der
Spiegel
🔍 What does "der Spiegel" actually mean?
The word der Spiegel has several meanings but is always masculine in German.
- Main meaning: A reflective surface, usually made of glass with a metal coating, where you can see your reflection (Spiegelbild). 🪞 Example: a mirror.
- Further meaning (often plural): The level or surface of a liquid, e.g., the water level (Wasserspiegel), sea level (Meeresspiegel). 🌊
- Further meaning (Name): A well-known German news magazine ("Der Spiegel"). 📰
🚨 Pay attention to the context to understand the correct meaning. However, the most common meaning is the reflective object.
Article rules for der, die, and das
Devices → mostly masculine.
Caution: das Gerät
-el → mostly masculine.
1. Caution: many exceptions. 2. there are many -el words, we don't list them all.
🧐 Grammar of "der Spiegel" in detail
The noun "Spiegel" is masculine. Here are the declension tables:
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative (Subject) | der | Spiegel |
| Genitive (Possessive) | des | Spiegels |
| Dative (Indirect Object) | dem | Spiegel |
| Accusative (Direct Object) | den | Spiegel |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Spiegel |
| Genitive | der | Spiegel |
| Dative | den | Spiegeln |
| Accusative | die | Spiegel |
Example Sentences
- Ich schaue jeden Morgen in den Spiegel. (I look in the mirror every morning.) - Meaning: Reflective object
- Der Spiegel des Sees war ganz ruhig. (The surface/level of the lake was very calm.) - Meaning: Water surface/level
- Hast du den neuen Spiegel gelesen? (Have you read the new 'Spiegel' [magazine]?) - Meaning: News magazine
- Die vielen Spiegel im Tanzsaal verwirrten mich. (The many mirrors in the ballroom confused me.) - Meaning: Reflective objects (plural)
- Der Meeresspiegel steigt durch den Klimawandel. (The sea level is rising due to climate change.) - Meaning: Level
🗣️ How to use "der Spiegel"?
- In everyday life: Most commonly, "der Spiegel" is used for the object you look into to see yourself (e.g., in the bathroom, the rear-view mirror - Rückspiegel - in a car).
- Figurative meaning: Sometimes "Spiegel" is used metaphorically to describe something that reflects a situation or condition (e.g., "Die Augen sind der Spiegel der Seele." - The eyes are the mirror of the soul.).
- Levels: In contexts like geography, hydrology, or cooking (Flüssigkeitsspiegel - liquid level), it refers to the surface or height of a liquid.
- News: When people talk about "dem Spiegel" (often capitalized), they usually mean the magazine. The context (media, politics) makes this clear.
Compared to words like Reflektion (the reflection itself) or Abbild (the image seen), der Spiegel primarily denotes the physical object or the level.
💡 Mnemonics for "der Spiegel"
- For the article 'der': Imagine a driver looking in der Spiegel (mirror). The '-er' sound helps remember 'der'. Or: Der Mann (the man) looks into den Spiegel (accusative). Masculine person uses the masculine mirror.
- For the meaning 'mirror': It sounds a bit like 'spear gull', but imagine a gull looking at its reflection in a shiny spear - that's its Spiegel. For 'level': think of the water level - 'Wasserspiegel' uses 'der'.
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (similar meaning)
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- For Spiegel (object): Original (original), Gegenstand selbst (object itself, as opposed to its reflection)
- For Spiegel (level): Grund (bottom, ground), Tiefe (depth, as opposed to the surface)
Risk of Confusion
- Spiegelung: This refers to the act of reflecting or the reflected image itself (die Spiegelung, feminine), not the object.
😄 A little joke
DE: Fragt der eine Spiegel den anderen: "Findest du auch, dass wir in letzter Zeit so nachdenklich aussehen?" 🤔
EN: One mirror asks the other: "Do you also think we've been looking very thoughtful lately?" 🤔
📜 A poem about the mirror
DE:
Der Spiegel an der Wand so klar,
zeigt mir mein Ich, Jahr für Jahr.
Mal froh, mal traurig, wie ich bin,
hält er mir stets die Wahrheit hin.Er zeigt die Welt auch umgekehrt,
hat still mein Antlitz aufbewahrt.
Ein stummer Zeuge meiner Zeit,
bereit für die Unendlichkeit.EN:
The mirror on the wall so clear,
shows me myself, year after year.
Sometimes happy, sometimes sad, as I am,
it always presents the truth to me then.It shows the world reversed as well,
has silently kept my face to tell.
A mute witness of my time,
ready for the endless climb.
🧩 Riddle Time
DE:
Ich habe kein Mundwerk, doch sage dir viel,
zeige dir alles, das ist mein Spiel.
Ich ahme dich nach, doch habe kein Leben,
kann dir dein eigenes Antlitz geben.
Was bin ich?
EN:
I have no mouth, yet tell you much,
show you everything, such is my touch.
I imitate you, but have no life,
can give you your own face, free from strife.
What am I?
Solution: Der Spiegel (The mirror)
✨ More interesting facts
- Etymology: The word "Spiegel" comes from Old High German "spiegal", which in turn goes back to the Latin word "speculum" (looking glass, mirror), derived from "specere" (to look at, see).
- Compounds: There are many compound words with "Spiegel", e.g., Rückspiegel (rear-view mirror), Wandspiegel (wall mirror), Taschenspiegel (pocket mirror), Spiegelei (fried egg, lit. 'mirror egg'), Spiegelbild (reflection), Spiegelreflexkamera (SLR camera), Wasserspiegel (water level), Alkoholspiegel (blood alcohol level), Spiegelstrich (bullet point dash).
- Idiom: "Jemandem den Spiegel vorhalten" (to hold up a mirror to someone) means to show someone their faults or behavior clearly.
- The Magazine: "Der Spiegel" is one of the most influential and widely cited news magazines in Germany and Europe, founded in 1947.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Spiegel?
The German word "Spiegel" is always masculine. The correct article is der Spiegel (in the nominative singular). Even though it has different meanings (object, level, magazine), the article remains the same.