the two people who conceived or gave birth to a child, or who raise it as mother and father
nur Pluralplural only
Common phrases
werdende Elternexpectant parents
leibliche Elternbiological parents
frischgebackene Elternnew parents
Scheidung der Elterndivorce of the parents
Antonyms
Kinderchildren
Meine Eltern wohnen in einem kleinen Dorf bei Hamburg.
My parents live in a small village near Hamburg.
Als ich klein war, haben meine Eltern jeden Sommer mit uns am Meer Urlaub gemacht.
When I was little, my parents went on vacation by the sea with us every summer.
Die Lehrerin hat gestern alle Eltern zu einem Gespräch eingeladen, weil es Probleme in der Klasse gab.
Yesterday, the teacher invited all parents to a meeting because there were problems in the class.
Eltern is an everyday word also used in government offices, schools, and newspapers. It has only a plural form and is used with plural verbs. For just one parent, one says „Vater“, „Mutter“, or „ein Elternteil“.
plural only; lacks a singular form (ein Elternteil = father or mother)
⚠Eltern has no singular form: never say „ein Eltern“, say „ein Elternteil“ instead.