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Vocab: Nature — A2 (2)
Nature vocabulary at A2 level.
Maskulin Feminin Neutrum Plural
die Welle — wave; wave, surge
In everyday German, die Welle usually means a water wave. The plural is die Wellen, with -n.
Die Welle ist heute sehr hoch.
The wave is very high today.
heute means today and sehr hoch means very high. Die Welle is nominative because it is the subject; the finite verb ist stands in position two.
Wir sehen die Welle vom Strand aus.
We can see the wave from the beach.
wir sehen means we see, der Strand is the beach, and vom ... aus means from. Die Welle is accusative because sehen takes a direct object; vom Strand aus uses the dative after von.
Das Kind springt auf die Welle.
The child jumps onto the wave.
das Kind is the child and springt means jumps. Auf die Welle is accusative because auf shows movement towards a place or object here; although this matrix slot is labelled dative, the natural sentence requires accusative for direction.
Die Höhe der Welle überrascht den Surfer.
The height of the wave surprises the surfer.
die Höhe is the height, überrascht means surprises, and der Surfer is the surfer. Der Welle is genitive because it expresses of the wave; den Surfer is accusative as the object of überraschen.
Am Strand brechen viele Wellen.
Many waves break on the beach.
am Strand means on the beach and viele means many. Wellen is the plural of die Welle and is nominative because it is the subject; the finite verb brechen is in position two.
Eine Welle der Begeisterung ging durch die Stadt.
A wave of enthusiasm swept through the city.
die Begeisterung means enthusiasm, ging durch means swept through, and die Stadt is the city. Eine Welle der Begeisterung uses the genitive to say of enthusiasm; the finite verb ging is in position two.
Das Land erlebt eine neue Welle von Infektionen.
The country is experiencing a new wave of infections.
das Land means the country, erlebt means is experiencing, and eine neue means a new. Eine neue Welle is accusative because erleben takes a direct object; von Infektionen means of infections and follows von with the dative.
wild — wild, untamed; wildly, wildly energetic
For animals, wild means not domesticated; for people or situations it can also mean uncontrolled or furious. It is a regular adjective: wild - wilder - am wildesten.
Der Wolf ist wild.
The wolf is wild.
der Wolf means the wolf. The adjective wild is predicative after ist, so it has no ending; the finite verb ist stands in position two.
Wir sehen ein wildes Tier im Wald.
We see a wild animal in the forest.
ein Tier means an animal and im Wald means in the forest. wildes is attributive and has the ending -es because ein Tier is neuter accusative; sehen takes an accusative object.
Dieser Hund ist wilder als der andere.
This dog is wilder than the other one.
dieser Hund means this dog and der andere means the other one. wilder compares two things and is followed by als; after ist, the adjective is predicative and has no ending.
Das ist der wildeste Fluss in der Gegend.
That is the wildest river in the area.
der Fluss means the river and in der Gegend means in the area. wildeste is the superlative before a masculine nominative noun and therefore takes -e; der wildeste Fluss is the subject complement after ist.
Auf der Party wurde wild getanzt.
People danced wildly at the party.
auf der Party means at the party and tanzen means to dance. Here wild is used adverbially to describe how people danced; the verb phrase wurde getanzt puts the finite verb wurde in position two and the participle at the end.
Die Kinder rennen wild durch den Garten.
The children are running wildly through the garden.
die Kinder means the children, rennen means to run, and durch den Garten means through the garden. wild describes the manner of running and has no adjective ending because it is used as an adverb; durch takes the accusative den Garten.
das Wild — game, wildlife
das Wild is a mass noun for wild animals considered as a group or as hunted game. It normally has no plural; the genitive is des Wildes, with the ending -es.
Das Wild lebt im Wald.
The game animals live in the forest.
lebt means lives and im Wald means in the forest. Das Wild is the nominative subject, and the finite verb lebt stands in position two.
Die Jäger beobachten das Wild.
The hunters observe the game animals.
Die Jäger means the hunters and beobachten means observe. das Wild is accusative because beobachten takes a direct object; the neuter article remains das.
Wir helfen dem Wild im Winter.
We help the game animals in winter.
helfen means to help and im Winter means in winter. dem Wild is dative because helfen always takes a dative object, while the finite verb helfen is in position two.
Die Spuren des Wildes sind frisch.
The tracks of the game animals are fresh.
Die Spuren means the tracks and frisch means fresh. des Wildes means of the game animals and is genitive; Wild takes -es in the genitive, while sind is the finite verb in position two.
die Wüste — desert
Die Wüste is a geographical desert, not simply any dry place. Its plural is die Wüsten, with an umlaut and -n.
Die Wüste ist sehr trocken.
The desert is very dry.
sehr trocken means very dry. Die Wüste is nominative because it is the subject, and the finite verb ist stands in position two.
Wir durchqueren die Wüste.
We cross the desert.
durchqueren means cross or travel across. Die Wüste is accusative because it is the direct object of durchqueren; with a feminine noun, the article die looks the same in nominative and accusative.
