German Energy & Resources Vocabulary
This set covers how Germans talk about power sources and using them up, from die Kohle (coal) that once fueled the country to newer terms like die Geothermie and die Biomasse. The verb verbrauchen (to consume) and its noun der Verbrauch show a pattern you'll see across German: the same root gives you an action and a thing. Watch der Strom - it means electricity in everyday contexts like die Stromrechnung, but it originally means "current" or "stream," so don't assume it only refers to power.
Learn these 12 words
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All 12 words
plural: die Kohlen
coal
Früher heizte man die Häuser mit Kohle. — In the past, houses were heated with coal.
plural: die Stromrechnungen
electricity bill
Die Stromrechnung war diesen Monat sehr hoch. — The electricity bill was very high this month.
to consume
Wir verbrauchen zu viel Wasser. — We consume too much water.
energy
Wir müssen Energie sparen. — We must save energy.
nuclear energy
Kernenergie ist in Deutschland sehr umstritten. — Nuclear energy is very controversial in Germany.
plural: die Verbräuche
consumption
Der Verbrauch von Strom steigt im Winter. — Electricity consumption rises in winter.
wind energy
Windenergie wird immer wichtiger für Deutschland. — Wind energy is becoming increasingly important for Germany.
biomass
Biomasse ist eine erneuerbare Energiequelle. — Biomass is a renewable energy source.
renewable (energy)
Erneuerbare Energien sind die Zukunft. — Renewable energies are the future.
plural: die Kraftstoffe
fuel
Das Auto braucht Kraftstoff zum Fahren. — The car needs fuel to drive.
solar energy
Solarenergie ersetzt fossile Brennstoffe. — Solar energy replaces fossil fuels.
geothermal energy
Geothermie ist eine erneuerbare Energiequelle. — Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source.
How to learn this set
Notice that every compound energy word in this list ends in -energie and stays feminine: die Kernenergie, die Windenergie, die Solarenergie. Once you know die Energie is feminine, you get four other words for free. Separately, drill verbrauchen against der Verbrauch as a pair - German constantly turns verbs into nouns this way, and Stromverbrauch (electricity consumption) is a compound you'll actually read on bills. For der Kraftstoff and der Brennstoff, learn them side by side rather than as synonyms, since mixing them up is a common mistake even at B2.
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Frequently asked questions
Was ist der Unterschied zwischen Kraftstoff und Brennstoff?
Kraftstoff is fuel that powers engines, like petrol or diesel for a car. Brennstoff is fuel you burn for heat, like coal or wood in a heater. The two overlap in casual speech, but technical German keeps them apart.
Ist Strom männlich oder weiblich?
Der Strom is masculine. It covers both electricity and current in the physical sense, and also a river's current, so context tells you which meaning is meant.
Was bedeutet erneuerbare Energie?
Erneuerbare Energie means renewable energy, energy from sources that don't run out, like Windenergie, Solarenergie, or Geothermie. Erneuerbar itself is just the adjective 'renewable' and can describe other things too.
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