Vocabulary
selten
/ˈzɛltn̩/· adverb
rarely, seldom; rare
Near the bottom of the frequency ladder — between manchmal and nie.
CEFR A1Frequency ●●●●●
Your memory
New
Learning
Familiar
Strong
Mastered
Forms
- Komparativ
- seltener
- Superlativ
- am seltensten
One word, many lives
Tap a meaning. Real German isn't a dictionary translation.
selten
rarely, seldom
Ich gehe selten ins Kino.
I rarely go to the cinema.
Word family
seltendie Seltenheitrarityseltsamstrange, odd
Common combinations
- nur seltenonly rarely
- sehr seltenvery rarely
- Das kommt selten vor.That rarely happens.
Similar & opposite
↔ Opposites
ofthäufig
Common learner mistakes
- Ich gehe selten nicht ins Kino.Ich gehe selten ins Kino.selten already means „not often“ — don't add nicht.
Real examples
- Ich esse selten Fleisch.I rarely eat meat.
- Am Sonntag kommt der Bus nur selten.On Sundays the bus only comes rarely.
- Wir sehen uns leider selten.Unfortunately we rarely see each other.
