die
Fernbedienung
🕹️ What exactly is a Fernbedienung?
Die Fernbedienung (noun, feminine) refers to a small, usually portable electronic device used to operate or control another device (e.g., TV, air conditioner, garage door) from a distance. It sends signals (often infrared or radio waves) to the device being controlled.
The term is composed of fern (adjective, meaning 'remote, distant') and Bedienung (noun, feminine, meaning 'operation, control, service').
There is only this one article for the word, so there's no risk of confusion regarding different meanings based on the article.
Article rules for der, die, and das
-ung → always feminine.
There are many -ung words, we won't list them all. There are only a few exceptions.
🧐 Grammar: Die Fernbedienung in Detail
The noun "Fernbedienung" is feminine. Therefore, the corresponding article is "die".
Declension
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Fernbedienung |
| Genitive | der | Fernbedienung |
| Dative | der | Fernbedienung |
| Accusative | die | Fernbedienung |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Fernbedienungen |
| Genitive | der | Fernbedienungen |
| Dative | den | Fernbedienungen |
| Accusative | die | Fernbedienungen |
Example Sentences
- Wo ist die Fernbedienung für den Fernseher?
Where is the remote control for the TV? - Mit der Fernbedienung kann ich die Lautstärke ändern.
With the remote control, I can change the volume. - Ich suche die Fernbedienung schon seit Stunden!
I've been looking for the remote control for hours! - Wir haben zu viele Fernbedienungen auf dem Tisch liegen.
We have too many remote controls lying on the table. - Die Batterien der Fernbedienung sind leer.
The remote control's batteries are empty.
💡 Everyday Usage of the Fernbedienung
Die Fernbedienung is a common object in most households. Here are typical contexts:
- Consumer Electronics: Controlling TVs, DVD/Blu-ray players, sound systems, game consoles.
- Home Automation: Operating air conditioners, heaters, garage doors, electric blinds, or lighting systems.
- Presentations: Controlling projectors or computer presentations (often called a "Presenter").
- Industry: Remote control of cranes, machinery, or robots.
Colloquially, people might say "FB" (abbreviation) or sometimes "Schalter", although "Schalter" technically means 'switch'. "Knipse" or "Drücker" are more slang terms.
🧠 Mnemonics for Fernbedienung
Article Mnemonic: Think of "die Bedienung" (the waitress, feminine) who serves you from a distance (fern) – like die Fern-bedienung. The base word "Bedienung" is feminine.
Meaning Mnemonic: Imagine you're feeling too lazy to get up (you're fern - far - from the device) and need something for the Bedienung (operation) – the Fernbedienung!
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (Similar Meaning)
- Fernsteuerung: Often used synonymously, emphasizes the control aspect.
- Handsender: Emphasizes holding the device in hand.
- Schalter (colloquial): Slang, not entirely correct ('switch').
- Drücker (colloquial): Slang ('pusher').
- Knipse (colloquial): Slang ('clicker').
- Remote Control (loanword): Sometimes used in German too.
⚠️ Potential Confusion
Sometimes "Fernsteuerung" is used more specifically for industrial or technical systems, while "Fernbedienung" is more common in a household context, but the lines are blurry.
😂 A Little Joke
German: Warum hat die Fernbedienung Angst vor Spinnen? Weil sie immer im Netz verschwindet!
English Translation: Why is the remote control afraid of spiders? Because it always disappears in the web! (A pun: 'Netz' means 'web' like a spiderweb, but also 'network', and metaphorically a place where things get lost, like between sofa cushions).
📜 Little Poem
German:
Oh, Fernbedienung, klein und schmal,
Du bist der Schlüssel, digital.
Ein Klick, ein Druck, ganz ohne Hast,
Veränderst du, was dir grad passt.
Mal laut, mal leise, Bild für Bild,
Bis man dich sucht, ganz wild.
English Translation:
Oh, remote control, small and slim,
You are the key, on a digital whim.
A click, a press, without any haste,
You change whatever suits your taste.
Now loud, now quiet, frame by frame,
Until you're sought, a frantic game.
❓ Riddle Time
German:
Ich habe viele Knöpfe, doch kein Hemd.
Ich spreche nicht, doch werde oft verdrängt.
Ich liege gern im Sofa, tief versteckt,
und werde meist erst nach langem Suchen entdeckt.
Wer bin ich? ... Die Fernbedienung
English Translation:
I have many buttons, but no shirt.
I don't speak, yet I'm often displaced, it can hurt.
I like to lie hidden deep within the couch,
And am usually found only after much search, ouch!
What am I? ... The remote control
🧩 Other Information
Word Composition
The word "Fernbedienung" is a compound noun, made up of:
- fern: Adjective/adverb meaning 'distant' or 'remote'.
- Bedienung: Noun (feminine), derived from the verb "bedienen", meaning 'to operate', 'to control', or 'to serve'.
Together, the meaning is: operation/control from a distance.
Trivia
The first wireless TV remote control was developed by Zenith in the 1950s and was called "Lazy Bones".
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Fernbedienung?
The noun "Fernbedienung" is feminine. The correct article is always die: die Fernbedienung (Nominative/Accusative Singular), der Fernbedienung (Genitive/Dative Singular). The plural is die Fernbedienungen.