solche

Solche is a German determiner and pronoun meaning such or such a thing, used to refer to objects, people, or situations that have been mentioned or are understood from context. It functions to express emphasis or a specific kind of thing without naming it directly. In German, solch- forms are declined to agree with gender and number, and solch- appears in several shapes depending on use.

As a determiner, solch- forms precede a noun. The common written forms are solch-, such as in solche Dinge (such things) or solches Verhalten (such behavior). With an indefinite article, you often see eine solche Gelegenheit (such an opportunity). As a pronoun, Solche can stand in for a noun phrase: Solche kenne ich nicht (I don’t know such [things/people]).

Morphology and usage patterns can be summarized as follows: masculine singular is typically solcher Mann, neuter singular solches Auto, feminine singular and plural often solche Leute or solche Dinge. In many contexts, jedoch, solche serves as the neutral, generalized form for feminine singular and plural, especially after no article. The form liegen also in the phrase such as “solche wie” (such as those like).

Etymology traces solch- back to Old High German solli- and Proto-Germanic roots meaning “such.” The word has cognates in other Germanic languages, such as Dutch zulke/zulk and the English such. In modern German, solche remains common in both spoken and written language, capable of carrying evaluative or restrictive meaning depending on context.

See also: solch-, solche, such.