noun
marital status, civil status
B1
Zivilstand: marital status or civil status — a person's legal family status (single, married, divorced, widowed). Noun: masculine (der Zivilstand), plural Zivilstände (note umlaut), declension includes genitive des Zivilstandes. Common in forms and official documents: Zivilstand angeben. No reflexive or auxiliary.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.EXAMPLES
Der Zivilstand wird oft in amtlichen Dokumenten vermerkt.
A person's civil status is often recorded in official documents.
In der Schweiz wird der Familienstand als Zivilstand bezeichnet.
In Switzerland, marital status is called 'Zivilstand'.
Das Amt vermerkte den neuen Zivilstand des Mannes, weil er im Ausland geheiratet hatte.
The office recorded the man's new civil status because he had married abroad.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.DETAILS_LABEL
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.MNEMONICS
Picture a registration stand with people lining up to declare their marital status.
Sounds like 'civil stand' (English) — imagine a stand where people register their civil status.
der — imagine a man (der) standing at the registration stand.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.NOTES
Formal word often used in forms and official contexts; English translations vary by region ('marital status' is most common in everyday English).