Seminar

seminar

noun ze-mi-NAHR Rare

Origin: from Latin seminarium

Usage Note

Seminar is a small university course where students present and discuss, as opposed to the lecture-style Vorlesung. It can also denote the academic department itself (am Seminar für Germanistik). Students earn credit by writing a Seminararbeit (term paper).

Examples

"Im Seminar halte ich nächste Woche ein Referat."

Natural Translation

In the seminar I'm giving a presentation next week.

Literal Translation

In-the seminar hold I next week a presentation.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

Weil vs Denn vs Da: "Because" in German

Weil and da send the verb to the end; denn keeps it in second position. Here's how to pick the right German "because" and place the verb correctly.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German False Friends: 25 Words That Trick You

German false friends like Gift (poison) and bekommen (to receive) trick English speakers daily. Here are 25 words that mean the opposite of what you'd guess.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German Word Order: The Verb Rules That Trip You Up

German word order comes down to three verb-position rules: the verb is second in main clauses, last after weil and dass, and time comes before place.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Modal Verbs: Können, Müssen, Wollen and More

German modal verbs put the modal in position 2 and the real verb at the end. Master können, müssen, wollen and the rest with charts and clear examples.

June 5, 2026 5 min read