Filling out official forms
Use Antrag when a person asks an office, employer, court, school, insurer, or authority to approve something. The word often appears on forms.
Ich stelle einen Antrag auf Wohngeld.
derB1DE-EN
noun
Antrag
Translation
application; formal request; motion
Antrag is a formal request made to an office, institution, court, committee, or authority. In English it is often application, request, proposal, or motion.
Teacher note
Antrag sounds administrative. If you are writing to get a job, say Bewerbung. If you are asking an institution to approve something, Antrag is usually right.
Usage scenarios
Meetings, committees, and politics
Antrag can also be a motion or proposal in an official discussion. In this context, the group votes, accepts, rejects, or changes the Antrag.
Der Antrag wurde im Ausschuss angenommen.
Asking for leave, support, or permission
Use Antrag when the result depends on approval. This includes leave from work, financial support, reimbursement, a visa, a permit, or admission to an official process.
Sie stellt einen Antrag auf Elternzeit.
Choose the right translation
application
Use when a form asks an authority to approve something.
formal request
Useful when the English application would sound too narrow.
motion
Use in political, legal, meeting, or committee contexts.
Usage guide
Antrag sounds institutional. It is the right word when the request enters a process: a permit, visa, benefit, leave request, funding request, legal motion, or formal proposal.
The most useful phrase is einen Antrag stellen. Learners often try machen because English says make an application, but German uses stellen here.
Antrag often pairs with auf plus the thing requested: Antrag auf Urlaub, Antrag auf Foerderung, Antrag auf ein Visum. That pattern is worth learning as one unit.
Use beantragen when you want the verb to apply for something officially: Ich beantrage ein Visum. Use einen Antrag stellen when you want the noun phrase or a more formal tone.
Antrag can also mean the paper or digital form, but Formular is the form itself. If the sentence focuses on signing, filling in, submitting, or checking the request, Antrag is usually still natural.
How to study this entry
Write a tiny form workflow with Antrag as the main noun. Sentence one: why the person needs approval. Sentence two: which Antrag they submit. Sentence three: whether the office genehmigt or ablehnt it. This makes the administrative process visible.
Practice Antrag with auf, because that preposition carries much of the meaning. Make five phrases: Antrag auf Urlaub, Antrag auf Förderung, Antrag auf Visum, Antrag auf Erstattung, Antrag auf Zulassung. Then choose two and turn them into full sentences.
Compare Antrag and Bewerbung by imagining the receiver. If a company evaluates you as a candidate, use Bewerbung. If an authority evaluates a request, use Antrag. This receiver test is faster than translating application word by word.
For reading practice, notice decisions around the noun: eingereicht, geprüft, genehmigt, abgelehnt, unterschrieben. These verbs show that Antrag lives inside an official process with a result, not inside a personal self-presentation.
Write one sentence from the office's perspective, not the applicant's: Der Antrag wird geprüft. Changing perspective helps you recognize passive and bureaucratic wording, where Antrag appears more often than Bewerbung.
Word forms and word building
Der Antrag is masculine, and the plural is die Antraege. The plural vowel change is important in administrative German.
Beantragen is the verb for applying for something officially. The noun Antrag and the verb beantragen should be learned together.
Antragsformular, Antragsteller, and Antragsfrist are common compounds. German administration builds many useful words from Antrag.
Genehmigen and ablehnen often appear near Antrag. They show the result of the process: Der Antrag wurde genehmigt or Der Antrag wurde abgelehnt.
Heiratsantrag is a marriage proposal. It is a special compound, and it should not make you translate every proposal as Antrag.
Meaning boundaries
Antrag vs Bewerbung
Antrag asks for approval from an institution. Bewerbung presents a person for a job or place.
Antrag vs Bitte
Bitte is a request in ordinary conversation. Antrag is formal and process-based.
Antrag vs Formular
Formular is the form itself. Antrag is the request, which may be written on a form.
Antrag vs beantragen
Antrag is the noun application or request. Beantragen is the verb to apply for or request officially.
Antrag vs Anmeldung
Anmeldung is registration. Antrag is stronger when someone must approve or reject the request.
Register
Antrag is neutral in official contexts but can sound stiff in casual conversation.
Memory guide
Put Antrag in an office scene in your mind: form, signature, deadline, decision. That mental frame separates it from Bewerbung.
Practice with verbs: einen Antrag stellen, einen Antrag einreichen, einen Antrag genehmigen, einen Antrag ablehnen.
If you see application in an official document, test Antrag first. If the document is about a job candidate, switch to Bewerbung.
Attach Antrag to outcomes: genehmigt, abgelehnt, geprüft, zurückgezogen. Those result words make it feel different from Bewerbung, which points to candidates and documents.
Common questions
What does Antrag mean in English?
Antrag usually means application, formal request, petition, motion, or proposal. The best English word depends on the context: visa application, request for support, legal petition, committee motion, or marriage proposal.
When should I use Antrag instead of Bewerbung?
Use Antrag when someone asks an institution or authority to approve something. Use Bewerbung when a person applies for a job, internship, scholarship, study place, or other selection process.
What is the most common phrase with Antrag?
The most useful phrase is einen Antrag stellen, meaning to file or make an application. Another common pattern is Antrag auf plus the thing requested, such as Antrag auf Urlaub or Antrag auf ein Visum.
Is Antrag the same as Formular?
No. Formular is the form. Antrag is the formal request or application, which may be written on a form. You can fill out an Antragsformular to submit an Antrag.
What is the verb for Antrag?
The verb is beantragen: ein Visum beantragen, Unterstützung beantragen, Urlaub beantragen. The noun phrase einen Antrag stellen is often more formal.
Patterns that sound natural
einen Antrag stellen
to make or file an application
Wir stellen einen Antrag auf Förderung.
We are applying for funding.
Antrag auf ...
application for something
Der Antrag auf Visum ist noch offen.
The visa application is still open.
einen Antrag genehmigen
to approve an application
Die Behörde hat den Antrag genehmigt.
The authority approved the application.
Common learner trap
Using Antrag for a job application.
For a job, use Bewerbung. Antrag is for formal permission, benefits, funding, or decisions.
Try it yourself
You fill out a form to request parental leave. Bewerbung or Antrag?
Antrag: einen Antrag auf Elternzeit stellen.
Examples
Sie stellt einen Antrag auf Unterstützung.
She applies for support.
Der Antrag wurde gestern abgelehnt.
The application was rejected yesterday.
Bitte unterschreiben Sie den Antrag.
Please sign the application form.