die  Bank

A2

Estimated CEFR level.

/baŋk/

🛋️🏦 What does "die Bank" mean?

The German word die Bank is a homonym, meaning it has multiple meanings even though it's spelled the same and uses the same article. Here are the two main meanings:

1. Bench: *Eine Bank* is a piece of furniture that several people can sit on. You often find them in parks (*Parkbank*), gardens (*Gartenbank*), or inside houses (*Sitzbank*).
2. Financial institution (Bank): *Eine Bank* is a company that offers financial services, such as account management, loans, or investments. Examples include savings banks (*Sparkassen*), cooperative banks (*Volksbanken*), or commercial banks (*Geschäftsbanken*).

🚨 Important: Although both meanings use the article *die* and are feminine, you need to figure out the intended meaning from the context.

📝 Grammar in Detail: die Bank

The noun die Bank is feminine. Here are the declension tables for both main meanings:

💡 Usage Examples

• Bench: Wir setzen uns auf die Bank im Park. (We sit on the bench in the park.) (Plural: Im Park stehen viele neue Bänke. - There are many new benches in the park.)
• Financial institution: Ich muss Geld von der Bank abheben. (I need to withdraw money from the bank.) (Plural: Die Banken haben heute geschlossen. - The banks are closed today.)

🗣️ How to use "die Bank"?

The correct use of die Bank strongly depends on the context:

• Die Bank (Bench): Used when talking about a long seat for multiple people. Typical collocations include: auf der Bank sitzen (to sit on the bench), eine Bank streichen (to paint a bench), *Parkbank*, *Gartenbank*, *Holzbank* (wooden bench), *Strafbank* (penalty bench in sports).
• Die Bank (Financial Institution): Used when referring to a financial institution. Typical collocations include: zur Bank gehen (to go to the bank), Geld bei der Bank einzahlen/abheben (to deposit/withdraw money at the bank), ein Konto bei der Bank haben (to have an account at the bank), *die Bank überfallen* (to rob the bank, unfortunately also common), *Deutsche Bank*, *Hausbank* (principal bank), *Zentralbank* (central bank).

⚠️ Potential for Confusion: Pay attention to the plural! If you're talking about multiple benches, it's die Bänke. If you're talking about multiple financial institutions, it's die Banken.

Sometimes there are figurative meanings, e.g., etwas auf die lange Bank schieben (to postpone something, to put something on the back burner).

🧠 Memory Aids for "die Bank"

1. Article & Meaning: Imagine: Die (the) elegant lady sits on der (the) wooden Bank (feminine) and then goes to der (the) money Bank (feminine) to count her cash. Both are 'die', both are feminine.
2. Plural Difference: Remember: You sit on *Bänke* (ends like 'seats'). *Banken* (ends like 'institutions') manage money.

You sit on Bänke, get money from Banken.

↔️ Synonyms & Antonyms for "die Bank"

⚠️ Similar but different words

• Die Werkbank: A workbench for craftsmen (also contains 'Bank').
• Die Datenbank: A database system.
• Die Blutbank: A blood bank.

😄 A little Joke

Warum ging der Luftballon zur Bank?
Er wollte sein Konto aufblasen! 🎈

(Why did the balloon go to the bank?
He wanted to inflate his account!)

✍️ Poem about the Bank

Die Bank im Park, so grün und schlicht,
lädt ein zum Rasten im Sonnenlicht.
Die Bank ums Eck, mit ernstem Sinn,
dort legt man Geld und Zinsen hin.
Zwei Orte, doch ein Wort nur nennt,
was man im Deutschen "die Bank" nennt.

(The bench in the park, so green and plain,
invites to rest in sunlight's reign.
The bank around the corner, serious and grand,
where money and interest go hand in hand.
Two places, yet just one word is sent,
for what in German 'die Bank' is meant.)

❓ Riddle

Ich habe Zweige, doch bin kein Baum.
Ich habe Geld, doch keinen eigenen Raum.
Man kann auf mir sitzen oder Geld von mir holen.
Wer bin ich?

(I have branches [like bank branches], but I'm not a tree.
I have money, but no room of my own [as an institution].
You can sit on me or get money from me.
What am I?)

(Solution: die Bank)

🤓 More about die Bank

• Etymology: The word "Bank" comes from the Old High German word "banc," which originally meant a bench, but also a table or counter (like that of a money changer). This is the origin of the two meanings. (Das Wort "Bank" stammt vom althochdeutschen Wort "banc" ab...)
• Compound Words: There are many compound words with "Bank", e.g., *Parkbank, Sitzbank, Eckbank* (corner bench), *Kirchenbank* (church pew) for seating furniture, or *Hausbank, Zentralbank, Bundesbank* (German central bank), *Weltbank* (World Bank), *Blutbank, Datenbank, Samenbank* (seed bank) for institutions/repositories.
• Idiom: "Durch die Bank" means "without exception" or "across the board." Example: *Die Schüler waren durch die Bank gut vorbereitet.* (The students were well-prepared across the board.)
• Sports: In sports, "die Bank" often refers to the substitute's bench (*Ersatzbank*), where players sit when they are not actively participating in the game.