Today's words · 🌪️ Disasters & alerts
When the alarm goes off: 10 German words for emergencies
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If your phone suddenly screeched and showed a warning in German, would you know what it meant?
One afternoon your phone lets out a piercing alarm. On the screen: “Unwetterwarnung”. Outside the wind is picking up, and you can hear sirens in the distance. Is this serious?
Today's ten words are about disasters and warnings. With them you can understand alerts and news quickly and stay calm. Knowing is always better than guessing. 🚨
📋 The ten words at a glance
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
die Naturkatastrophe
[na-TOOR-ka-ta-stroh-fuh]natural disaster(Pl. die Naturkatastrophen)
📌 Naturkatastrophen verursachen jedes Jahr Schäden in Milliardenhöhe.
→ Natural disasters cause billions in damage every year.
💡 Natur + Katastrophe = natural catastrophe 🌋 Easy one!
Bonus Often shortened to die Katastrophe.
der Sturm
[SHTOORM]storm(Pl. die Stürme)
📌 Der Sturm hat viele Bäume umgeworfen.
→ The storm blew down many trees.
💡 Same root as English storm 🌪️ Remember: st at the start sounds like sht.
Bonus The adjective stürmisch = stormy, wild
das Unwetter
[OON-vet-er]severe weather, storm(Pl. die Unwetter)
📌 Ein schweres Unwetter hat in der Nacht viele Bäume umgerissen.
→ A severe storm knocked down many trees during the night.
💡 un- (bad) + Wetter (weather) = really bad weather ⛈️ A regular in warning texts!
Bonus a severe weather warning = die Unwetterwarnung
das Hochwasser
[HOKH-vass-er]flood, high water(Pl. die Hochwasser)
📌 Nach tagelangem Regen führte der Rhein Hochwasser.
→ After days of rain, the Rhine was in flood.
💡 hoch (high) + Wasser = high water 🌊 Just like English.
Bonus The river is flooding = Der Fluss führt Hochwasser.
das Erdbeben
[AIRT-bay-ben]earthquake(Pl. die Erdbeben)
📌 Das Erdbeben hatte eine Stärke von 6,8.
→ The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.8.
💡 Erde (earth) + beben (to tremble) = the earth trembles 🫨 Beben is neuter, so das.
Bonus an aftershock = das Nachbeben
die Warnung
[VAR-noong]warning(Pl. die Warnungen)
📌 Die Polizei gab eine Warnung vor Glatteis heraus.
→ The police issued a warning about black ice.
💡 warnen + -ung ⚠️ -ung is always die!
Bonus a warning about = eine Warnung vor + dative (Warnung vor Glatteis)
warnen
[VAR-nen]to warn (vor + dat.)(warnt – hat gewarnt)
📌 Ich warne dich!
→ I'm warning you!
💡 Just like warn 📢 Shout it: “VAR-nen!”
⚠ Warn about something with vor + dative: vor dem Sturm warnen
die Sirene
[zee-RAY-nuh]siren(Pl. die Sirenen)
📌 Plötzlich hörten wir die Sirenen der Feuerwehr.
→ Suddenly we heard the fire brigade's sirens.
💡 Like the Sirens of Greek myth calling with their song 🧜 A siren calls with sound too!
Bonus The sirens are wailing = Die Sirenen heulen.
evakuieren
[ay-va-koo-EE-ren]to evacuate(evakuiert – hat evakuiert)
📌 Wegen des Hochwassers wurde das Dorf evakuiert.
→ The village was evacuated because of the flood.
💡 From Latin evacuare (to empty) 🏃 Same as evacuate: emptying a village.
⚠ For people being moved out, use the passive: Das Dorf wurde evakuiert.
der Stromausfall
[SHTROHM-ows-fal]power cut, power outage(Pl. die Stromausfälle)
📌 Nach dem Sturm gab es in mehreren Dörfern einen Stromausfall.
→ After the storm, several villages had a power cut.
💡 Strom (power) + Ausfall (failure) = power cut 🔌 Fall is masculine, so der.
⚠ Plural with umlaut: die Stromausfälle
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Germany holds a nationwide warning day (Warntag) once a year, usually in September. Sirens sound and test alerts arrive on phones — quite a shock if you don't expect it.
As well as phone alerts, you can get warnings through official apps such as NINA. They also send local weather and flood warnings, so it's worth installing one.
Earthquakes are rare in Germany, but storms and floods do happen. That's why people are often advised to keep a few days' worth of water, food, a torch and batteries at home. 🔦
✅ Quick quiz
Q. Suddenly all the lights go out, and the flat next door is dark too. What do you tell your neighbour?
- ① Wir haben Hochwasser.
- ② Ich warne dich!
- ③ Wir haben einen Stromausfall.
Show the answer
③ Wir haben einen Stromausfall.
der Stromausfall = a power cut, which is exactly what's happened.
Check the alert settings on your phone today, then practise asking “What's happening?” with today's words, out loud. Safety first! 🦺
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🔥 Fire & safety