der  Strom

A2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ʃtʁoːm/

💡 What does "der Strom" mean?

The word der Strom is a masculine noun with several meanings:

• Electricity ⚡: The most common meaning in everyday life. Refers to the electrical energy we use for devices (*Geräte*), light (*Licht*), etc. Example: "Der Strom ist ausgefallen." (The power went out.)
• River or Current 🏞️: A large, flowing body of water (*Wasserlauf*), often larger than a *Bach* (brook) or *Fluss* (river) (although *Fluss* is often used synonymously). Example: "Der Rhein ist ein mächtiger Strom." (The Rhine is a mighty river/current.)
• Stream or Flow (also figurative) 💨👥: A continuous movement of a mass (*Masse*), e.g., of water, air, people, data, traffic (*Verkehr*), etc. Examples: "Ein kalter Strom Luft zog durch das Zimmer." (A cold stream of air moved through the room.), "Ein Strom von Touristen bewegte sich durch die Straße." (A stream of tourists moved through the street.), "Der Datenstrom wurde unterbrochen." (The data stream was interrupted.)

⚠️ There is no feminine (*die*) or neuter (*das*) form for these meanings.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar of "Strom" in Detail

Der Strom is a masculine noun. It follows the strong declension pattern.

📝 Example Sentences

• Nominative: Der Strom fließt durch das Kabel. (The electricity flows through the cable.)
• Genitive: Der Preis des Stromes steigt ständig. (The price of electricity is constantly rising.)
• Dative: Wir verdanken dem Strom viel Komfort. (We owe a lot of comfort to electricity.)
• Accusative: Schalte bitte den Strom aus! (Please turn off the power!)
• Plural: Die großen Ströme Europas sind wichtige Wasserstraßen. (The great rivers/currents of Europe are important waterways.)
• Plural (fig.): Die Ströme der Besucher waren beeindruckend. (The streams of visitors were impressive.)

🔧 How to use "der Strom"?

• Electricity: Used constantly in everyday life. People talk about Strom sparen (saving electricity), Stromrechnung (electricity bill), Stromausfall (power outage), Ökostrom (green electricity), Wechselstrom (alternating current), Gleichstrom (direct current). The context is usually technology (*Technik*), household (*Haushalt*), energy supply (*Energieversorgung*).

  Example: "Hast du die Stromrechnung schon bezahlt?" (Have you paid the electricity bill yet?)

• River/Current: Used more for very large rivers (like *Rhein*, *Donau*, *Nil*) or in poetic/geographical language. In everyday German, *Fluss* is more common for 'river'.

  Example: "Der Golfstrom ist ein warmer Meeresstrom." (The Gulf Stream is a warm ocean current.) Here *Strom* specifically means 'current'.

• Stream/Flow (figurative): Describes a large, directed movement. Can refer to crowds (*Besucherstrom* - stream of visitors), traffic (*Verkehrsstrom* - flow of traffic), data (*Datenstrom* - data stream), emotions (*Tränenstrom* - stream of tears), or air/liquids.

  Example: "Ein steter Strom von Informationen erreicht uns täglich." (A steady stream of information reaches us daily.)

Differentiation: Don't confuse it with der Sturm (storm).

🧠 Mnemonics for "der Strom"

1. Article Mnemonic:

   Imagine: DER powerful guy (masculine) is handling the *Strom* (electricity) OR DER strong river (*Strom*) carves its path. The power and strength (often associated with masculine in grammar mnemonics) helps remember DER. Think of *strong* -> *Strom*.

2. Meaning Mnemonic:

   A *Strom* is anything that *flows strongly*: Electricity *flows* through cables ⚡, water *flows* in a riverbed 🏞️, or people *flow* down the street 🚶🚶‍♀️. Think of a *strong flow* in different contexts.

↔️ Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Similar Words:

• Der Sturm: Means storm (weather phenomenon). Sounds similar but is unrelated to Strom (electricity, river).

😄 A Little Joke

Warum war der Elektriker so entspannt bei der Arbeit?

... Weil er immer unter Strom stand! 😉

Translation: Why was the electrician so relaxed at work?
... Because he was always under voltage / under pressure! (Pun: "unter Strom stehen" means both "to be live/energized" and "to be under pressure/stressed")

📜 Poem about "der Strom"

Der Strom, mal sanft, mal wild und frei,
fließt durch das Land, an uns vorbei.
Als Licht erhellt er dunkle Nacht,
als Fluss er uns die Kraft gebracht.
Ein Datenstrom, schnell und agil,
verbindet Welten, ist das Ziel.
Ob Volt, ob Wasser, Menschenmeer –
der Strom bewegt, mal leicht, mal schwer.

Translation: The current/river, sometimes gentle, sometimes wild and free,
flows through the land, past you and me.
As light it brightens the dark night,
as river it brought us strength and might.
A data stream, fast and agile,
connects worlds, that is the goal.
Whether volts, or water, sea of people –
the current/stream moves, sometimes light, sometimes steeple (heavy).

🧩 Riddle Time

Ich fließe durch Adern aus Kupfer und Draht,
und auch durch die Landschaft, früh und spat.
Mal bring ich Licht, mal treib ich an,
mal bin ich ein Fluss, so breit wie ein Ozean (fast).
Ich kann eine Menge sein, die sich bewegt im Raum. Was bin ich, dieser vielseitige Traum?

Lösung/Solution: der Strom

Translation: I flow through veins of copper and wire,
and also through the landscape, early and late, higher and higher.
Sometimes I bring light, sometimes I drive things on,
sometimes I'm a river, almost as wide as an ocean.
I can be a crowd that moves through space.
What am I, this versatile dream/grace?

✨ Other Information

Compound Words (Examples):

• Stromzähler: electricity meter (device for measuring electricity consumption).
• Stromausfall: power outage (interruption of power supply).
• Stromkreis: electrical circuit (closed path for electric current).
• Ökostrom: green electricity (power from renewable sources).
• Gegenstrom: countercurrent (flow in the opposite direction).
• Besucherstrom: stream of visitors.
• Nil-Strom / Golfstrom: Proper names for the river Nile (*Nil*) and the Gulf Stream ocean current.

Etymology:

The word "Strom" comes from the Old High German word stroum, which meant "river, current". The meaning "electricity" was added much later.