German words you may need to know during the coronavirus pandemic
The current COVID-19 crisis that we are currently dealing with, which feels like something between a horror and sci-fi movie, has slapped us all in the face. We are all trying to cope with the situation as it evolves and having to adjust our daily lives to #flattenthecurve. And since this is a topic that almost all of us have no experience with, some of the media coverage may be a bit overwhelming and confusing. Living in another country during this crisis adds yet another disorienting layer to the mix.
Of course, we can all find information in our respective native languages online. (By the way – I hope you all have good internet!) However, we also want to know what is happening in our city and neighborhood. Well, when you’re living in Germany, the news reports about your region or city are going to be in German. Some media providers may translate certain things into other languages, but of course the primary language in German. That’s why I decided to create a list of some of the more common words and expressions that are being used in the German-speaking media regarding this crisis so I can hopefully support some of you in understanding what the **** is going on.
der Abstand – distance, gap
das Ansteckungsrisiko – contagiousness
die Armbeuge – crook of the arm, bent arm
die Atemnot – shortness of breath
die Ausbreitung – spread
die Ausgangssperre – ban on going out
die Beschränkung – restriction
die Bewegungsfreiheit – freedom of movement
bis auf Weiteres – until further notice
das Desinfektionsmittel – sanitizer, disinfectant
eindämmen – to contain
einsperren – to confine, to constrain, to lock up
das Fieber – fever
die Gastronomiebetriebe – food service
die Gesichtsmaske – face mask
das Gesundheitsamt – Ministry of Health, public health authority
der Gesundheitsminister – Minister of Health
die Hamsterkäufe – hoarding, panic buying, [translated literally] hamster buying 😀
der Husten – coughing
husten – to cough
im Griff haben – to have something under control
der Impfstoff – vaccine
das Infektionsrisiko – risk of infection
die Infektionskette – chain of infection
die Körperflüssigkeit – bodily fluid
die Kontaktperson – contact person (regarding a person you have had contact with who may be infected)
das Krankheitsanzeichen – signs of illness
die Krise – crisis
die Kurzarbeit – reduced working hours
die Lage – situation
die Lieferdienste – delivery services
die Lungenentzündung – pneumonia, lung inflammation
die Maßnahmen – measures, sanctions
die Menschenansammlung – gathering of people
die Menschenmenge – crowd
die Mitmenschen – fellow human beings
nachsteuern – to readjust
die Nichteinhaltung – violation
öffentliches Leben – public life
die Pandemie – pandemic
die Quarantäne – quarantine
das Risiko – risk
die Risikogebiete – risk areas
die Risikogruppen – risk groups
Todesfälle – fatalities, deaths
soziale Distanz – social distance
soziales Verhalten – social behavior
der Verdachtsfall – suspected case
die Verhaltensregeln – rules of conduct
weitreichend – extensive, far-reaching
Do any of these words or expressions need some extra context? Let me know!
Thanks for this list, I’m trying to read more news in German these days, so this is quite useful! I hope we all can talk about other things soon though 🤞🤞🤞