Skip to content

Pfarrer

pastor

noun PFAR-er Less Common

Origin: from Latin parochus via Old High German

Also means

vicar

Usage Note

Pfarrer is the parish minister in both Protestant and Catholic churches; a female pastor is a Pfarrerin. Note the tricky initial Pf- cluster, pronounced as a single burst, a hallmark sound of German.

Examples

"Der Pfarrer hält die Predigt."

Natural Translation

The pastor gives the sermon.

Literal Translation

The pastor holds the sermon.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore German by topic