die  Ampel

A1

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈʔampəl/

🚦 What does "die Ampel" mean?

The German word die Ampel primarily has two meanings:

1. Traffic light / Signal light: This is the most common meaning. An Ampel regulates traffic at intersections (Kreuzungen) or pedestrian crossings (Fußgängerüberwege) using light signals (Lichtsignale) – red (rot), yellow/amber (gelb), green (grün).
2. Hanging lamp / Hanging planter: Less commonly, "Ampel" can also refer to a lamp hanging from the ceiling (Hängelampe) or a hanging flower pot (Blumenampel). This meaning derives from the Latin word ampulla (small bottle, oil flask), originally used for oil lamps.

🚨 Attention: In everyday language, "die Ampel" almost always refers to the traffic light.

📊 Grammar in Detail: Die Ampel

The noun "Ampel" is feminine. The article is die.

Declension

Here is how "die Ampel" declines in singular and plural:

Example Sentences

• Die Ampel zeigte Rot, also mussten wir anhalten.
  (The traffic light showed red, so we had to stop.)
• An der nächsten Kreuzung steht eine neue Ampel.
  (There is a new traffic light at the next intersection.)
• Die Ampeln in dieser Stadt sind oft schlecht synchronisiert.
  (The traffic lights in this city are often poorly synchronized.)
• Meine Großmutter hat eine wunderschöne Blumenampel auf dem Balkon. (less common meaning)
  (My grandmother has a beautiful hanging planter on the balcony.)

💡 Usage in Context

"Die Ampel" is primarily used in the context of Straßenverkehr (road traffic).

• Typical Collocations: an der Ampel stehen/warten (to stand/wait at the traffic light), die Ampel überfahren (to run the traffic light), bei Rot über die Ampel fahren (to run a red light), die Ampel springt auf Grün/Gelb/Rot um (the light turns green/yellow/red), eine rote/grüne Ampel (a red/green light).
• Context: Used when discussing traffic regulation, intersections (Kreuzungen), waiting times, traffic safety (Verkehrssicherheit).
• Differentiation: While "Ampel" is the common term, the official technical term is "Lichtzeichenanlage" (LZA) or "Lichtsignalanlage" (LSA).
• Figurative Meaning: Sometimes "Ampel" is used figuratively, e.g., for a rating system (Ampelsystem: green = good, yellow = medium, red = bad) or in politics for an "Ampelkoalition" (a coalition government of SPD (red), FDP (yellow), and Greens (green)).

🧠 Memory Aids for "die Ampel"

For the article 'die': Think of 'die' signaling the end of your waiting time – when the light turns green, the waiting *dies*. Or imagine the traffic light is a strict lady (feminine -> die) telling cars when to stop and go.

For the meaning 'traffic light': Think of the lights that AMPlify the rules of the road – AMPEL. Red amplifies 'STOP', Green amplifies 'GO'.

🔄 Synonyms, Antonyms & Related Terms

Synonyms (similar meaning):

• Verkehrsampel: More specific synonym for the main meaning.
• Lichtzeichenanlage (LZA): Official, technical term.
• Lichtsignalanlage (LSA): Another official term.
• Verkehrslicht: Less common, but understandable (traffic light).

Antonyms (opposites):

There isn't a direct antonym. Conceptually, you could contrast with:

• freie Fahrt / grünes Licht: (clear passage / green light) – the state signaled by the Ampel (opposite of red light/stop).
• Kreisverkehr: (roundabout) – another type of traffic regulation often without traffic lights.

Similar but different words:

• die Lampe: (lamp) – general term for light sources. An Ampel in the sense of a hanging lamp is a type of Lampe. A traffic light isn't usually called a Lampe.

😂 A Little Joke

DE: Treffen sich zwei Ampeln. Sagt die eine: "Schau nicht hin, ich zieh mich gerade um!"

EN: Two traffic lights meet. One says: "Don't look, I'm changing!"

✍️ Poem about the Ampel

DE:
Rot heißt stehen, das weiß jedes Kind,
Gelb heißt warten, gleich weht der Wind.
Grün heißt gehen, die Straße ist frei,
Die Ampel regelt, wir sind dabei.

EN:
Red means stop, every child knows that is true,
Yellow means wait, something new is coming through.
Green means go, the road is clear and wide,
Die Ampel controls, with us alongside.

🤔 Little Riddle

DE:
Ich habe drei Augen, aber kann nicht sehen.
Ich spreche ohne Mund, doch alle müssen verstehen.
Ich wechsle die Farbe, mal rot, gelb, mal grün.
Wer bin ich, sag an, hörst du mich nicht blühn?

EN:
I have three eyes, but cannot see.
I speak without a mouth, yet all must understand me.
I change my color, sometimes red, yellow, sometimes green.
Who am I, tell me, haven't you seen me preen?

Solution: Die Ampel (The traffic light)

Curiosity Corner

• Word Origin (Wortherkunft): The word "Ampel" comes from the Latin 'ampulla', meaning „small vessel“ or „flask“. Originally, it referred to oil lamps, often stored in such vessels and hung up. The meaning transferred to hanging lamps and later to the traffic light.
• Ampelmännchen: In East Germany (former GDR), the famous „Ampelmännchen“ (the walker and the stopper figure wearing a hat) exist. They remained popular cult symbols after reunification and are common souvenirs.
• First Electric Traffic Light: The world's first electric traffic light was installed in Cleveland, USA, in 1914. The first one in Germany appeared in 1924 at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin.