Today's words · 😷 Pandemic & hygiene
Hygiene and infection: 10 German words from the news
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Those words that were on the German news every single day — let's make sure you understand them instantly.
At the office, your colleague is coughing away. Someone jokes, "Pass auf, das ist bestimmt ansteckend!" On the evening news there's a story about flu jabs. You catch most of it, but a few words keep tripping you up.
Today's ten words are all about infection and hygiene. With them you can follow the news, ask about vaccinations at the doctor's and warn a colleague that something's catching. Wash your hands and let's start! 🧼
📋 The ten words at a glance
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
die Pandemie
[pan-day-MEE]pandemic(Pl. die Pandemien)
📌 Die Pandemie hat das Gesundheitssystem stark belastet.
→ The pandemic put a heavy strain on the health system.
💡 Greek pan (all) + dēmos (people) = a disease that reaches everyone 🌍 Most nouns in -ie are die!
Bonus A local outbreak is die Epidemie.
das Virus
[VEE-roos]virus(Pl. die Viren (colloquial: der Virus))
📌 Gerade geht ein Virus um, viele sind krank.
→ There's a virus going around, lots of people are sick.
💡 Latin for ‘poison’ 🦠 Almost the same as English virus.
⚠ Officially das Virus, but der Virus is common in speech. Plural: die Viren!
die Infektion
[in-fek-TSYOHN]infection(Pl. die Infektionen)
📌 Gegen die Infektion bekommt sie Antibiotika.
→ She's getting antibiotics for the infection.
💡 Looks just like English infection 🧫 Nouns in -tion are always die!
Bonus Adjective: infiziert (infected) · Ich bin infiziert.
sich anstecken
[zikh AN-shtek-en]to catch (an illness), to get infected(steckt sich an – hat sich angesteckt (+ bei + dat.))
📌 Ich habe mich bei meinem Kollegen angesteckt.
→ I caught it from my colleague.
💡 an (onto) + stecken (stick) = the illness sticks to you 📌
⚠ Who you caught it from takes bei: Ich habe mich bei meinem Sohn angesteckt.
ansteckend
[AN-shtek-ent]contagious, infectious📌 Die Krankheit ist sehr ansteckend, deshalb sollte er zu Hause bleiben.
→ The disease is very contagious, so he should stay at home.
💡 The -end form of anstecken = catching, contagious 🤧 Works for laughter too!
Bonus Lachen ist ansteckend. = Laughter is contagious.
die Maske
[MAS-kuh]mask; face mask(Pl. die Masken)
📌 Im Krankenhaus muss man manchmal eine Maske tragen.
→ In hospital you sometimes have to wear a mask.
💡 English mask plus an -e 😷 A carnival mask is a Maske too!
Bonus to wear a mask = eine Maske tragen
die Impfung
[IMP-foong]vaccination(Pl. die Impfungen)
📌 Die Impfung gegen Grippe wird vor allem älteren Menschen empfohlen.
→ Flu vaccination is recommended above all for older people.
💡 impfen + -ung = vaccination 💉 -ung is always die!
Bonus the yellow vaccination booklet = der Impfpass
impfen
[IMP-fen]to vaccinate(impft – hat geimpft)
📌 Viele Eltern lassen ihre Kinder gegen Masern impfen.
→ Many parents have their children vaccinated against measles.
💡 It once meant ‘to graft’ a tree 🌳 Now you graft protection onto your body.
⚠ ‘Get vaccinated’ is sich impfen lassen: Ich lasse mich impfen.
die Quarantäne
[ka-ran-TAY-nuh]quarantine(Pl. die Quarantänen)
📌 Die Reisenden mussten zwei Wochen in Quarantäne bleiben.
→ The travellers had to stay in quarantine for two weeks.
💡 From Italian quaranta giorni (forty days) 🏠 Qu sounds like k here!
Bonus to be in quarantine = in Quarantäne sein
die Hygiene
[hue-GYAY-nuh]hygiene(Sg.)
📌 In Krankenhäusern ist strenge Hygiene besonders wichtig.
→ Strict hygiene is especially important in hospitals.
💡 From Hygieia, the Greek goddess of health 🧼 The y sounds like German ü.
Bonus Adjective: hygienisch (hygienic)
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
One very German hygiene habit is airing rooms (Lüften). Even in winter, many households throw the windows wide open for a few minutes several times a day — that's called Stoßlüften.
It's good manners to cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow (Armbeuge), not your hand. And when someone sneezes, lots of people will say "Gesundheit!"
Germany uses a yellow vaccination booklet (Impfpass), and it's handy to take it to the doctor's. If you've moved from abroad, bring your old vaccination records too. 💉
✅ Quick quiz
Q. A colleague comes to work coughing badly. What do you say?
- ① Ich habe mich impfen lassen.
- ② Bleib lieber zu Hause – das ist bestimmt ansteckend!
- ③ Die Maske ist im Museum.
Show the answer
② Bleib lieber zu Hause – das ist bestimmt ansteckend!
ansteckend = contagious: ‘You'd better stay at home — that's definitely catching!’
Every time you wash your hands today, say Hygiene ist wichtig! out loud. Stay well — Gesundheit! 🧼
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🇪🇺 The EU