

Unser Lehrer gibt wenig Hausaufgaben.
Our teacher gives little homework.
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How to pronounce Lehrer / Lehrerin

Say it

LAY-rer

/ˈleːʁɐ/

LAY-rer / LAY-rer-in. Soft eh in Leh. Clear r.

"Teacher" in German: quick reference

GermanEnglish
der Lehrerteacher (male)

School.

die Lehrerinteacher (female)

School.

die Lehrerteachers

Mixed/male plural.

Klassenlehrer/inhomeroom teacher

School role.

How to use Lehrer / Lehrerin in real life

  1. 1Homework

    Unser Lehrer gibt wenig Hausaufgaben.

    Our teacher gives little homework.

    Unser Lehrer.

  2. 2Praise

    Die Lehrerin erklärt Grammatik sehr klar.

    The teacher explains grammar very clearly.

    Die Lehrerin.

  3. 3After class

    Kann ich den Lehrer kurz fragen?

    Can I quickly ask the teacher?

    Den Lehrer.

Mistakes English speakers make with Lehrer / Lehrerin

Incorrect: die Lehrer (singular male)

Correct: der Lehrer

Singular male is der Lehrer; die Lehrer is plural.

Incorrect: der Lehrerin

Correct: die Lehrerin

Feminine form takes die.

Good to know

Kids often say Frau … / Herr … plus last name for the Lehrerin / Lehrer. Adult learners still use Lehrer for school-style teachers.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Talking about a language class

  1. ChatPal

    Wie ist dein Kurs?

    How's your course?

  2. You

    Gut. Der Lehrer ist geduldig.

    Good. The teacher is patient.

  3. ChatPal

    Und die Lehrerin am Donnerstag?

    And the teacher on Thursday?

  4. You

    Auch stark. Die Lehrerin korrigiert sanft.

    Also strong. The teacher corrects gently.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"Teacher" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Teacher" in German

How do you say teacher?

Der Lehrer / die Lehrerin.

Plural?

Die Lehrer / die Lehrerinnen.

University teacher?

Often Dozent / Dozentin or Professor/in.

Homeroom teacher?

Klassenlehrer / Klassenlehrerin.

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  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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