Today's words · 🇪🇺 The EU
Understand the news: 10 German words about the EU
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Two letters come up again and again on German news: EU. Today we'll learn the words around them.
You switch on the German evening news and hear: “Die EU-Mitgliedstaaten haben sich geeinigt…” The presenter rushes on, and all you catch is the letters E and U.
Today's ten words are about the European Union. With them you can follow headlines, talk about crossing borders and say prices in euros. 🇪🇺
📋 The ten words at a glance
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
Europa
[oy-ROH-pa]Europe(Sg.)
📌 Ich möchte durch Europa reisen.
→ I'd like to travel around Europe.
💡 Named after the princess Europa from Greek myth 👸 In German it starts with ‘oy’.
⚠ Like most place names, no article: in Europa.
die EU
[ay-OO]EU, European Union((no pl.) · = die Europäische Union)
📌 Deutschland ist Mitglied der EU.
→ Germany is a member of the EU.
💡 Say the letters the German way: E-U 🇪🇺 die Union → die EU.
⚠ Always with the article: in der EU, aus der EU.
europäisch
[oy-roh-PAY-ish]European📌 Prag ist eine schöne europäische Stadt.
→ Prague is a beautiful European city.
💡 Europa + -isch = European 🌍 Just remember the a turns into ä.
Bonus Capitalised when it's part of a name: die Europäische Union.
der Europäer
[oy-roh-PAY-er]European (person)(Pl. die Europäer (f: die Europäerin))
📌 Viele Europäer machen im Sommer Urlaub.
→ Many Europeans go on holiday in summer.
💡 Europa + -er = a European 🙋 Like Berliner: -er makes a person.
Bonus Female: die Europäerin
der Mitgliedstaat
[MIT-gleet-shtaht]member state(Pl. die Mitgliedstaaten)
📌 Die EU hat 27 Mitgliedstaaten.
→ The EU has 27 member states.
💡 Mitglied (member) + Staat (state) = member state 🏛️ Snap the pieces together.
Bonus A member is das Mitglied; to join is Mitglied werden.
der Euro
[OY-roh]euro(Pl. die Euro(s))
📌 Das Brot kostet zwei Euro.
→ The bread costs two euros.
💡 Named after Europa 💶 Say ‘OY-roh’, not ‘YOU-roh’!
⚠ No plural ending with prices: zwei Euro.
die Währung
[VAIR-oong]currency(Pl. die Währungen)
📌 Der Euro ist die gemeinsame Währung vieler EU-Länder.
→ The euro is the common currency of many EU countries.
💡 An old word for ‘guarantee’ 💱 Money whose value the state guarantees = currency.
Bonus Exchange rate = der Wechselkurs
die Grenze
[GREN-tsuh]border, frontier; limit(Pl. die Grenzen)
📌 Wir fahren über die Grenze nach Polen.
→ We cross the border into Poland.
💡 Borrowed from Slavic granica 🛂 German took this word from its neighbours!
Bonus über die Grenze fahren = to cross the border · It can also mean ‘limit’.
der Binnenmarkt
[BIN-en-markt]single market; domestic market(Pl. die Binnenmärkte)
📌 Der europäische Binnenmarkt garantiert den freien Verkehr von Waren.
→ The European single market guarantees the free movement of goods.
💡 binnen (within) + Markt (market) = one market on the inside 🛒
⚠ Plural with umlaut: die Binnenmärkte.
die Zusammenarbeit
[tsoo-ZAM-en-ar-bite]cooperation, collaboration((pl. rare))
📌 Vielen Dank für die gute Zusammenarbeit!
→ Thank you very much for the good cooperation!
💡 zusammen (together) + Arbeit (work) = cooperation 🤝 die Arbeit → die.
Bonus A classic email sign-off: Vielen Dank für die gute Zusammenarbeit!
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
EU citizens can live and work in other EU countries without a visa. That's why German workplaces often have colleagues from Italy, Spain, Poland and many other countries.
Within the Schengen area there are usually no passport checks at the border, so on a train you may suddenly find yourself in another country. Checks do happen sometimes, though, so always carry your passport or ID.
Not every EU country uses the euro. Poland and the Czech Republic, for example, have their own currencies. Check the Währung before you cross the border. 💶
✅ Quick quiz
Q. You want to say what the bread costs. Which sentence is correct?
- ① Das Brot kostet zwei Euros.
- ② Das Brot kostet zweien Euro.
- ③ Das Brot kostet zwei Euro.
Show the answer
③ Das Brot kostet zwei Euro.
With prices, Euro takes no plural ending: zwei Euro.
Read one German news headline tonight and count how many of today's words you spot. Viel Spaß! 📰
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🦵 Parts of the body