Sie leben in der Wüste.
They live in the desert.
leben means live. In der Wüste is dative because in describes a fixed location here; the finite verb leben is in position two.
Die Hitze der Wüste ist gefährlich.
The heat of the desert is dangerous.
die Hitze means the heat, and gefährlich means dangerous. Der Wüste is genitive because it identifies whose heat is meant; the singular subject Hitze takes ist.
Viele Wüsten haben nachts niedrige Temperaturen.
Many deserts have low temperatures at night.
viele means many, nachts means at night, and niedrige Temperaturen means low temperatures. Wüsten is plural and is the nominative subject, while niedrige Temperaturen is accusative after haben.
der Zweig — branch, twig; branch, field, sector
The plural is die Zweige. In the genitive singular, both des Zweigs and the somewhat more formal des Zweiges occur.
Der Zweig ist sehr dünn.
The branch is very thin.
dünn means thin, and sehr means very. Der Zweig is nominative because it is the subject; the finite verb ist is in position two.
Ich schneide den Zweig ab.
I cut off the branch.
schneide ... ab means cut off. Den Zweig is accusative because schneiden takes an accusative object; ab belongs to the separable verb abschneiden and moves to the end of a main clause.
Auf dem Zweig sitzt ein Vogel.
A bird is sitting on the branch.
auf dem Zweig means on the branch, sitzt means is sitting, and ein Vogel means a bird. Auf takes the dative for a fixed location, so dem Zweig is dative; the verb sitzt is in position two.
Die Farbe des Zweigs ist dunkelbraun.
The colour of the branch is dark brown.
die Farbe means the colour, and dunkelbraun means dark brown. Des Zweigs is genitive because it identifies whose colour is meant; the verb ist stands in position two.
Die Zweige bewegen sich im Wind.
The branches move in the wind.
bewegen sich means move, and im Wind means in the wind. Die Zweige is the plural subject, so the verb is bewegen; sich is the reflexive pronoun belonging to the verb.
Der kleine Zweig brach im Sturm ab.
The small branch broke off in the storm.
kleine means small, brach ... ab means broke off, and Sturm means storm. The separable verb abbrechen splits in the main clause, with brach in position two and ab at the end.
Dieser Zweig der Forschung ist besonders wichtig.
This field of research is especially important.
Dieser means this, Forschung means research, and besonders wichtig means especially important. Dieser Zweig is nominative as the subject; der Forschung identifies the field, and the finite verb ist is in position two.
Viele Zweige der Wirtschaft leiden unter der Krise.
Many sectors of the economy are suffering because of the crisis.
Viele means many, Wirtschaft means economy, leiden means suffer, and Krise means crisis. Viele Zweige is the plural subject; unter takes the dative here, so der Krise is dative.
die Überschwemmung — flood, flooding; flooding, inundation
This word usually describes flooding caused by heavy rain, a river, or the sea. It is a feminine noun with the plural Überschwemmungen.
Nach dem starken Regen gab es eine Überschwemmung.
After the heavy rain, there was a flood.
starker Regen means heavy rain, and es gab means there was. Eine Überschwemmung is nominative because it is the subject of geben in the expression es gibt; the finite verb gab stands in position two.
Die Feuerwehr verhindert die Überschwemmung des Kellers.
The fire brigade is preventing the basement from flooding.
die Feuerwehr is the fire brigade, verhindert means prevents, and der Keller is the basement. Die Überschwemmung is accusative because verhindern takes a direct object; des Kellers is genitive because it specifies whose flooding is meant.
Die Stadt hilft den Opfern der Überschwemmung.
The city is helping the victims of the flood.
die Stadt is the city, helfen means to help, and die Opfer are the victims. Den Opfern is dative because helfen takes a dative object, while der Überschwemmung is genitive after Opfer to mean of the flood.
Die Schäden der Überschwemmung sind noch nicht bekannt.
The damage caused by the flood is not yet known.
die Schäden means the damage, and noch nicht bekannt means not known yet. Der Überschwemmung is genitive and describes which damage is meant; the plural subject die Schäden makes the verb sind plural.
In diesem Jahr gab es mehrere Überschwemmungen.
There were several floods this year.
in diesem Jahr means this year, and mehrere means several. Überschwemmungen is plural after mehrere; in the expression es gab, the thing that existed is normally in the accusative, although the plural form looks the same here.
Viele Dörfer waren von der Überschwemmung betroffen.
Many villages were affected by the flooding.
viele Dörfer means many villages, and betroffen means affected. Von takes the dative, so der Überschwemmung is dative; waren is in position two because this is a main clause.
Die Überschwemmung zerstörte mehrere Brücken.
The flooding destroyed several bridges.
zerstören means to destroy, and mehrere Brücken means several bridges. Die Überschwemmung is the nominative subject, while mehrere Brücken is accusative because zerstören takes a direct object.