der Fußball
/deːr ˈfuːsˌbal/word by word
In German, "the football" is translated as der Fußball.
The phrase der Fußball can refer to the sport of football or the physical ball used in the sport. If you are talking about the concept of the sport in general, such as in the phrase "to play football", you often omit the article and use Fußball spielen. For example, if you want to say "I play football", you would say "Ich spiele Fußball".
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of der Fuß (the foot) and der Ball (the ball).
Which one should you use?
While der Fußball refers to the sport or the ball itself, the word Fußball without the article is often used to refer to the concept of the sport in general.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun Fußball is masculine and requires the article der in the singular form. When 'the football' is the direct object of a sentence, the article changes from der to den Fußball. In the genitive case, the masculine noun Fußball takes an -s ending, appearing as des Fußballs. The plural form of the football is die Fußbälle.
How do you pronounce it?
/deːr ˈfuːsˌbal/
Did you know?
- In Germany, the culture of Fußball is so deeply ingrained that the national team is often referred to as die Mannschaft, meaning 'the team'. Using this word alone is enough for any German to know you are talking about the national football squad.
- While Fußball refers to the global game, Germans use the English loanword Football specifically to describe the American sport.
- Because German is a compounding language, Fußball acts as a building block for huge words, such as Fußballweltmeisterschaft for the Football World Cup.
Examples in context
- Ich bin in der Fußballmannschaft.I'm on the football team.This sentence shows how to use der Fußball within the context of a football team.Tatoeba #603669 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #255510 by CK
- Tom ist der Kapitän der Fußballmannschaft.Tom is the captain of the football team.This sentence shows how to use der Fußball when identifying a captain of a football team.Tatoeba #739937 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #682137 by Source_VOA
- Der Fußballspieler täuschte eine Verletzung vor.The football player faked an injury.This sentence shows how der Fußball is used as a component in the term for a football player.Tatoeba #7803713 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #7803482 by Hybrid
- Ich spiele gerne Fußball.I enjoy playing football.
- In der Bundesliga wird oft der runde Ball nach vorne gespielt.In the Bundesliga, the football is often played forward.
- Lust auf 'ne Runde Fußi?Up for a game of football?
- Ist der Ball aufgepumpt?Is the football pumped up?
- Wir könnten im Park ein bisschen Ball spielen.We could play some football in the park.
- Hast du Lust auf 'ne Runde Kicker?Do you feel like playing some football?
- Wir brauchen mehrere Fußbälle für das Spiel.We need multiple footballs for the game.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah and Lukas are talking about their favorite hobbies.
- HannahMagst du der Fußball als Sport?Do you like football as a sport?
- LukasJa, der Fußball ist mein absolutes Lieblingsspiel.Yes, football is my absolute favorite game.
- HannahSpielst du auch oft der Fußball?Do you also play football often?
- LukasNein, ich schaue der Fußball lieber im Fernsehen.No, I prefer to watch football on television.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (der, Fußball) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Fußball, der, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
