der  Stein

A2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ʃtaɪn/

💎 What does "der Stein" mean?

The word der Stein (plural: die Steine) has several meanings in German:

• 🪨 Stone, Rock: The most common meaning. A solid, mineral object found in nature. It can be small (Kieselstein - pebble) or very large (Fels - rock, cliff). Example: Kinder sammeln bunte Steine am Strand. (Children collect colorful stones on the beach.)
• 🧱 Building Material: Stone is often used as a material for building houses, walls, etc. (e.g., Ziegelstein - brick, Naturstein - natural stone). Example: Diese alte Burg wurde vollständig aus Stein gebaut. (This old castle was built entirely of stone.)
• 🍑 Pit / Kernel of Fruits: The hard core inside certain fruits like cherries (Kirschen), peaches (Pfirsiche), or plums (Pflaumen) is also called Stein. Example: Vorsicht, spuck den Kirschkern (Stein) aus! (Careful, spit out the cherry pit (stone)!)
• ♟️ Game Piece: A piece in board games like chess (Schach) or checkers (Dame). Example: Er hat mir einen Stein geschlagen. (He captured one of my pieces/stones.)
• 💍 Gemstone: A valuable, often cut stone (short for Edelstein). Example: Der Ring hat einen blauen Stein. (The ring has a blue stone.)
• ⚖️ Old Unit of Weight: Historically, "Stein" was also used as a unit of weight.

⚠️ Pay attention to the context to understand the correct meaning!

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar of "Stein" in Detail

Der Stein is a masculine noun. Here is its declension:

📝 Example Sentences

• Nominative: Der Stein liegt auf dem Weg. (The stone is lying on the path.)
• Genitive: Die Farbe des Steines ist grau. (The color of the stone is grey.)
• Dative: Ich sitze auf dem Stein. (I am sitting on the stone.)
• Accusative: Er wirft den Stein ins Wasser. (He throws the stone into the water.)
• Plural: Die Kinder bauen eine Mauer aus Steinen. (The children are building a wall out of stones.)

Note: In the genitive and dative singular, the form with "-e" (Steines, Steine) is slightly more formal or older; the shorter form (Steins, Stein) is often used today, especially in spoken language.

💡 How to use "der Stein"?

Der Stein is a very common word. Here are some typical contexts:

• Nature & Geology: Describing landscapes, types of rock (Granitstein - granite, Sandstein - sandstone). Example: Die Alpen bestehen aus massivem Stein. (The Alps consist of massive rock/stone.)
• Building & Housing: Talking about building materials (Ziegelstein - brick, Mauerstein - wall stone), garden paths (Pflasterstein - paving stone). Example: Wir brauchen mehr Steine für die Terrasse. (We need more stones for the terrace.)
• Food: When removing pits from fruit. Example: Nimm bitte die Steine aus den Pflaumen. (Please take the stones/pits out of the plums.)
• Idioms: There are many fixed expressions:
  • Stein des Anstoßes: (lit. stone of offense) The cause of trouble or argument; the stumbling block.
  • Ein Stein fiel mir vom Herzen: (lit. A stone fell from my heart) I was very relieved; a weight was lifted from my mind.
  • Bei jemandem einen Stein im Brett haben: (lit. To have a stone in the board with someone) To be in someone's good graces; to have an advantage with someone.
  • Stein auf Stein: (Stone upon stone) To build something slowly and arduously.
  • Den Stein ins Rollen bringen: (To get the stone rolling) To start something; to set something in motion.
• Comparison: "Stein" is often used to express hardness or coldness (steinhart - rock-hard, eiskalt wie Stein - cold as stone). Example: Sein Herz war aus Stein. (His heart was made of stone.)

🧠 Mnemonics for "der Stein"

Remembering the Article: Think of something strong and typically associated with masculine concepts in German grammar. Der Fels (the rock/cliff), der Berg (the mountain), der hard Stein. Many strong natural elements are 'der'. You could also think of Einstein - a famous man.

Remembering the Meaning: The English word "stone" sounds very similar to the German Stein. They are cognates, making it relatively easy to remember the main meaning.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms of Stein

⚠️ Similar-sounding but different words

• Bein: Leg (body part).
• Stiel: Stem (of a plant) or handle (of a tool).

😂 A Little Joke

German: Fragt ein Stein den anderen: "Wie geht's?" Sagt der andere Stein: "Hart!"

English: One stone asks another: "How's it going?" The other stone replies: "Hard!" (pun, as "hart" means hard, like difficult/tough, and also describes the physical property of a stone)

📜 A Poem about the Stone

Der Stein

Ein Stein liegt still im Sonnenschein,
Mal groß, mal rund, mal winzig klein.
Zeuge der Zeit, so alt und grau,
Erzählt Geschichten, hört genau!
Mal Kern in Frucht, mal Fels am Meer,
Ein harter Brocken, stark und hehr.

---

English Translation:

The Stone

A stone lies still in sunshine bright,
Sometimes large, round, or tiny, slight.
A witness of time, so old and grey,
It tells stories, listen today!
Sometimes a pit in fruit, or rock by sea,
A hard chunk, strong and noble, you see.

❓ Little Riddle

German:
Ich kann hart sein oder klein,
Lieg' im Fluss und auch im Hain.
Man baut mit mir, wirft mich im Spiel,
In mancher Frucht bin ich das Ziel.

Wer bin ich?

English Translation:
I can be hard or small,
I lie in the river and the grove.
People build with me, throw me in games,
In some fruits, I am the aim.

What am I?

Solution: Der Stein (The stone)

🧩 Other Interesting Facts

• Word Compounds: German loves compound words! There are countless examples with "Stein": Steinzeit (Stone Age), Steingarten (rock garden), Steinbutt (turbot fish), steinreich (stone-rich, i.e., very wealthy), Steinadler (golden eagle), Meilenstein (milestone), Grundstein (foundation stone), Edelstein (gemstone)...
• Cultural Significance: Stones often have symbolic meaning (e.g., the Grundstein - foundation stone in buildings, the Stein der Weisen - philosopher's stone in alchemy, Stolpersteine - stumbling stones as memorials).
• Geology: Petrologie is the science of rocks (stones).