Dasselbe

Dasselbe is a German determiner and pronoun meaning “the same” or “the very same.” It belongs to a set of forms built from the stem selb- together with the definite article das, yielding derselbe (masculine), dieselbe (feminine), and dasselbe (neuter). When used with a noun, it agrees in gender: derselbe Mann, dieselbe Frau, dasselbe Kind. It can also stand alone as a pronoun: Ich kenne das schon—ich kenne es/dasselbe.

Usage and examples

Dasselbe is used to refer to the exact same object or person that has already been mentioned or is understood from context. Examples: Ich habe dasselbe Problem. (I have the same problem.) Er trug dasselbe Hemd wie gestern. (He wore the same shirt as yesterday.) Wir sahen denselben Film. (We saw the same film.) In plural, the form is dieselben: Wir hatten dieselben Ideen.

Distinction from das Gleiche

The expression das Gleiche is related but distinct. Das Gleiche functions as a noun phrase meaning “the same thing” in the sense of similarity or sameness of kind, rather than the exact same object. For example, “Wir versuchen das Gleiche zu tun” refers to a similar but not necessarily identical action.

Etymology and notes

Dasselbe derives from the German stem selb- (self) combined with the definite article das. It is commonly used in contemporary German, and is often contrasted with the noun form das Gleiche when the intent is to emphasize exact sameness versus the same type or category.