der  Stau

A2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ʃtaʊ/

🚗 What does 'der Stau' mean?

The German word der Stau primarily refers to a traffic jam or congestion, meaning a build-up of stationary or very slow-moving vehicles, usually on roads or highways. It's often explicitly called Verkehrsstau.

Less commonly, Stau can also refer to the damming or accumulation of water (e.g., by a dam) or other liquids/materials. However, in everyday German, it almost always means a traffic jam.

🚨 Watch out: The focus is on the standstill or significant slowing down of the traffic flow.

🧐 Grammar Deep Dive: Der Stau

Stau is a masculine noun, so its article is der. Here is its declension (how it changes in different grammatical cases):

ℹ️ Note: The plural form die Staus is more common, especially for traffic jams. Die Staue is used less frequently, more often in the context of water damming.

Example Sentences

• Wegen eines Unfalls gab es einen langen Stau auf der A5.
  (Because of an accident, there was a long traffic jam on the A5.)
• Ich stehe schon seit einer Stunde im Stau.
  (I've been standing in the traffic jam for an hour already.)
• Die vielen Staus heute Morgen haben mich genervt.
  (The many traffic jams this morning annoyed me.)
• Der Damm verursacht einen Stau des Flusswassers.
  (The dam causes a backing up of the river water.)

🚦 When to use 'Stau'?

Stau is predominantly used in the context of traffic problems. Here are some typical situations:

• Im Stau stehen/stecken: (To stand/be stuck in a traffic jam) - This is the most common usage. Example: „Ich stecke im Stau fest." (I'm stuck in the traffic jam.)
• Einen Stau verursachen: (To cause a traffic jam) - For instance, when an accident blocks traffic. Example: „Ein liegengebliebenes Auto verursachte einen Stau." (A broken-down car caused a traffic jam.)
• Stau umfahren: (To drive around/avoid a traffic jam) - Trying to bypass the congestion. Example: „Wir haben versucht, den Stau zu umfahren, aber die Umleitung war auch voll." (We tried to drive around the jam, but the diversion was also full.)
• Staumeldung: (Traffic jam report/update) - Information about current jams on the radio or navigation system. Example: „Im Radio kam gerade eine Staumeldung für unsere Strecke." (A traffic report for our route just came on the radio.)
• Länge des Staus: (Length of the jam) - Often specified in reports. Example: „Achtung, 10 Kilometer Stau zwischen..." (Attention, 10 kilometers of traffic jam between...)

Distinguishing from other words:

• Stockender Verkehr: (Slow-moving/stop-and-go traffic) - Traffic is still moving, but very slowly and with frequent stops. It can be a precursor to or part of a Stau.
• Kolonnenverkehr: (Driving in convoy/column) - Driving closely in a line, not necessarily at a standstill.

🧠 Mnemonics for 'der Stau'

For the article 'der': Imagine DER big, strong truck (der LKW) is at the very front of the traffic jam, blocking everything. Associate the masculine 'der' with the truck.

For the meaning 'traffic jam': Think of the English word "stowaway" - someone hiding on a vehicle that isn't moving... because it's in a Stau! Or think of cars being "stowed" bumper-to-bumper.

Alternatively, the sound you make when you brake suddenly: "Ssst! Ow!" - that happens often in a Stau.

↔️ Opposites and Similar Words for Stau

Similar Sounding / Confusing Words

• Staub (der): (Dust) - Fine particles. Don't confuse them!
• stauen (verb): (To dam up, to cause congestion) - The action that leads to a Stau.

😂 A Little Joke about Stau

DE: Warum nehmen Skelette nie am Berufsverkehr teil? – Weil sie nicht die Nerven für den Stau haben!

EN: Why do skeletons never participate in rush hour traffic? – Because they don't have the nerves for the traffic jam! 😉 (Pun: 'Nerven' means nerves, but also colloquially 'guts' or 'patience').

📝 Stau Poem

DE:
Rot leuchtet's auf, ein Lichtermeer,
Kein Vor, kein Zurück, die Straße leer?
Nein, voll von Blech, ganz dicht an dicht,
Der Stau, er raubt uns Zeit und Licht.
Der Motor brummt, die Ungeduld,
Man trägt gemeinsam diese Schuld?
Ach, wann geht's weiter, fragt man sich,
Im Stillstand, ewig, sicherlich?

EN:
Red lights glow, a sea of beams,
No forward, no back, empty road, it seems?
No, full of metal, tightly packed,
The jam (der Stau), robbing time and light, in fact.
The engine hums, impatience grows,
Is this a burden everyone knows?
Oh, when will we move, one asks aloud,
In standstill, forever, among the crowd?

❓ Riddle Time

DE:
Ich habe keine Beine, doch ich halte dich auf.
Ich habe keine Stimme, doch ich bringe Hupen zuhauf.
Ich bin auf Straßen zu finden, oft lang und breit,
Und koste Autofahrer Nerven und Zeit.

Was bin ich?

EN:
I have no legs, yet I hold you up.
I have no voice, yet I bring forth honking sounds non-stop.
I am found on roads, often long and wide,
And cost drivers nerves and time besides.

What am I?

Solution: Der Stau (The traffic jam)

💡 More about Stau

• Word Origin: The noun Stau comes from the verb stauen, which originally meant to hold back or dam up water (like with a Staudamm - dam). This meaning was transferred to traffic.
• Compound Words: There are many German words formed with Stau-, e.g., Stauwarnung (traffic jam warning), Staulänge (length of jam), Stauende (end of jam), Stauumfahrung (jam diversion route), Staubildung (jam formation), Urlaubsstau (holiday traffic jam), Berufsverkehrsstau (rush hour jam).
• International: The phenomenon is known worldwide, e.g., English traffic jam, French bouchon or embouteillage.