Autopilot
/ˈaʊ̯topiˌloːt/masculine
The German word for autopilot is Autopilot.
Autopilot is a masculine noun used to refer to a guiding system.
Meaning: guiding system (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the noun in the genitive case (to indicate 'of the autopilot'), it takes the ending -en, resulting in des Autopiloten.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈaʊ̯topiˌloːt/
Did you know?
- German speakers sometimes use Autopilot jokingly in a social context to describe someone who is nodding along in a conversation but is not actually listening.
- The prefix Auto- in Autopilot comes from the Greek word for 'self', a root shared with the German word Autobiografie and the English word 'autonomous'.
- The genitive form des Autopiloten uses an 'n-declension', a grammatical pattern that adds an '-en' ending to certain masculine nouns in most cases except the nominative.
Examples in context
- Die moderne Flugzeugtechnologie ermöglichte es dem Piloten, den Autopiloten zu aktivieren und sich zu entspannen.The modern aircraft technology allowed the pilot to activate the autopilot and relax.
- Das Schiff wurde verdächtigt, ein defektes Selbststeuerungssystem zu haben, weshalb der Kapitän manuell steuern musste.The ship was suspected to have a malfunctioning autopilot, which is why the captain had to manually control it.
- Nach einem anstrengenden Tag war ich froh, dass mein Auto einen funktionierenden Selbstfahrmodus hatte.After a tiring day, I was glad that my car had a functioning autopilot mode.
- Der Autopilot übernimmt die Steuerung.The autopilot takes over the steering.
- Ist der Autopilot bereits aktiviert?Is the autopilot already activated?
Example conversation
Julia and Maximilian are looking at a modern car.
- JuliaSchau mal, dieses Auto hat einen Autopilot.Look, this car has an autopilot.
- MaximilianKann das Auto wirklich alleine fahren?Can the car really drive by itself?
- JuliaJa, der Autopilot steuert die Richtung.Yes, the autopilot steers the direction.
- MaximilianDas ist wirklich sehr beeindruckend, Julia.That is really very impressive, Julia.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “autopilot” translations and entries Autopilot, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
