letzte

Letzte is a German adjective meaning last or final, used to indicate the final item in a sequence, the most recent occurrence, or a position in time or order. It is declined to match the gender, case, and number of the noun it modifies. For example, with a definite article in the singular feminine it becomes die letzte, while other common forms include der letzte (masculine nominative), das letzte (neuter nominative), and die letzten (plural nominative/accusative).

With an explicit noun, letzte appears in a variety of contexts. Examples include die letzte Woche (the last week), die letzte Nacht (the last night), or die letzte Chance (the last chance). The word is also used in phrases that denote recency or sequence, such as in letzter Zeit (lately, recently). In compound or comparative phrases, different gendered forms appear: der letzte Mann, die letzte Frau, das letzte Mal, die letzten Tage.

In contrast to letzte as an attributive adjective, the related adverb zuletzt means “finally” or “lastly,” as in zuletzt habe ich ihn gesehen. The base form letzt-/letzt- appears in several related expressions and set phrases.

Beyond everyday language, letzte also appears in proper nouns and institutional names, most notably Letzte Generation (Last Generation), a climate‑activist group in Germany, where the word is capitalized as part of a title.

Overall, letzte is a versatile form used across German to mark the most recent, the final, or the last in a sequence, with standard declension patterns that align with the noun it accompanies.