---
name: locale-dsb-de
description: Use when working with the Lower Sorbian (Germany) locale (`dsb-DE`) — its endonym Dolnoserbšćina (Nimska), Latin script, left-to-right (LTR) direction, or spoken-population data. Reference data and translation guidance (register, grammar, idiom, typography) for this specific locale; see [[locale]] for general i18n/l10n concepts (BCP 47, plural rules, RTL) that apply across all locales.
---

# Locale: Lower Sorbian (Germany) (dsb-DE)

Reference data for the **Lower Sorbian (Germany)** locale — endonym **Dolnoserbšćina (Nimska)**, written in the Latin script, left-to-right (LTR).

## Identifiers

- **BCP 47 tag:** `dsb-DE`
- **ISO 639-1:** not assigned
- **ISO 639-3:** `dsb`
- **Script:** Latn (Latin)
- **Region:** DE (Germany)
- **Text direction:** ltr — left-to-right (LTR)

## Speakers (approximate)

- **L1 (native):** 7,000
- **L2 (additional):** 3,000
- **L1+L2 (total):** 10,000

## Pluralization

CLDR plural categories for this locale: **one**, **two**, **few**, **other** (4 forms).

- **one** — `v = 0 and i % 100 = 1 or f % 100 = 1` (e.g. 1, 101, 201, 301, …)
- **two** — `v = 0 and i % 100 = 2 or f % 100 = 2` (e.g. 2, 102, 202, 302, …)
- **few** — `v = 0 and i % 100 = 3..4 or f % 100 = 3..4` (e.g. 3, 4, 103, 104, …)
- **other** — everything else (e.g. 0, 5~19, 100, 1000, …)

See [[unicode-messageformat]] for writing plural messages using these categories.

## Translating into this locale

Lower Sorbian (dolnoserbska, dsb) is a West Slavic language spoken in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg. It is a minority language of Germany with a small number of speakers, and it has features not found in major languages (the dual number). Terminology and norms come from the Sorbian Institute (Serbski institut). This guidance is lower-confidence; have a native reviewer check it.

**Translate ideas, not words.**

- Translate into Lower Sorbian rather than copying German word order and German loanwords; German influence is strong and weakens the text. Use Sorbian terminology where it exists.
- Re-express idioms by meaning.

**Grammar.**

- Lower Sorbian has the dual number (for two) in nouns, pronouns, and verbs in addition to singular and plural. Use the dual when two things or people are meant.
- Cases: seven cases (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental, locative, vocative). Adjectives and nouns agree.
- Verbs have aspect (perfective and imperfective); do not drop it.

**Register.**

- "Ty" is the informal singular, "wy" the polite form and plural. Public-facing text uses "wy".

**Orthography and typography.**

- Alphabet: Latin with diacritics (ć, č, ě, ł, ń, ŕ, š, ś, ž, ź); never replace them with unaccented forms.
- Quotation marks `„…“`; decimal comma; euro.

## Common pitfalls

- Dropping the dual or the diacritics.
- Translating through German.
- Mixing Lower and Upper Sorbian forms.

## Learn more

- [[locale]] for BCP 47 identifiers, locale-sensitive formatting, pluralization, and text-direction concepts that apply across all locales.
- [[unicode-messageformat]] for writing plural/selection messages correctly for this locale's grammar.
- Serbski institut / Sorbisches Institut (https://www.serbski-institut.de)
- Domowina (https://www.domowina.sorben.com)