Today's words · 🔬 Science
Lab coat on: 10 German words for science
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Why not talk science in the language of Einstein and Röntgen?
You're visiting a friend who works in a university lab in Germany. She excitedly tells you, ‘Das Experiment hat endlich geklappt!’ and you just nod along. Science headlines always looked hard too.
Today's ten words come up again and again in science and research. With them you can read science news headlines, chat with friends who do research and ask whether the results are in. 🔬
📋 The ten words at a glance
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
die Wissenschaft
[VISS-en-shaft]science; academic discipline(Pl. die Wissenschaften)
📌 Die Wissenschaft hat in diesem Bereich große Fortschritte gemacht.
→ Science has made great progress in this field.
💡 wissen (to know) + -schaft = all that's known 🧪 -schaft is always die.
Bonus The adjective: wissenschaftlich = scientific, academic
der Wissenschaftler
[VISS-en-shaft-ler]scientist; academic, scholar(Pl. die Wissenschaftler (f: die Wissenschaftlerin))
📌 Die Wissenschaftler haben eine neue Pflanze entdeckt.
→ The scientists have discovered a new plant.
💡 Wissenschaft + -ler = the person who does it 👩🔬
Bonus A female scientist is die Wissenschaftlerin.
die Forschung
[FOR-shoong]research(Pl. die Forschungen)
📌 Sie arbeitet in der Forschung.
→ She works in research.
💡 forschen (to research) + -ung 🔍 -ung means die.
Bonus A researcher = der Forscher · die Forscherin
das Experiment
[ex-pe-ri-MENT]experiment(Pl. die Experimente)
📌 Das Experiment musste mehrmals wiederholt werden.
→ The experiment had to be repeated several times.
💡 Spelt just like English ⚗️ Only the stress moves to the end.
Bonus The verb: experimentieren = to experiment
die Theorie
[tay-o-REE]theory(Pl. die Theorien)
📌 In der Theorie klingt das gut.
→ In theory that sounds good.
💡 From Greek theōria, looking at things 🤔 Ends in -ie: die, stressed at the end.
Bonus In der Theorie … in der Praxis … = In theory … in practice …
das Labor
[la-BOR]laboratory, lab(Pl. die Labore)
📌 Die Blutprobe wird im Labor untersucht.
→ The blood sample is examined in the lab.
💡 Latin laborare, to work 🥼 A lab is where the work happens. Stress the end.
Bonus Your blood test results also come from das Labor.
das Ergebnis
[air-GAYP-nis]result(Pl. die Ergebnisse)
📌 Das Ergebnis der Prüfung bekommst du nächste Woche.
→ You'll get the exam result next week.
💡 sich ergeben (to result) + -nis = result 📊
⚠ Double s in the plural: die Ergebnisse.
entdecken
[ent-DECK-en]to discover(entdeckt – hat entdeckt)
📌 Ich habe ein tolles Café entdeckt.
→ I've discovered a great café.
💡 ent- (un-) + decken (to cover) = uncover — built just like dis-cover 🗺️
Bonus The noun: die Entdeckung = discovery
beweisen
[buh-VY-zen]to prove(beweist – bewies – hat bewiesen)
📌 Kannst du beweisen, dass du zu Hause warst?
→ Can you prove that you were at home?
💡 be- + weisen (to point) = point at the evidence 👉
Bonus The noun: der Beweis = proof, evidence
messen
[MESS-en]to measure(misst – hat gemessen)
📌 Der Arzt misst meinen Blutdruck.
→ The doctor measures my blood pressure.
💡 No mess in the lab — measure everything twice 📏
⚠ Irregular: du misst, er misst, hat gemessen.
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
The German word Wissenschaft isn't just natural science. History, linguistics and other humanities count too, which is why words like Literaturwissenschaft (literary studies) sound completely normal.
Germany is home to well-known research organisations such as the Max Planck and Fraunhofer institutes, and to scientists like Einstein and Röntgen. That's why getting an X-ray in German is simply röntgen.
Several cities hold events like the ‘Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften’, when universities and institutes open their doors late into the evening. It's a great chance to look inside a real lab. 🌙
✅ Quick quiz
Q. Your colleague has just finished an experiment. How do you ask if the result is in yet?
- ① Hast du das Labor gemessen?
- ② Hast du eine Theorie entdeckt?
- ③ Hast du schon das Ergebnis?
Show the answer
③ Hast du schon das Ergebnis?
das Ergebnis = the result, and with schon it means ‘already got the result?’
If you measure anything today, say ‘Ich messe …’; if you find something, say ‘Ich habe … entdeckt!’ — out loud. 🔬
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 😴 How you feel physically