Beton
/beˈtɔ̃/masculine
Concrete in German is Beton.
Beton is the noun used to refer to the building material. If you want to describe something as being made of concrete, you can use the adjective aus Beton or the prefix beton-. To describe the action of covering something with concrete, use the verb betonieren.
Meaning: building material (noun)
Which one should you use?
While betonieren refers to the act of pouring or covering something with concrete, the separable verb einbetonieren is often used figuratively to mean burying or sealing something off or making something unchangeable. Furthermore, Bau- oder Baubeton is used to signify construction concrete.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Beton is a masculine, uncountable noun. When using the definite article, use der Beton. Because it is uncountable, it does not typically take a plural form when referring to the material in general. For the verb betonieren, the past participle is betoniert.
How do you pronounce it?
/beˈtɔ̃/
Did you know?
- In German political discourse, the term Betongold (concrete gold) is used to describe real estate investments seen as safe and stable.
- The German word Beton is actually a linguistic 'stranger' that entered the language from French, rather than being a native Germanic word.
- The German language distinguishes between Beton (concrete) and Zement (cement), and using them interchangeably is considered a common factual error even among native speakers.
Examples in context
- Toms Haus ist aus Beton.Tom's house is made out of concrete.This sentence illustrates how to use Beton to describe what a house is made of.Tatoeba #6296215 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #3433970 by Hybrid
- Beton braucht Zeit, um zu trocknen.Concrete takes time to dry.This sentence shows the use of Beton in the context of drying time.Tatoeba #13271864 by Waldelfe, translation #12856265 by Teangloir
- Es ist schade, dass Beton nicht brennt.It's a pity that concrete doesn't burn.This sentence uses Beton to discuss the properties of the material.Tatoeba #633748 by BraveSentry, translation #1490729 by niceguydave
- Der Beton für den Hausbau wurde geliefert.The concrete for the house construction was delivered.
- Sie benötigen Fertigbeton für das Fundament.You need ready-mix concrete for the foundation.
- Das Projekt ist noch nicht konkret genug, um eine Entscheidung zu treffen.The project is not specific enough yet to make a decision.
- Der gießbare Beton wird in die Schalung gegossen.The pourable concrete is poured into the formwork.
- Für die Bauarbeiten verwenden wir Baubeton.We are using construction concrete for the building works.
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julian and Sarah are standing in front of a new construction site.
- JulianIst der Beton schon fest?Is the concrete already solid?
- SarahNein, der Beton ist noch sehr weich.No, the concrete is still very soft.
- JulianDann müssen wir heute nichts machen.Then we don't have to do anything today.
- SarahGenau, wir warten einfach ab.Exactly, we will just wait.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “concrete” translations and entries Beton, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Beton, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
