die  Ecke

A1

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈɛkə/

📐 What does "die Ecke" mean?

The German word die Ecke (feminine) has several meanings:

• Geometric point/edge: The point where two lines or surfaces meet. Example: Die Ecke des Tisches ist spitz. (The corner of the table is sharp.)
• Part of a room: The area where two walls meet. Example: Stell den Stuhl bitte in die Ecke. (Please put the chair in the corner.)
• Street corner/bend: The place where two streets meet or a street bends. Often used in the phrase "um die Ecke" (around the corner). Example: Die Bäckerei ist gleich um die Ecke. (The bakery is just around the corner.)
• Area/region: A specific place or region (colloquial). Example: In dieser Ecke der Stadt gibt es viele Cafés. (In this area/part of the city, there are many cafés.)
• Figurative meaning: Can also describe a social or psychological place. Example: Er wurde in die Ecke gedrängt. (He was pushed into a corner / put under pressure.)

🚨 The word Ecke only takes the article "die"; it is always feminine.

Article rules for der, die, and das

📊 Grammar of "die Ecke" in Detail

"Ecke" is a feminine noun. Here are the declension tables:

Declension Singular

Declension Plural

📝 Application Examples

1. Nominative: Die Ecke des Zimmers ist dunkel.
   (The corner of the room is dark.)
2. Genitive: Die Farbe der Ecke blättert ab.
   (The paint of the corner is peeling off.)
3. Dative: Ich sitze gerne in der Ecke am Fenster.
   (I like sitting in the corner by the window.)
4. Akkusativ: Stell den Schrank bitte in die Ecke.
   (Please put the cupboard into the corner.)
5. Plural: Das Haus hat viele spitze Ecken.
   (The house has many sharp corners.)

💡 How "die Ecke" is Used

"Die Ecke" is a very versatile word in German.

• Literal Meaning: Most commonly used for physical corners – on tables, in rooms, on buildings, or streets.
  • "Pass auf die scharfe Ecke des Schranks auf!" (Watch out for the sharp corner of the cupboard!)
  • "Wir treffen uns an der Ecke Hauptstraße/Bahnhofstraße." (We'll meet at the corner of Main Street and Station Street.)
• Colloquial for "Nearby": The phrase "um die Ecke" means "very close by" or "just around the corner".
  • "Der Supermarkt ist gleich um die Ecke." (The supermarket is just around the corner.)
• Colloquial for "Area/Region":
  • "Aus welcher Ecke Deutschlands kommst du?" (Which part/area of Germany do you come from?)
• Figurative Expressions:
  • "an allen Ecken und Enden fehlen/sparen" (to be lacking/saving everywhere)
  • "jemanden in die Ecke stellen" (to marginalize or shame someone, literally 'to put someone in the corner')
  • "jemanden um die Ecke bringen" (to kill someone - very colloquial!) ⚠️
  • "um die Ecke denken" (to think outside the box, unconventionally, literally 'to think around the corner')
• Sports: In football (soccer), "die Ecke" refers to a corner kick. "Der Schiedsrichter gibt Ecke für die Heimmannschaft." (The referee gives a corner kick for the home team.)

Distinction: A Kante is more the edge or line where two surfaces meet, while Ecke is the point. A Winkel is the geometric angle between two lines/surfaces.

🧠 Mnemonics for "die Ecke"

Article Mnemonic (die): Imagine a female dancer elegantly turning the corner (die Ecke). The feminine association helps remember "die". Also, many feminine nouns in German end in -e (die Lampe, die Tasche, die Straße... and die Ecke).

Meaning Mnemonic (Corner/Area): Think of having an "ache" (sounds a bit like Ecke) in your side after bumping into a sharp Ecke (corner). Or associate the English word "nook" (a corner or recess) with Ecke.

↔️ Synonyms and Antonyms

Beware of Confusion:

• Ecker (die): Refers to the beechnut, the fruit of the beech tree. Completely different meaning! (Though less common usage today).

😄 A Little Joke

DE: Warum hat der Kreis keine Ecken?
Weil er sonst anecken würde!

EN: Why doesn't the circle have corners (Ecken)?
Because otherwise, it would cause offense/bump into things! (The verb "anecken" means both to bump into something and to clash with someone/cause offense).

📜 Poem about the Corner

DE:
In jeder Stadt, an jedem Ort,
find'st du sie, ein stilles Wort.
Mal spitz, mal rund, mal hell, mal grau,
die Ecke kennt ein jeder schlau.

Im Zimmer dient sie leis als Stütze,
als Treffpunkt draußen, der was nütze.
Man biegt um sie, voll Neugier schnell,
was wartet dort, ist's dunkel, hell?

EN:
In every city, every place,
you find it, a word of quiet grace.
Sometimes sharp, sometimes round, light, or gray,
the corner (die Ecke) everyone knows in a clever way.

In the room, it quietly serves as support,
As a meeting point outside, of useful sort.
One turns around it, full of curiosity fast,
what waits there, is it dark, is it bright at last?

❓ Riddle

DE:
Ich habe keine Stimme, doch Straßen treffen sich bei mir.
Ich habe keinen Mund, doch Wände küssen sich an mir.
Manchmal bin ich spitz, manchmal eher rund,
in Zimmern und auf Karten tu ich mich kund.

Was bin ich? Lösung: die Ecke

EN:
I have no voice, yet streets meet at me.
I have no mouth, yet walls kiss on me.
Sometimes I am sharp, sometimes rather round,
In rooms and on maps, I can be found.

What am I?
Solution: die Ecke (the corner)

🧩 Other Information

Compound Words (Examples):

• Straßenecke: Street corner
• Hausecke: Corner of a house (exterior)
• Stubenecke: Corner in the living room (often cozy)
• Schmuddelecke: Dirty/messy corner, neglected area
• Eckbank: Corner bench/seat
• Eckzahn: Canine tooth (corner tooth)
• Eckball/Eckstoß: Corner kick (in soccer)

Etymology Nugget: The word "Ecke" has Germanic origins and is related to the Old English word "ecg," which meant edge or sword's edge.