das  Grab

A2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ɡʁaːp/

⚰️ What exactly is 'das Grab'?

The word das Grab (noun, neuter) primarily refers to a site where a deceased person is buried in German. It's the place of final rest.

• Main meaning: The burial place for a body (Leichnam), often in a cemetery (Friedhof). This can be an earth burial (Erdbeisetzung) or a tomb/vault (Gruft).
• Figurative meaning: Sometimes 'Grab' is used metaphorically to describe the end or downfall of something (e.g., 'das Grab der Hoffnungen' - 'the grave of hopes') or a place of great silence ('Still wie im Grabe' - 'Quiet as the grave').

⚠️ Attention: The verb 'graben' (to dig) is related, but 'das Grab' is always a noun.

📝 Grammar of 'das Grab' in Detail

The word 'Grab' is a neuter noun. Therefore, the article is das.

💡 Example Sentences

• Nominative: Das Grab war mit Blumen geschmückt. (The grave was decorated with flowers.)
• Genitive: Die Inschrift des Grabes war kaum noch lesbar. (The inscription on the grave was barely legible.)
• Dative: Sie standen schweigend am Grab. (They stood silently at the grave.)
• Accusative: Sie besuchten das Grab ihrer Großeltern. (They visited their grandparents' grave.)
• Plural: Auf dem Friedhof gibt es viele alte Gräber. (There are many old graves in the cemetery.)

🗣️ How to use 'das Grab'?

'Das Grab' is mostly used in the context of death (Tod), burial (Bestattung), and cemeteries (Friedhöfe). It carries a serious, often somber connotation.

• Typical Collocations (Word Combinations):
  • am Grab stehen/trauern: to stand/mourn at the graveside
  • ein Grab schaufeln/ausheben: to dig a grave
  • ein Grab pflegen: to tend a grave (look after the plants and cleanliness)
  • jemanden ins Grab bringen: (figurative) to be the ruin/death of someone
  • etwas mit ins Grab nehmen: to take a secret to the grave
  • sich im Grabe umdrehen: (figurative) to turn in one's grave (expression of disapproval of something happening after one's death)
  • stumm wie ein Grab sein: to be silent as the grave
• Context: Cemeteries, funerals, remembrance of the deceased, historical burial sites (e.g., Königsgräber - royal tombs).
• Distinction from similar words:
  • Die Gruft: A vault or crypt, a masonry-lined tomb, often underground or in a church.
  • Das Grabmal / Der Grabstein: The monument or headstone marking a grave.
  • Die Ruhestätte: A more general, often euphemistic term for grave (resting place).

🧠 Mnemonics for 'das Grab'

Article Mnemonic (das): Think of the neutral, objective nature of the end: das Ende (the end), das Nichts (nothingness). It's just a place, a thing -> das Grab. Or imagine a child pointing neutrally: "Ist das ein Grab?" (Is *that* a grave?)

Meaning Mnemonic: The German word 'Grab' sounds very similar to the English word 'grave'. Both refer to the place where someone is buried. You can also visualize someone having to **grab** a shovel to dig a **Grab**.

🔁 Synonyms, Antonyms & Similar Words

⚠️ Similar but different words

• graben (verb): The act of digging earth. (e.g., ein Loch graben - to dig a hole)
• der Graben (masculine noun): A ditch or trench. (e.g., ein Wassergraben - a moat)

😂 A Little Joke

German: Warum nehmen Skelette nie etwas mit ins Grab?
Weil sie keine Taschen haben! 😄

English: Why do skeletons never take anything to the grave?
Because they don't have any pockets! 😄

📜 A Short Poem

German:
Ein stiller Ort, das Grab so tief,
Wo Ruh' einkehrt, wer lang schon schlief.
Ein Stein erzählt, wer hier einst war,
Erinnerung bleibt, Jahr für Jahr.

English Translation:
A silent place, the grave so deep,
Where rest descends on those long asleep.
A stone relates who once was here,
Memory stays, year after year.

🤔 Little Riddle

German:
Ich bin ein Ort der letzten Ruh,
man legt Blumen auf mich zu.
Ich bin oft still und sehr alt,
mein Name, der ist ...?

English:
I am a place of final rest,
Flowers are often laid upon my chest.
I am often silent and very old,
My name is...?

Solution / Lösung: das Grab (the grave)

🤓 Trivia & Origin

• Etymology: The word 'Grab' comes from the Old High German word 'grab', which is related to the verb 'graban' (to dig). It originally referred to something dug out.
• Cultural Significance: Graves (Gräber) and cemeteries (Friedhöfe) play an important role in many cultures as places of remembrance (Gedenken), mourning (Trauer), and sometimes ancestor veneration (Ahnenverehrung).
• Famous Graves: There are many famous burial sites worldwide, such as the Pyramids of Giza (Gräber der Pharaonen - tombs of the pharaohs) or the Taj Mahal (Mausoleum).