determinerpronoun

dieselbe

the same · same

Dieses Wort beschreibt, dass etwas genau wie eine andere Sache ist und sich nicht unterscheidet.

Definition & meaning

dieselbe means “the same” when referring to a feminine singular noun. It indicates that something is identical to something previously mentioned, not merely similar.

Examples:

dieselbe Frau — the same woman
Ich habe dieselbe Idee. — I have the same idea.
Sie trägt dieselbe Jacke wie gestern. — She is wearing the same jacket as yesterday.

It can also be used independently as a pronoun:

Es ist dieselbe. — It is the same one.
Here, the feminine noun is understood from context.

Grammar & Word origin

dieselbe is the feminine singular form of the demonstrative determiner/pronoun derselbe , meaning “the same.”

It consists of:

dies- — this
selb- — same, identical

Forms of the same word include:

derselbe — masculine nominative
dieselbe — feminine nominative and accusative
dasselbe — neuter nominative and accusative
dieselben — plural nominative and accusative, and some oblique cases

Unlike gleich , derselbe usually emphasizes that two references point to one identical person or object.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

identisch — identical; more formal and precise than dieselbe
das Gleiche — the same thing; often refers to something equivalent or of the same kind, and can be less strict than dieselbe
ein und dieselbe — one and the same; strongly emphasizes identity

Antonyms

There is no single exact antonym in every context. Common opposites include:

eine andere — another, a different one
verschieden — different
nicht dieselbe — not the same

Common phrases & collocations

dieselbe Person — the same person
dieselbe Sache — the same thing
immer dieselbe — always the same
ein und dieselbe Person — one and the same person
zur selben Zeit — at the same time; here, selben is an inflected form of derselbe after zu + dative