Arbeitgeber is masculine in German — the correct article is der. The plural is die Arbeitgeber (no change). In English, Arbeitgeber means "employer". The female form is die Arbeitgeberin (plural: die Arbeitgeberinnen)."Der Arbeitgeber" is an essential word for anyone working or job hunting in a German-speaking country. It's part of core business German vocabulary and is typically learned at A2–B1 level. The word is a compound of "Arbeit" (work) + "Geber" (giver) — literally "the one who gives work." Below you'll find the full declension, example sentences, and a quiz.
Gender rule: Agent nouns ending in -er are almost always masculine in German (der Lehrer, der Fahrer, der Arbeitgeber). See all gender patterns in the German Article Rules.
Arbeitgeber — Declension Table
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der Arbeitgeber | die Arbeitgeber |
| Genitive | des Arbeitgebers | der Arbeitgeber |
| Dative | dem Arbeitgeber | den Arbeitgebern |
| Accusative | den Arbeitgeber | die Arbeitgeber |
Example Sentences with Arbeitgeber
Der Arbeitgeber bietet flexible Arbeitszeiten an.
(The employer offers flexible working hours.) — Nominative
Sie hat den Arbeitgeber letztes Jahr gewechselt.
(She changed her employer last year.) — Accusative
Ich habe dem Arbeitgeber meine Kündigung übergeben.
(I handed my resignation to the employer.) — Dative
Die Pflichten des Arbeitgebers sind im Vertrag festgelegt.
(The employer's obligations are set out in the contract.) — Genitive
Die Arbeitgeber in der Region suchen Fachkräfte.
(The employers in the region are looking for skilled workers.) — Nominative Plural
Den Arbeitgebern wurden neue Vorschriften mitgeteilt.
(The employers were informed of new regulations.) — Dative Plural
Related Words & Compounds
Word family (Wortfamilie): die Arbeitgeberin (female employer)
Common compounds (Komposita): der Arbeitgeberbeitrag (employer's contribution), der Arbeitgeberverband (employers' association), der Arbeitgeberanteil (employer's share/portion)
Common Mistake with Arbeitgeber
❌ Common mistake: Mein Arbeitnehmer zahlt mir ein gutes Gehalt.
✅ Correct: Mein Arbeitgeber zahlt mir ein gutes Gehalt.
💡 Why: Many learners confuse Arbeitgeber (employer) and Arbeitnehmer (employee). The logic: the Arbeitgeber "gives" work (= the boss/company), the Arbeitnehmer "takes" work (= the employee). Think of it from the perspective of the work itself — who gives it, and who receives it.
Quick Quiz: Test Your Knowledge
Can you get all three right? Apply what you've learned above.
1. Er hat ___ Arbeitgeber seine Krankmeldung geschickt.
- A) der Arbeitgeber
- B) den Arbeitgeber
- C) dem Arbeitgeber
Check Answer
"Schicken" takes a dative object for the recipient (to whom?) and an accusative object for the thing sent. The recipient here is the employer → dem Arbeitgeber.
2. Sie möchte ___ Arbeitgeber über die Änderung informieren.
- A) dem Arbeitgeber
- B) der Arbeitgeber
- C) den Arbeitgeber
Check Answer
"Informieren" takes an accusative object (whom?). Masculine accusative with the definite article = den Arbeitgeber.
3. Ich habe den neu___ Arbeitgeber schon kennengelernt.
- A) -e
- B) -en
- C) -er
Check Answer
After the definite article den in the accusative masculine, the adjective ending is always -en: den neuen Arbeitgeber.
Want to practice more nouns like this? The Article Trainer has 600+ nouns — including common work vocabulary and everyday nouns.
More Work & People Nouns
- der Kollege — the colleague
- der Kunde — the customer
- der Chef — the boss
- der Arbeitnehmer — the employee
- der Mitarbeiter — the coworker/staff member
- die Firma — the company
- der Beruf — the profession
- der Vertrag — the contract
For more work-related vocabulary, explore the Business German vocabulary list or browse the full grammar overview.
Is it der, die, or das Arbeitgeber? Practice makes perfect.
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Practice German Articles →Frequently Asked Questions
Is Arbeitgeber masculine, feminine, or neuter in German?
Arbeitgeber is masculine — the correct article is der. Agent nouns ending in -er are almost always masculine in German (der Lehrer, der Fahrer, der Arbeitgeber). The female form is die Arbeitgeberin (plural: die Arbeitgeberinnen).
What is the plural of Arbeitgeber?
The plural is die Arbeitgeber — the noun itself doesn't change. Only the article switches from der to die. In the dative plural, add -n: den Arbeitgebern.
What is the difference between Arbeitgeber and Arbeitnehmer?
Der Arbeitgeber is the employer — the person or company that provides work and pays a salary. Der Arbeitnehmer is the employee — the person who does the work. The words come from "geben" (to give) and "nehmen" (to take): the employer gives work, the employee takes it.
How do you say "employer" in German?
The German word for "employer" is der Arbeitgeber. It's a compound noun made of "Arbeit" (work) and "Geber" (giver). In job ads and contracts, you'll also see the abbreviation AG for Arbeitgeber and AN for Arbeitnehmer (employee).
