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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Tagundnachtgleiche

This March equinox marks the astronomical beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere, and occurs on the 20th this year. Did you know there are two German terms for this day?

Published: 20 March 2024 12:01 CET
word of the day
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Why do I need to know ‘Tagundnachtgleiche’?

You may hear this word a lot on Wednesday, and then probably not again until the autumnal equinox comes in September.

More of a novel term than one for everyday use, Die Tagundnachtgleiche is one you can use to impress German speakers with your knowledge of heavens and the earth, and your expansive vocabulary.

What does it mean?

Tagundnachtgleiche is the German word for equinox, which is the day when the sun crosses the celestial equator, making the day and night equal in length and also marking a change of seasons.

Alternatively the word Äquinoktium is also used for equinox.

Each year contains two equinoxes: a spring equinox (Frühlings-Tagundnachtgleiche or Frühjahrs-Tagundnachtgleiche) and a fall equinox (Herbst-Tagundnachtgleiche).

The spring equinox, which falls on March 20th this year, marks the beginning of spring. From this day forward, daylight hours in the northern hemisphere will continue getting longer until the summer solstice.

READ ALSO: Seven signs that spring has arrived in Germany

The word equinox comes from Latin and literally means “equal night”, meaning that the night is equal to the day (or more specifically that the hours of darkness are equal to the hours of daylight.)

In this case, the German term leaves nothing to be deduced. The word is a short phrase put together – Tag und Nacht Gleiche – meaning “day and night equality”.

Equinox traditions

The Spring Equinox and the beginning of the spring season is cause for celebration in cultures around the world, and is often linked with traditions related to rebirth, renewal and fertility.

Among pre-Christian Germanic tribes such as the Saxons, a spring Goddess called Ostara, was celebrated on the Spring Equinox with a feast day and other traditions such as planting seeds or decorating eggs. Traditional symbols for Ostara included rabbits and ducklings.

It is widely believed that some of these traditions were later adopted and Catholicised, leading to the creation of Easter (Ostern) as we know it today. 

Use it like this:

In diesem Jahr findet die Frühlings-Tagundnachtgleiche zwischen dem 19. und 20. März statt.

This year the spring equinox is between March 19th and 20th.

Glückliche Tagundnachtgleiche!

Happy equinox!

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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Einbilden

If you occasionally like to create a whole new reality in your mind, this German word is an essential part of your vocabulary.

Published: 30 April 2024 11:53 CEST
German word of the day: Einbilden

Why do I need to know einbilden?

Einbilden a word that you’re likely to hear coming out of your German friends’ mouths on a regular basis, and which describes a fairly common scenario.

It’s also a great excuse to practice your separable and reflexive verbs, and contains a root verb that German learners just can’t do without. 

What does it mean?

Used in the reflexive form, sich einbilden (pronounced like this) has multiple shades of meaning that all relate to deluding yourself in some way. 

In its most neutral use, sich etwas einbilden means to imagine something or be convinced of something that isn’t true.

When someone could have sworn they had a conversation with you that never actually took place, they may say doubtfully: “Vielleicht habe ich mir das nur eingebildet”, meaning: “Maybe I just imagined it.”

If you already know the word imagined as sich vorstellen, then it’s worth thinking of sich einbilden as vorstellen’s badly behaved brother. While vorstellen involves having some imaginative and empathetic capacity, einbilden edges towards tricking or deluding yourself. 

READ ALSO:  German word of the day – Vorwurf

This is partly because sich einbilden also has numerous negative connotations, and can often be used to describe people who are particularly full of themselves, smug about something, or overly convinced of their own talents. 

In this case, you’d often use einbilden as a separable verb, meaning that the root (bilden) is used separately from the prefix (ein). “Er bildet sich ein…, (etwas) zu sein” is a common formation you’ll hear, that roughly translates as, “He fancies himself to be (something)”.

If someone likes to blow their own trumpet in general, the construction you’ll need is: “Sich viel auf sich einbilden”, which could roughly translate as: “To pride yourself on a lot” or “To think a lot of yourself”. 

Similarly, being smug about something simply involves swapping “auf sich” to “auf etwas” in that sentence, so you get something like: “Sie bildet viel auf ihre Leistung ein.” (“She’s very smug about her performance.”)

READ ALSO: German phrase of the day – Über den Tellerrand shauen

If you want to keep it snappy, then you can always use einbilden as an adjective instead. “Du bist so eingebildet” would translate as “you’re so full of yourself”, so keep this in your arsenal if you know someone like that.

A rooster in a field

A rooster strutting in a field in Turkey. If someone thinks they’re the “cock of the walk” they’re best described in German as “eingebildet”. Photo: Photo by Hulki Okan Tabak on Unsplash

Note that when you use sich einbilden, the pronoun (sich) is in the dative case, so you’ll need to reach for mir, dir, Ihnen, etc., instead of mich, dich, and Sie. 

How can I remember it?

If you need help remembering einbilden, a good place to start would be to break it down to its components and think about what it literally means.

Most German learners will have heard the verb bilden, which means to form, build or create something, before.

Adding the prefix ein turns this inwards, so that someone who is eingebildet has formed an idea internally – usually that they are the most handsome, talented and charismatic person in the world.

Use it like it like this: 

Hast du dein Auto hier gelassen, oder habe ich mir das nur eingebildet?

Did you leave your car here, or did I just imagine it?

Sie bildet sich ein, die beste Mathematikerin der Welt zu sein. 

She fancies herself as the best mathematician in the world. 

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