der
Startplatz
🏁 What exactly is a Startplatz?
The German word der Startplatz (masculine) refers to a place or position from which something begins. This can relate to various contexts:
- Sports & Races: The marked position from which a participant (e.g., a runner, a race car, a horse) starts a race. Often also called Startposition or, in motorsports for the first place, Pole-Position.
- Aviation & Aerospace: The place from which an aircraft takes off (part of the runway) or a rocket launches (Startrampe - launch pad).
- Competitions & Figurative Use: An allocated spot or permission to participate in a competition, event, or program (e.g., "einen Startplatz für die Olympiade erhalten" - to get a starting place/slot for the Olympics).
It's a compound word made of Start (start) and Platz (place, spot, square). Since Platz is masculine (der Platz), der Startplatz is also masculine.
Article rules for der, die, and das
-tz → almost always masculine.
📐 Grammar in Detail: Der Startplatz
The noun "Startplatz" is masculine. Here are the declension tables:
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | Startplatz |
| Genitive | des | Startplatzes |
| Dative | dem | Startplatz / Startplatze |
| Accusative | den | Startplatz |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Startplätze |
| Genitive | der | Startplätze |
| Dative | den | Startplätzen |
| Accusative | die | Startplätze |
Example Sentences
- Der Rennwagen steht auf seinem Startplatz.
(The race car is on its starting spot.) - Die Zuweisung des Startplatzes erfolgte per Los.
(The allocation of the starting position was done by lottery.) - Dem Flugzeug wurde ein neuer Startplatz zugewiesen.
(The aircraft was assigned a new starting position/take-off point.) - Der Athlet sicherte sich den letzten Startplatz für das Finale.
(The athlete secured the last starting place/spot for the final.) - Alle Startplätze für den Marathon sind bereits vergeben.
(All starting places/slots for the marathon are already taken.)
🚀 How to use 'Startplatz'?
The term "Startplatz" is usually used very concretely:
- In sports: "Er startet vom dritten Startplatz." (He is starting from the third starting position/grid spot.)
- In aviation: "Das Flugzeug rollt zum Startplatz." (The plane is taxiing to the take-off point/starting position on the runway.)
- For competitions (also figurative): "Die Mannschaft hat sich einen Startplatz für die Weltmeisterschaft erkämpft." (The team fought for and secured a spot/place in the World Championship.) Here it means qualification or eligibility to participate.
Distinction: While Startpunkt (starting point) or Ausgangspunkt (origin point, starting point) can often be used more abstractly or generally (e.g., the starting point of a discussion), Startplatz usually refers to a physically defined or officially assigned position.
⚠️ Pay attention to the correct genitive form: des Startplatzes.
💡 Mnemonics for 'der Startplatz'
Article Mnemonic: Think of "der Platz" (the place, the square). Where do you stand at the start? On der (the) mark, in der (the) position, at dem (the - dative) Startplatz. The base word "Platz" determines the article: der Platz -> der Startplatz.
Meaning Mnemonic: Imagine you start a race at a specific Platz (place/spot). This place is your Startplatz. 🏁
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms for Startplatz
Synonyms (similar meaning):
- Startposition: Very similar, often interchangeable, emphasizes the position.
- Ausgangspunkt: More general, can also be used for abstract things (starting point).
- Startlinie: Specifically the line that is crossed (starting line).
- Startrampe: Specific to rockets (launch pad).
- Abflugposition: Specific to aircraft (take-off position).
- (Motorsport) Pole-Position: The first starting position.
- (Figurative) Teilnahmeberechtigung, Qualifikation: Eligibility to participate, qualification.
Similar words (potential confusion):
😄 A little joke
DE: Fragt der Flugschüler seinen Lehrer: "Ist es sehr schlimm, wenn ich den Startplatz verfehle?" Antwortet der Lehrer: "Nicht unbedingt, aber versuch bitte trotzdem, auf der Startbahn zu bleiben!"
EN: The student pilot asks his instructor: "Is it very bad if I miss the starting spot?" The instructor replies: "Not necessarily, but please try to stay on the runway anyway!"
📜 Poem about the Startplatz
DE:
Auf dem Startplatz, Herz pocht schnell,
die Spannung steigt, der Ton ist grell.
Motoren dröhnen, Muskeln warm,
von hier beginnt der Siegesarm.
Ein jeder hofft, es möge glücken,
vom Startplatz weg, in goldnen Stücken
des Ruhms zu baden, schnell und frei,
der Startplatz ist der Anfangsschrei.
EN:
On the starting place, heart beats fast,
the tension rises, the sound is cast.
Engines roar, muscles warm,
from here begins the victor's arm.
Everyone hopes it will succeed,
away from the start, in golden pieces indeed
of fame to bathe, fast and free,
the starting place is the initial decree.
🧩 Riddle Time
DE:
Ich bin ein Ort, doch keine Stadt,
wo mancher schon gewartet hat.
Für Rennen, Flug, Raketenschuss,
beginnt von mir der Wegesfluss.
Mit 'der' steh ich im Wörterbuch,
was bin ich wohl? Versuch's! Besuch's!
EN:
I am a place, but not a town,
where many have waited, looking down.
For races, flight, or rocket's thrust,
from me begins the journey's gust.
With 'der' I stand in the dictionary's view,
What am I? Try! Visit, too!
Solution: der Startplatz
ℹ️ More Information about Startplatz
Word Composition:
The word "Startplatz" is a compound noun, composed of:
- Start: Derived from the verb "starten" (to start, begin, take off).
- Platz: Meaning place, spot, square, or area.
Typical Collocations (word combinations):
- einen Startplatz ergattern / sichern / bekommen (to snatch / secure / get a starting spot)
- auf dem Startplatz stehen / warten (to stand / wait on the starting spot)
- vom Startplatz abheben / losfahren / starten (to take off / drive off / start from the starting spot)
- der erste / letzte / zugewiesene Startplatz (the first / last / assigned starting spot)
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Startplatz?
The word "Startplatz" is masculine. The correct article is always der: der Startplatz (nominative singular), des Startplatzes (genitive singular), die Startplätze (nominative plural).