C1 · 46 words
Seafaring and the port in German
Ship, fairway, quay and the papers that travel with the cargo.
Practise this list
From these 46 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list
The word here with the longest journey behind it is der Lotse, the pilot who boards outside the harbour and takes a ship up the channel. German borrowed it from Dutch loodsman, and Dutch had it from medieval English: a lodesman was a guide, a man who knew the lode, the way. English has since dropped the word and kept its first half only in the lodestar sailors steered by and the lodestone that pointed north. German cut the borrowing down to Lotse, made it a weak noun — den Lotsen, dem Lotsen — and then built on it freely. Lotsen is to guide anyone through anything, a visitor through a building as readily as a freighter past a sandbank, and der Fluglotse is not a pilot at all but the air traffic controller on the ground; the one in the cockpit is der Pilot. The rest of the list runs from the fairway to the cargo papers.
The words
Verb (9)
auslotento sound out, to fathomVerbC1
Separable. Now mostly figurative: die Grenzen ausloten, to test the limits.
kenternto capsizeVerbC1
Perfect with sein: ist gekentert.
lotsento guide (someone) throughVerbC1
Regular: lotste, gelotst. Takes a direct object and durch.
schleusento take (a ship) through a lockVerbC1
Regular. Also: to smuggle people across a border; the smuggler is der Schleuser.
festmachento moor, to make fastVerbC1
Separable. Figurative: etwas an etwas festmachen, to base a judgement on something.
einlaufento put into portVerbC1
Separable, irregular: lief ein, ist eingelaufen. Of clothes: to shrink.
anheuernto sign on (as crew)VerbC1
Separable. Colloquially also: jemanden anheuern, to hire someone.
umschlagento handle, to tranship (cargo)VerbC1
Separable, irregular: schlug um, umgeschlagen. The noun is der Umschlag, cargo handling.
ausflaggento flag outVerbC2
Separable. Mostly in the perfect or the passive.
Noun (31)
Grammar for these: The three genders · The plural
das Fahrwasserfairway, navigable waterNounC1
Plural rare: die Fahrwasser. Figurative: in ruhiges Fahrwasser kommen, to reach calmer waters.
die Fahrrinnedredged channelNounC1
Plural: die Fahrrinnen.
das Seezeichennavigational markNounC1
Plural: die Seezeichen.
das Leuchtfeuernavigational lightNounC1
Plural: die Leuchtfeuer.
der Tidenhubtidal rangeNounC2
Plural rare: die Tidenhübe.
der Seegangsea state, swellNounC1
No plural. Usually with an adjective: leichter, grober Seegang.
das Kielwasserwake (of a ship)NounC1
No plural. In jemandes Kielwasser: in someone’s wake, following their lead.
die Havarieaccident at sea, damage to a shipNounC1
Plural: die Havarien. Also used of serious accidents in industrial plants.
der Lotsemaritime pilotNounC1
Weak noun: den Lotsen, dem Lotsen. Plural: die Lotsen. Der Fluglotse is an air traffic controller.
der Schleppertug (boat)NounC1
Plural: die Schlepper. Colloquially also a people smuggler.
die TrossehawserNounC2
Plural: die Trossen.
der PollerbollardNounC1
Plural: die Poller. Also the posts that keep cars off a pavement.
die Reederoads, roadsteadNounC1
Plural: die Reeden. Usually auf Reede liegen, without an article.
die Barkasselaunch (harbour motor boat)NounC1
Plural: die Barkassen. A barge is der Leichter or die Schute.
die Kombüsegalley (ship’s kitchen)NounC1
Plural: die Kombüsen. Jokingly also a cramped kitchen ashore.
der Landgangshore leaveNounC1
Plural: die Landgänge.
die Heuerseaman’s payNounC1
Plural: die Heuern. Not to be confused with southern German heuer, this year.
das Seemannsgarnsailor’s yarn, tall taleNounC1
No plural. Almost always with spinnen.
die Kaimauerquay wallNounC1
Plural: die Kaimauern.
die Containerbrückeship-to-shore container craneNounC1
Plural: die Containerbrücken. Not a bridge but a gantry crane on the quay.
das Stückgutgeneral cargo, break-bulkNounC1
No plural. The opposite is das Schüttgut.
das Schüttgutbulk cargoNounC1
No plural. Loaded by pouring, not by the piece.
das Konnossementbill of ladingNounC2
Plural: die Konnossemente.
das Ladungsmanifestcargo manifestNounC1
Plural: die Ladungsmanifeste.
der Befrachtershipper (party hiring the carrier)NounC2
Plural: die Befrachter. The other party is der Verfrachter.
der Verfrachtercarrier (by sea)NounC2
Plural: die Verfrachter. The two words differ only in the prefix.
die Charterpartiecharter partyNounC2
Plural: die Charterpartien.
das LiegegelddemurrageNounC1
No plural.
der ReedershipownerNounC1
Plural: die Reeder. The company is die Reederei.
die Billigflaggeflag of convenienceNounC1
Plural: die Billigflaggen.
die Hafenstaatkontrolleport state controlNounC2
Plural: die Hafenstaatkontrollen.
Preposition (1)
längsseitsalongsidePrepositionC1
Takes the genitive. Also an adverb: längsseits liegen, längsseits gehen.
Phrase (5)
auf hoher Seeon the high seasPhraseC1
Die See, feminine, is the sea; hoher is its dative.
auf Grund laufento run agroundPhraseC1
laufen is irregular: lief, ist gelaufen.
in Seenot geratento get into distress at seaPhraseC1
geraten is irregular: geriet, ist geraten.
vor Anker gehento drop anchorPhraseC1
gehen is irregular: ging, ist gegangen. At anchor: vor Anker liegen.
klar Schiff machento clear the decksPhraseC1
Also figurative: to sort things out, to clear up a matter.
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This list belongs to Transport and travel — 18 lists and 713 words that can also be practised as a whole.