German word of the day: Dauer
Not to be confused with the English word "dour",
Dauer (die) -
pronounced like
this
- literally means "duration" or "length of time".
For example:
Die Dauer des Films beträgt zwei Stunden
("the length of the film is two hours").
The phrase
Auf Dauer
means "in the long term" (literally,
in the duration
).
Dauer
comes fro the German verb
dauern
(to last or to take time), which you you could hear from your boss at work -
Wieso dauert es so lang?
("Why is it taking so long") - or possibly use at home with your German speaking children.
Why do I need to know
Dauer
?
The true magic of
Dauer
lies in the fact that you can add it to the front of numerous German nouns to create a blissful sense of permanence and predictability.
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A
Welle
(wave), for example, is something which is here one moment and gone the next, evaporating in a spray of white foam on a rocky beach.
A
Dauerwelle
(perm), on the other hand, is something you can rely on to stick around for a while.
Die Karten
is the word for "ticket".
Dauerkarten
are season tickets.
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A
Dauerzustand
is a permeant condition, a
Dauerläufer
is a long-distance runner, and a
Dauercamper
lives in his motorhome.
Dauerregen
(constant rain) is something we would all rather avoid, along with
Dauerkrisen
and
Dauerkonflikten
.
A
Dauerbrenner
is a topic that remains relevant or interesting over time and a
Dauerauftrag
is the word you need to know if you want to set up a standing order with your bank.
Use it like this:
Auf Dauer ist das keine Lösung.
In the long run, that's not a solution.
Er blieb nur für die Dauer der Veranstaltung.
He only stayed for the duration of the event.
Diese Beziehung hat keine Dauer.
This relationship won't last.
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Der Ausnahmezustand scheint langsam zum Dauerzustand zu werden.
The state of emergency is slowly becoming a permanent condition.
Das Thema Klimawandel ist ein Dauerbrenner in den Medien.
The topic of climate change is an evergreen issue in the media.
Ich habe einen Dauerauftrag eingerichtet, um meine Miete jeden Monat automatisch zu überweisen.
I set up a standing order to transfer my rent automatically every month.
Der Spieler ist ein echter Dauerläufer – er fällt nie aus und liefert immer ab.
The player is a true consistent performer – he never misses a game and always
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