Stiefvater

stepfather

noun SHTEEF-fah-ter Rare

Usage Note

Stiefvater is a mother's later husband who is not one's biological father. It parallels Stiefmutter and forms part of the Stief- family series. The plural Stiefväter takes an umlaut. It is masculine, taking der.

Examples

"Sein Stiefvater brachte ihm das Angeln bei."

Natural Translation

His stepfather taught him how to fish.

Literal Translation

His stepfather brought him the fishing to.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

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

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Separable Verbs: When the Prefix Splits

German separable verbs split in two: the verb stays near the front and the prefix flies to the end. Learn the stress test and where every piece goes.

June 5, 2026 5 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

Bitte in German: Please, You're Welcome, and More

Bitte means please, you're welcome, here you go, and pardon in German. Learn all the meanings, bitte schön vs bitte sehr, and the danke-bitte rule.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German Two-Way Prepositions: Accusative or Dative?

Use accusative for movement into a place (wohin?) and dative for a fixed location (wo?). Master all nine German two-way prepositions with one simple test.

June 9, 2026 6 min read