das  Metall

A2

Estimated CEFR level.

/meˈtal/

🧪 What exactly is Metall?

Das Metall (noun, neuter) generally refers to a chemical substance that exhibits certain characteristic properties. Typically, these include:

• Good electrical conductivity
• Good thermal conductivity
• Metallic luster
• Malleability/Ductility (Verformbarkeit)
• High density (usually)

Metals (Metalle) make up the vast majority of chemical elements and are essential for technology, industry, and everyday life. Examples include iron (Eisen - Fe), copper (Kupfer - Cu), gold (Gold - Au), aluminum (Aluminium - Al), and lead (Blei - Pb).

🚨 There is only one article for Metall: das. It is always neuter.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar of "das Metall" in Detail

"Metall" is a noun with the neuter article das. It is declined as follows:

📝 Example Sentences

1. Das glänzende Metall reflektiert das Sonnenlicht. (The shiny metal reflects the sunlight.)
2. Die Eigenschaften des Metalls sind für diese Anwendung ideal. (The properties of the metal are ideal for this application.)
3. Er schlägt mit dem Hammer auf das Metall. (He hits the metal with the hammer.)
4. Viele Brücken sind aus Stahl, einem wichtigen Metall, gebaut. (Many bridges are built from steel, an important metal.)
5. Edelmetalle wie Gold und Silber sind sehr wertvoll. (Precious metals like gold and silver are very valuable.)
6. Die Verarbeitung von Metallen erfordert oft hohe Temperaturen. (The processing of metals often requires high temperatures.)

🛠️ When to use "das Metall"?

The term "das Metall" is used in various contexts:

• Chemistry & Physics: To classify elements with metallic properties in the periodic table.
• Materials Science & Engineering: As a term for materials used in construction, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, etc. (e.g., Baustahl - structural steel, Aluminiumlegierungen - aluminum alloys).
• Everyday Language: Often as a general term for metallic objects or materials (e.g., "Das Geländer ist aus Metall." - The railing is made of metal.).
• Music: Sometimes colloquially for Heavy Metal music, although this is usually referred to as "Metal" (without an article or with "der"). ⚠️ Be careful: In the musical context, the Anglicism "der Metal" or just "Metal" is more common. "Das Metall" almost exclusively refers to the material here.

Compared to more specific terms like "Eisen" (iron), "Kupfer" (copper), or "Stahl" (steel), "Metall" is a superordinate term (Oberbegriff).

💡 Mnemonics for "das Metall"

Here’s how to remember the article and meaning:

Article Mnemonic: Think of neuter materials: "Das Material", "Das Element" - many neutral words describe substances. Metal is such a neutral, fundamental substance, hence "das Metall". Also, many scientific or technical terms borrowed into German are neuter, like das Atom, das System, das Metall.

Meaning Mnemonic: Picture a shiny, cool object. While the etymology is different, think of a medal – medals are often made of metal. So, Metal ≈ Medal.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Caution: The term "Stoff" is very general and can mean many things (substance, material, fabric), not just metals.

😄 A Metallic Joke

German: Fragt ein Chemiker den anderen: "Was ist dein Lieblingsmetall?" Antwortet der: "Natrium." Fragt der erste: "Na?"

English Translation: One chemist asks another: "What's your favorite metal?" The other replies: "Sodium." The first asks: "Na?" (Pun: Na is the chemical symbol for Sodium, and "Na?" is a common colloquial German interjection similar to "Well?" or "So?")

📜 Poem about Metal

German:

Das Metall, so kühl und blank,
steht im Periodensystem nicht hinten an.
Es leitet Strom, es leitet Wärme gut,
gibt Autos Form und Werkzeug Mut.

Ob Eisen, Gold, ob Zink, ob Blei,
in Technik ist es stets dabei.
Mal hart, mal weich, verformbar, rein,
so vielfältig kann das Metall nur sein.

English Translation:

The metal, so cool and bright,
in the periodic table, holds its might.
It conducts current, conducts heat well,
gives cars shape and tools their spell.

Be it iron, gold, or zinc, or lead,
in technology, it's always ahead.
Sometimes hard, sometimes soft, formable, pure,
so versatile, only the metal can assure.

❓ Riddle Time

German:

Ich glänze oft, bin meistens schwer,
leit' Strom und Wärme hin und her.
Man schmiedet mich, man gießt mich heiß,
aus mir besteht so mancher Preis.

Was bin ich?

English Translation:

I often shine, am usually heavy,
I conduct electricity and heat back and forth readily.
I am forged, I am cast when hot,
many a prize is made from what I've got.

What am I?

Solution: Das Metall (Metal)

✨ Other Information

• Word Origin: The word "Metall" comes from the Latin "metallum", which in turn was borrowed from the Greek "métallon" (mine, quarry, ore, metal).
• Types: A common distinction is made between Edelmetalle (precious metals, e.g., gold, silver, platinum), Halbedelmetalle (semi-precious metals, e.g., copper), Leichtmetalle (light metals, e.g., aluminum, magnesium), and Schwermetalle (heavy metals, e.g., lead, mercury, iron).
• Alloys (Legierungen): Very often, metals are not used in their pure form but as alloys (mixtures of different metals or metals with nonmetals) to achieve specific properties (e.g., Stahl = steel = iron + carbon, Bronze = bronze = copper + tin).