Answering questions
Use Antwort for the noun answer in class, exercises, tests, messages, and problem solving. It pairs naturally with Frage.
Die Antwort auf diese Frage ist nicht einfach.
dieA1DE-EN
noun
Antwort
Translation
answer; reply; response
Antwort means an answer, reply, or response. It is the noun form; the verb is antworten.
Teacher note
Antwort works for school questions, emails, messages, and reactions to a problem. Learn it with auf: eine Antwort auf eine Frage.
Usage scenarios
Waiting for a reply
Antwort also works for a reply to an email, message, letter, or request. The phrase auf eine Antwort warten is especially common.
Ich warte noch auf eine Antwort von der Firma.
Choose the right translation
answer
Best for questions, exercises, and problems.
reply
Best for letters, emails, messages, and conversations.
response
Best for formal, public, or strategic reactions.
Usage guide
Antwort is the noun. Antworten is the verb. Keeping the noun and verb apart prevents sentences like Ich Antwort, which learners sometimes form by copying English.
The most important preposition is auf. German says eine Antwort auf eine Frage and auf eine Antwort warten. This pattern appears constantly in learner German.
Antwort can be practical, emotional, or strategic. It can answer a grammar question, reply to an email, or describe a public response to a problem.
How to study this entry
Make Antwort active by pairing it with a real message. Write one email line asking for information, then write a reply line beginning with Vielen Dank fuer Ihre Antwort. This connects the noun to polite written German, where it appears often.
Drill the preposition auf with three sentence frames: eine Antwort auf eine Frage, auf eine Antwort warten, and als Antwort auf .... Replace the final noun each time so you are not only memorizing one frozen example.
For contrast practice, write two English sentences with answer and reply. Translate both into German with Antwort, then decide whether antworten, beantworten, or reagieren would be better if you changed the sentence from noun to verb.
Add one negative sentence too: Ich habe noch keine Antwort bekommen. This is a useful real-life phrase and it helps you remember that bekommen works for receiving a reply, while geben works for giving an answer.
Use Antwort with time words: schnelle Antwort, spaete Antwort, kurze Antwort, klare Antwort. These adjective chunks make email and classroom sentences sound more natural than repeating good answer every time.
Finally, turn one Frage sentence into an Antwort sentence. This keeps the pair active and makes the noun feel conversational.
Word forms and word building
Die Antwort is feminine, and the plural is die Antworten. The related verb antworten is regular: ich antworte, du antwortest, er antwortet.
Beantworten means to answer something more directly as a transitive verb: eine Frage beantworten. Antworten often needs auf: auf eine Frage antworten.
Antwortschreiben, Antwortmail, and Antwortfrist are useful compounds in formal writing and office contexts.
Meaning boundaries
Antwort vs antworten
Antwort is the thing you give. Antworten is the action of giving it.
Antwort vs Reaktion
Reaktion is a reaction. Antwort is more clearly connected to a question, message, or request.
Answer vs reply
English often chooses reply for messages. German can still use Antwort naturally.
Pattern boundary
Use Antwort auf, not Antwort zu, when naming the question or problem.
Memory guide
Learn the pair die Frage and die Antwort together. Many useful sentences are built from that pair.
Make a mini drill: eine Frage stellen, eine Frage beantworten, auf eine Antwort warten. This covers noun, verb, and preposition.
When writing emails in German, use Danke fuer Ihre Antwort or Vielen Dank fuer die schnelle Antwort as ready-made polite chunks.
Patterns that sound natural
eine Antwort auf ...
an answer to something
Ich brauche eine Antwort auf diese Frage.
I need an answer to this question.
auf eine Antwort warten
to wait for a reply
Wir warten noch auf eine Antwort.
We are still waiting for a reply.
keine Antwort bekommen
to receive no answer
Er hat keine Antwort bekommen.
He did not receive a reply.
Common learner trap
Saying eine Antwort zu einer Frage.
The usual pattern is eine Antwort auf eine Frage.
Try it yourself
Complete the phrase: Ich warte ___ eine Antwort.
auf. Ich warte auf eine Antwort.
Examples
Tut mir leid, ich weiß die Antwort nicht.
Sorry, I do not know the answer.
Danke für deine schnelle Antwort.
Thanks for your quick reply.
Das ist keine einfache Antwort.
That is not an easy answer.