"My sisters are doctors."
Translation:Meine Schwestern sind Ärztinnen.
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Because a female doctor is eine Ärztin. To make that plural, you add -nen.
Absolutely correct. 'Aerztin' is an old word for a female doctor. In terms of equality, we call a female doctor 'Arzt', as well. Both answers should be accepted!
It said, "Meine Schwestern sind Ärztinnen," not "Meine Schwestern sind Ärzte."
This is a cultural question rather than a grammatical one. I know in Canada that we no longer use distinctions like waiter/waitress, or steward/stewardess and even the distinction between actor/actress is obsolete. In Germany do they still use gender specific language when speaking about occupations? Please note I am not asking about the vocabulary, I understand it.
1521
Hey, native German here.
We do still use gender-specific words for job descriptions, but it's currently a very complicated issue. I'd say in most circumstances it's optional to use the feminine form, especially (which is a bit paradoxic) when talking about a specific person.
I wouldn't notice it if you said "Meine Schwestern sind Ärzte" or "Mein Arzt sagt ..." even if you're talking about a female doctor. When you're using a more general sentence, where it doesn't matter which particular doctor you're referring to, then the masculine form is more appropriate:
- Ich brauche einen Arzt. - I need a doctor.
- Ich gehe nachher zum Zahnarzt. - I'll go to the dentist later.
But in more official texts, where political correctness is expected, things look a bit differently when talking about (groups of) doctors in a more general setting. In those cases, it's currently the most common to use both plural forms, which can appear in a number of different formattings:
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both forms separately: Wir laden alle Ärztinnen und Ärzte ein, ... - We invite all doctors to ... (In this format it's customary to list the feminine form first.)
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slash: Die Ärzt/innen haben uns geholfen. - The doctors have helped us.
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colon: Ich darf die Ärzt:innen des neuen Krankenhauses vorstellen. - I may introduce the doctors of the new hospital.
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asterisk: Viele Ärzt*innen haben in der Vergangenheit ... - In the past, many doctors have ...
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underscore: Unsere Ärzt_innen sind für Sie da. - Our doctors are here for you.
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capital I: Die ÄrztInnen arbeiten rund um die Uhr. - The doctors work around the clock.
