noun
female athlete, sportswoman
B1
“Sportlerin” means 'female athlete' or 'sportswoman'. Feminine noun: die Sportlerin. Plural: Sportlerinnen. The suffix -in marks female gender; declension follows regular patterns (e.g., dative plural: den Sportlerinnen). Used specifically for women; no irregular plural. Common in sports contexts and professional titles.
Examples
Als Kind wollte sie immer eine erfolgreiche Sportlerin sein.
As a child she always wanted to be a successful sportswoman.
Die junge Sportlerin gewann die Goldmedaille.
The young athlete won the gold medal.
Die Sponsorschaften halfen der Sportlerin, weil sie im Wettkampf besondere Leistungen zeigte, und dadurch bekam sie mehr Aufmerksamkeit.
The sponsorships helped the female athlete because she showed special performances in the competition, and as a result she received more attention.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture a woman wearing a medal and sports gear to recall a female athlete
Think 'Sport-lean' — imagine a lean, athletic person
Ends with -in (a common feminine suffix) and uses the article 'die' (feminine)
Notes
The suffix -in indicates a female person in German (Sportler → Sportlerin). Use 'die' for singular and watch the plural ending -innen for groups of women.