persönlicher

Persönlicher is a German adjective derived from the noun Person with the suffix -lich. It primarily means relating to a person, personal, or private, and it is used to describe aspects tied to individuals or the private sphere. The form also appears as the comparative of persön- lich, meaning “more personal.”

Grammatical use and forms: As an attributive adjective, persönlicher occurs with masculine nominative singular nouns in certain declensions (for example, ein persönlicher Kontakt). After a definite article, the weak endings yield der persönliche Kontakt, die persönlichen Daten, das persönliche Eigentum. In the plural, die persönlichen Kontakte is common. Without articles (strong declension), one may see persönlicher Kontakt or persönliche Daten depending on gender and case. The feminine form is persönliche, the neuter form personally corresponds to persönliches.

Comparative and predicative use: As the comparative of persönlich, it expresses a greater degree of personal character or intimacy, as in Das Gespräch wurde persönlicher. In predicative position after sein or become, the ending -er is typical: Der Ton ist persönlicher geworden.

Semantic nuances: Persönlich emphasizes relation to a person or private sphere, as opposed to impersonal, public, or official terms. It often appears in contexts like personal data, personal contact, persönliche Meinung, or persönliche Gründe.

Etymology: The word combines Person with the adjectival suffix -lich, part of a broad German pattern that forms adjectives describing inherent characteristics or relations derived from a noun. The root Person traces back to Latin persona, via Germanic and medieval forms.

See also: persönliche Daten, persönliches Gespräch, Persönlichkeits- und Privatsphäre-related terms.

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