Bewerbung

Bewerbung is the safest German word when the English application is about a person competing for a role or place. It is learner-friendly because it connects naturally to sich bewerben, Bewerber, Lebenslauf, and Anschreiben.

Use the verb phrase sich um eine Stelle bewerben when the person is the subject. Use eine Bewerbung einreichen or abschicken when the document package is the subject of the sentence.

The key boundary is Antrag. A job application is Bewerbung, but an application for a visa, benefit, permit, or funding is usually Antrag. The English word application hides that split; German does not.

Bewerbung also covers applications for study programs, scholarships, internships, and sometimes public roles. The common thread is selection of a person, not approval of a request.

If the sentence names documents, Bewerbung can still be correct. Meine Bewerbung often means my application file, including Lebenslauf and Anschreiben. If you need to name the documents more precisely, use Bewerbungsunterlagen.

Build one complete job-search mini scene. First write the position: Ich bewerbe mich um eine Stelle als .... Then add the document action: Ich schicke meine Bewerbung am Montag ab. Finally add one item inside the package, such as Lebenslauf or Anschreiben.

Collect five real German job-ad phrases and mark which words belong to the Bewerbung family. Look especially for Bewerbungsunterlagen, Bewerbungsfrist, sich bewerben, and Berufserfahrung. This gives the word a professional environment instead of leaving it as a dictionary label.

To test the Antrag boundary, translate three English phrases: job application, visa application, application documents. Only the first and third should point toward Bewerbung. The visa phrase should force you to switch to Antrag.

For output practice, write a polite sentence to an employer asking whether your Bewerbung has arrived. Use Bewerbung once and Unterlagen once. This is more realistic than repeating application vocabulary in isolated example sentences.

Make a timeline with four steps: Bewerbung schreiben, Bewerbung abschicken, auf Antwort warten, zum Bewerbungsgespräch eingeladen werden. Then write one sentence for each step.

If you know English application has several German translations, make a two-column card: Bewerbung for career or admission selection, Antrag for official approval. Add one example sentence to each side.

Bewerbung comes from the verb sich bewerben, to apply. The -ung ending turns many German verbs into feminine nouns, so it is die Bewerbung.

Related people and document words matter: der Bewerber is a male applicant, die Bewerberin is a female applicant, and die Bewerbungsunterlagen are application documents.

The plural is Bewerbungen. It is useful when discussing many applications: Ich habe zehn Bewerbungen geschrieben.

Bewerbungsgespräch means interview. It is built from Bewerbung plus Gespräch, and the final word Gespräch makes the compound neuter: das Bewerbungsgespräch.

Bewerbungsfrist is the application deadline. The final word Frist is feminine, so it is die Bewerbungsfrist.

Group the career cluster together: Bewerbung, Lebenslauf, Anschreiben, Stelle, Arbeitgeber. This creates a useful job-search map instead of one isolated translation.

Practice the reflexive verb early: Ich bewerbe mich um eine Stelle. Many learners know Bewerbung but avoid the more useful verb phrase.

Before translating application, ask who is applying and for what. Person plus job means Bewerbung; form plus authority usually means Antrag.

Remember the receiver test. If the receiver judges you as a candidate, think Bewerbung. If the receiver checks whether a request is allowed, think Antrag.