German noun, neuter · CEFR B2
das Motiv
Meaning in English: motive; motif, subject
Almost the same as in English — one of the German words you already know.
Example
Das Motiv für die Tat ist noch unklar.
The motive for the crime is still unclear.
Der, die or das?
Motiv is neuter: das Motiv. How to tell the gender from the ending.
How common is Motiv?
Motiv is number 4,911 of the 5,000 most common German words. In the texts the list is counted from it appears 16 times per million words — about once every 62,000 words.
Know every word down to this one and you recognise about 78% of the words in an ordinary German text. B2 means an upper-intermediate word, common in news and work.
Next to it in the frequency list
- 4,907optimistischoptimistic
- 4,908Märktemarkets
- 4,909der Migrationshintergrundmigrant background
- 4,910aufweisento show, to have (features)
- 4,911das Motivmotive; motif, subject
- 4,912vorlegento present, to submit
- 4,913sexuellesexual
- 4,914der Schulleiterhead teacher, principal
- 4,915erfordernto require, to demand
In these word lists
- The 5,000 most common German words#4,911
- The most common German nouns#2,158
- German B2 vocabulary#1,211
- The most common German neuter nouns (das)#264
Translations, levels and examples were written with AI help and are awaiting review by a native speaker — how the list was made.