das  Foul

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/faʊl/

⚽ What does "das Foul" mean?

The German word das Foul is a noun borrowed directly from English (an Anglizismus) and primarily refers to an unsportsmanlike action or a rule violation, especially in sports.

• In sports: This is the most common meaning. It describes an action that breaks the rules of the game, often disadvantaging an opponent (e.g., in Fußball (football/soccer), Basketball, Eishockey (ice hockey)).
• Figuratively (rare): Sometimes it might be used metaphorically for an unfair or deceitful action outside of sports, but this is less common.

🚨 Attention: It is exclusively used with the article "das" (neuter gender).

Article rules for der, die, and das

📊 Grammar in Detail: das Foul

The noun "Foul" is neuter (Neutrum) and is declined as follows:

📜 Examples

1. Der Schiedsrichter pfeift das Foul sofort ab. (The referee immediately calls the foul. - Accusative Singular)
2. Wegen des Fouls gab es einen Elfmeter. (Because of the foul, there was a penalty kick. - Genitive Singular)
3. Er beschwerte sich lautstark über die vielen Fouls des Gegners. (He complained loudly about the opponent's many fouls. - Accusative Plural)
4. Nach diesem harten Foul musste der Spieler ausgewechselt werden. (After this hard foul, the player had to be substituted. - Dative Singular)

⛹️‍♂️ How to use "das Foul"?

"Das Foul" is firmly established in sports language. You talk about a Foul in:

• Fußball (soccer/football) (e.g., Grätsche von hinten - tackle from behind)
• Basketball (e.g., pushing an opponent during a shot)
• Eishockey (ice hockey) (e.g., hooking, tripping)
• Handball (e.g., holding, pushing)

It is often used with verbs like begehen (to commit), pfeifen (to call/whistle), ahnden (to penalize) or adjectives like hart (hard), absichtlich (intentional), taktisch (tactical).

Example: "Der Verteidiger beging ein taktisches Foul, um den Konter zu unterbinden." (The defender committed a tactical foul to stop the counter-attack.)

Compared to der Regelverstoß (rule violation), das Foul is more specific to physical actions in the game, whereas Regelverstoß can also include formal errors (e.g., incorrect line-up).

🧠 Mnemonics for "das Foul"

1. For the article: Think of das Spielfeld (the playing field). Das Foul happens on das Spielfeld. Both are neuter. Or: Many English loanwords in German are neuter: das Team, das Meeting, das Handy, and das Foul.
2. For the meaning: The word sounds exactly like the English word "foul" (unfair, bad). This directly helps remember the meaning "unsportsmanlike, unfair action". Imagine a referee blowing the whistle and yelling "Foul!" – a rule has been broken.

Remember: It's just **das** English word "foul" adopted into German, keeping its core sports meaning and getting the common neuter gender for loanwords.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms for "das Foul"

⚠️ Note: While Vergehen might sometimes fit, Foul is much more specific and common in the context of sports.

😄 A Little Joke

Fragt der Trainer den Schiedsrichter: "War das gerade wirklich ein Foul von meinem Stürmer?"
Sagt der Schiedsrichter: "Klar! Er hat den Verteidiger doch voll auf dem falschen Fuß erwischt!"
Trainer: "Wieso? Der Verteidiger hat doch zwei linke Füße!"

Translation:
The coach asks the referee: "Was that really a foul by my striker just now?"
The referee says: "Sure! He totally caught the defender on the wrong foot!"
Coach: "Why? The defender has two left feet!"

📜 Poem about the Foul

Der Ball rollt schnell, das Tor ist nah,
Ein Spieler stürmt, Hurra, Hurra!
Doch von der Seite, schnell und rau,
Kommt eine Grätsche, ganz genau.

Ein Pfiff ertönt, das Spiel steht still,
Das Foul war klar, so war der Will'
Des Schiris, der die Karte zeigt,
Weil Fairness hier zur Seite neigt.

Translation:
The ball rolls fast, the goal is near,
A player charges, Hooray, Hooray!
But from the side, quick and rough,
Comes a sliding tackle, quite enough.

A whistle sounds, the game stands still,
The foul was clear, such was the will
Of the ref, who shows the card,
Because fairness here is disregarded.

🤔 Little Riddle

Ich bin im Spiel nicht gern gesehen,
Passiere oft, wenn Spieler gehen
Zu hart zur Sache, unfair und grob,
Der Schiedsrichter macht dann meistens Stopp.

Manchmal bin ich taktisch klug,
Doch meistens einfach nur Betrug (am Spielgeist).
Im Fußball, Basketball, da kennst du mich,
Sag, wie nennt man mich?

Solution: das Foul

Translation:
I'm not welcome in the game,
I often happen when players aim
Too hard, unfair, and rough,
The referee then usually says "Enough!".

Sometimes I'm tactically smart,
But mostly just cheating (the spirit of the game) from the start.
In football, basketball, you know my name,
Tell me, what am I called in this game?

Solution: the foul (das Foul)

ℹ️ Additional Information

• Origin: The word "Foul" comes directly from English, where "foul" means "bad", "dirty", "unfair", or specifically a rule violation in sports.
• Types of Fouls: Sports often differentiate various types, e.g., technisches Foul (technical foul), persönliches Foul (personal foul), unsportliches Foul (unsportsmanlike foul), grobes Foulspiel (serious foul play).
• Pronunciation: It's usually pronounced [faʊ̯l] in German, similar to the English pronunciation.