Vocabulary
die
Not
· noun· Pl. die Nöte
need, hardship, distress; poverty
Hard times, emergencies and poverty — „in der Not“: when things are really bad. And in everyday German: „zur Not“ = if need be.
CEFR B2Frequency ●●●●●
Your memory
New
Learning
Familiar
Strong
Mastered
Forms
- Singular
- die Not
- Plural
- die Nöte
- Genitiv
- der Not
One word, many lives
Tap a meaning. Real German isn't a dictionary translation.
Not
need, hardship, distress; poverty
Kardinal Frings habe am Silvesterabend gesagt, in der Not dürfe jeder nehmen, was er zum Leben brauche, wenn er es weder durch Arbeit noch durch Bitten bekommen könne.
Cardinal Frings, he said, had declared on New Year's Eve that in times of need everyone was allowed to take what he needed to live, if he could get it neither by working nor by asking.
Word family
Notder Notfallemergencyder Notausgangemergency exitnotwendignecessarydie Hungersnotfamine
Common combinations
- in Not geratento get into difficulties
- Not leidento suffer hardship
- zur Notif need be, at a pinch
- Not macht erfinderisch.Necessity is the mother of invention.
Common learner mistakes
- In der Not können wir bei meinen Eltern schlafen.Zur Not können wir bei meinen Eltern schlafen.„zur Not“ means “if need be” — a fallback plan. „in der Not“ means “in times of real hardship”.
Real examples
- Kardinal Frings habe am Silvesterabend gesagt, in der Not dürfe jeder nehmen, was er zum Leben brauche, wenn er es weder durch Arbeit noch durch Bitten bekommen könne.Cardinal Frings, he said, had declared on New Year's Eve that in times of need everyone was allowed to take what he needed to live, if he could get it neither by working nor by asking.
- Zur Not können wir auch bei meinen Eltern übernachten.If need be, we can also stay the night at my parents'.
- Die Organisation hilft Familien, die in Not geraten sind.The organisation helps families who have got into difficulties.
