der Mann
man (adult male) · husband · man (as address)
Mann means an adult male human being. It is also used informally to address someone, like 'man' or 'dude' in English, and in exclamations like 'Oh Mann!' to express frustration or surprise.
What Mann means
- man (adult male) — referring to a male person
- husband — informal, often with possessive pronoun, e.g. 'mein Mann'
- man (as address) — informal, calling out to someone, often 'Mann!' or 'Hey Mann!'
Heard in real German videos
Lines where Mann was actually spoken, from German videos watched with DeutschChat.
- Oh Mann, das ist keine Aufgabe für mich.Oh man, this is not a task for me.
- Okay, Männer, hört gut zu.Okay, men, listen up.
Example sentences
- Der Mann liest eine Zeitung.The man is reading a newspaper.
- Mein Mann kommt später nach Hause.My husband is coming home later.
- Mann, das war knapp!Man, that was close!
- Die Männer spielen Fußball.The men are playing soccer.
Grammar
| Gender | masculine |
|---|---|
| Plural | Männer |
| Genitive | des Mannes / des Manns |
| Declension | strong noun: no ending change in accusative/dative singular, genitive adds -es or -s (den Mann, dem Mann, des Mannes) |
In the singular, the accusative and dative are 'den Mann' and 'dem Mann' respectively; the genitive can be 'des Mannes' or 'des Manns'.
Common phrases
- Oh Mann!Oh man! (expressing frustration, surprise, or relief)
- Mann oh Mann!Man oh man! (stronger version of 'Oh Mann')
- ein Mann ein Worta man of his word
- der Mann auf der Straßethe man in the street (average person)
- Manns genug seinto be man enough (to do something)
The mistake English speakers make
English speakers often confuse 'Mann' with 'man' as an indefinite pronoun (e.g., 'man sagt' = 'one says'). In German, 'man' (without double n) is the impersonal pronoun, while 'Mann' is the noun for a male person.
Don’t confuse it with
- man — 'man' is an impersonal pronoun meaning 'one' or 'you' in general, while 'der Mann' is the noun for a male person.
Questions learners ask
What is the plural of Mann?
The plural is 'Männer' (with umlaut).
How do you say 'husband' in German?
You can say 'der Mann' (informal) or 'der Ehemann' (formal).
What does 'Oh Mann' mean?
It's an exclamation like 'Oh man!' in English, used to express frustration, surprise, or relief.