Curiosities of the German language

German is the most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union, with more than 100 million native speakers, it is an essential tool in order to achieve personal and professional goals in that community space. For those who start learning this language, there are particularities that, at first sight, seem difficult to understand. We are talking about compound words, which can be very long. However, understanding them and using them can even become fun.

It is possible to create an infinite number of new terms from one or more simple words, only if they turn out to be coherent and legible. There are different types of compositions. The nucleus -generally a noun- is called the base word, while the component that determines it, is called modifier. This last word can be an adjective, a verb, an adverb or a noun.

Let’s look at the next example with two long German words:

(Die) Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung (Kraft+Fahrzeug+Haftpflicht+Versicherung)

Translated into English: (the) civil liability insurance for motor vehicles. While Kraft (strength/engine) determines Fahrzeug (vehicle), Haftpflicht (civil liability) characterizes Versicherung (insurance). In this example, those four simple words are nouns.

(Die) Skilanglaufkreismeisterin (Ski+Langlauf+Kreis+Meisterin)

Translated into English: (the) cross country ski district female champion. While Ski (ski) determines Langlauf (cross country), Kreis (district) gives Meisterin (female champion) a quality. In this case, these four terms are also nouns.

Let's take a look at an easier example:

(Der) Nachtzug (Nacht+Zug)

Its literal translation into English is: (the) night train. The noun Nacht (night) also determines the noun Zug (train).

Thus, it is observed that some compositions of German terms represent a legitimate way of communication in that tongue.

By: Martin Obyrne, Communications Professional at DSM.