das
Video
🎬 What exactly is a Video?
The German word das Video (noun, neuter) refers to a recording of moving images, often with sound. It can be a short Clip, a whole Film, or a digital recording.
- A visual recording of events or content.
- Can be stored on various media or streamed (e.g., DVD, Festplatte, Online-Plattformen).
- Often used in the context of entertainment, education, or documentation.
It's an internationally common word derived from Latin (videre = to see) which entered German via English.
Article rules for der, die, and das
Many foreign words → mostly neutral.
There are many foreign words, we won't list them all.
-o → mostly neutral.
🧐 Grammar & Declension of 'das Video'
The word "Video" is a noun of neuter gender (Neutrum). Here is its declension:
| Case (Kasus) | Definite Article | Indefinite Article |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative (Wer/Was?) | das Video | ein Video |
| Genitive (Wessen?) | des Videos | eines Videos |
| Dative (Wem?) | dem Video | einem Video |
| Accusative (Wen/Was?) | das Video | ein Video |
| Case (Kasus) | Definite Article | Indefinite Article |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die Videos | Videos |
| Genitive | der Videos | Videos |
| Dative | den Videos | Videos |
| Accusative | die Videos | Videos |
📝 Example Sentences
- Ich schaue mir gerne Videos auf YouTube an. (I like watching videos on YouTube.)
- Hast du das Video von der Geburtstagsfeier gesehen? (Have you seen the video from the birthday party?)
- Er bearbeitet ein Video für seine Präsentation. (He is editing a video for his presentation.)
- Die Qualität des Videos ist hervorragend. (The quality of the video is excellent.)
- Mit dem Video konnte er den Vorfall beweisen. (With the video, he could prove the incident.)
💡 How to use 'das Video'?
"Das Video" is used in various contexts, mostly related to digital media and recordings:
- Entertainment: Filme (movies), Musikvideos (music videos), lustige Clips (funny clips) (e.g., „Wir haben gestern Abend ein lustiges Katzenvideo gesehen.“ - We watched a funny cat video last night.)
- Education: Lernvideos (educational videos), Tutorials, Dokumentationen (documentaries) (e.g., „Dieses Video erklärt die Photosynthese.“ - This video explains photosynthesis.)
- Communication: Videokonferenzen (video conferences), Videonachrichten (video messages) (e.g., „Ich schicke dir ein kurzes Video.“ - I'll send you a short video.)
- Documentation: Recording events, Überwachungsvideos (surveillance videos) (e.g., „Das Überwachungsvideo zeigte den Täter.“ - The surveillance video showed the perpetrator.)
It's a very common word in everyday language, especially in the digital age.
🧠 Mnemonics for 'das Video'
- Article Mnemonic: Think of technical gadgets or media often being neuter in German (like das Radio, das Telefon, das Medium). Das Video fits this pattern. Also, the 'o' ending is common for neuter words borrowed from other languages.
- Meaning Mnemonic: The word comes from Latin videre (to see). A Video is something you see – moving pictures you can watch.
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (Similar words):
- Der Film / Das Filmchen: Often used synonymously, but can also specifically refer to cinema movies. Filmchen means small film/clip.
- Der Clip: Usually means a short video.
- Die Aufnahme / Die Aufzeichnung: More general terms for recorded content, can also be audio (Audioaufnahme).
- Der Streifen: Colloquial term for Film.
Antonyms (Opposites):
- Das Standbild / Das Foto: A single, still image.
- Der Ton / Die Audiodatei: Only acoustic information, no images.
- Die Live-Übertragung: Something happening in real-time, not pre-recorded (though it might be recorded simultaneously).
- Der Text: Written information.
😂 A little Joke
Warum hat das Video Schluss gemacht?
Es gab zu viele schlechte Takes!
(Why did the video break up?
There were too many bad takes!)
✍️ Poem about a Video
Ein Klick, ein Start, das Bild erwacht,
Das Video läuft durch Tag und Nacht.
Mal lustig, traurig, mal ganz schlau,
Bewegte Bilder, grau in grau?
Nein, bunt und schnell, ein digitaler Fluss,
Ein Fenster zur Welt, ein wahrer Genuss.
(A click, a start, the image wakes,
The video runs through days and nights it makes.
Sometimes funny, sad, sometimes quite smart,
Moving pictures, a grey work of art?
No, colourful and fast, a digital flow,
A window to the world, a true joy to know.)
❓ Little Riddle
Ich zeige dir die Welt in Bewegung,
manchmal laut, manchmal mit wenig Regung.
Du kannst mich starten, stoppen, spulen,
ob auf Handys oder in Schulen.
Was bin ich?
(... Das Video)
(I show you the world in motion,
Sometimes loud, sometimes with little commotion.
You can start me, stop me, rewind,
On phones or in schools, you will find.
What am I?
... A video)
🌐 Other Information
Word Origin: The word "Video" comes from the Latin verb videre, meaning "to see". It was coined in English in the 20th century and subsequently adopted into German.
Compound Words (Zusammensetzungen): "Video" is part of many compound German words, such as:
- Videospiel (video game)
- Videokonferenz (video conference)
- Videothek (video rental store/library)
- Musikvideo (music video)
- Videokamera (video camera)
- Videoüberwachung (video surveillance)
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Video?
The German word for a recording of moving images is das Video (neuter). The plural is die Videos. It declines as das Video in the nominative and accusative singular, and dem Video in the dative singular.