die  Flut

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/fluːt/

🌊 What Does 'die Flut' Mean?

The word die Flut (feminine) has several meanings in German:

1. High tide / Rising sea level (Tides): This is the most common meaning, referring to the rising water level in the sea, also known as Gezeit. The opposite is die Ebbe (low tide).
2. Flood: A Flut can also mean an inundation caused by rivers or heavy rain, often specified as Hochwasser (high water/flood). Example: Die Jahrhundertflut richtete große Schäden an. (The flood of the century caused great damage.)
3. Large amount / Stream (figurative): In a figurative sense, "Flut" denotes a large, often overwhelming quantity of something. Examples: eine Flut von Informationen (a flood of information), eine Tränenflut (a flood of tears), eine Flut von Anfragen (a flood of requests).

⚠️ It's important to infer the intended meaning from the context.

Grammar Deep Dive: Declining 'die Flut'

Die Flut is a feminine noun.

Declension

Example Sentences

• Wir warten am Strand auf die Flut. (We are waiting for the high tide on the beach.)
• Die gewaltige Flut zerstörte viele Häuser am Flussufer. (The massive flood destroyed many houses on the riverbank.)
• Nach der Werbung gab es eine Flut von Anrufen. (After the commercial, there was a flood of calls.)
• Die tägliche Flut an E-Mails ist kaum zu bewältigen. (The daily flood of emails is hard to manage.)

Using 'die Flut' Correctly 🤔

The usage of die Flut heavily depends on the context:

• Tides: Often used in connection with the sea, coasts, harbors, and tidal flats (Watt). Common phrases include "Ebbe und Flut" (ebb and flow/tide), "bei Flut" (at high tide), "die Flut kommt" (the tide is coming in).
• Flood: When talking about rivers or extreme weather events, it usually means a flood. Terms like "Hochwasserflut" (high water flood), "Sturmflut" (storm surge), or "Jahrhundertflut" (flood of the century) specify this.
• Figurative Meaning: Very common in compound words like Informationsflut (information overload), Datenflut (data flood), Besucherflut (flood of visitors), Wortflut (torrent of words), Tränenflut (flood of tears). It describes an overwhelming quantity.

Distinction: While die Flut describes high water (tide or flood), die Ebbe is the opposite of the tidal flood (low tide). Das Hochwasser is often synonymous with the flood meaning, but can also just mean a high water level without overflowing.

Mnemonics for 'die Flut' 🧠

1. Article Mnemonic: Imagine a diva (feminine -> die) dramatically fleeing the incoming Flut (tide) on the beach. She needs **die** escape from **die Flut**.
2. Meaning Mnemonic: Flut sounds like "flood" in English. For tides: Water "floods" the beach. For quantity: A "flood" of things is "flooding" in.

Think: "Die Flut came with great loot (doesn't rhyme perfectly, but links 'die' and 'Flut' sounds)."

Synonyms & Antonyms 🔁

Similar Words: Be careful with der Fluss (the river, masculine) – it can cause a Flut (flood), but it's not the same word.

A Little Flood Joke 😂

Fragt der kleine Fisch seine Mutter: "Mama, warum leben wir eigentlich im Salzwasser?"
Sagt die Mutter: "Weil wir im Pfefferwasser niesen müssten! Und stell dir erst die Tränenflut beim Zwiebelschneiden vor!"

Translation:
The little fish asks his mother: "Mom, why do we live in salt water?"
The mother says: "Because in pepper water, we'd have to sneeze! And just imagine the flood of tears when cutting onions!"

Poem about the Tide 📜

Die Flut kommt sacht, dann mit Gewalt,
nimmt Sand und Strand, macht Wellen kalt.
Sie steigt und steigt, erreicht den Deich,
ein Schauspiel nur, dem Tag vergleich'.

Doch auch die Flut der Information,
sie überrollt uns gnadenlos schon.
Ein Meer aus Daten, tief und breit,
verlangt nach Ordnung, jederzeit.

Translation:
The tide comes gently, then with force,
Takes sand and beach, makes waves cold, of course.
It rises high, reaches the dike,
A spectacle, just what day is like.

But also the flood of information,
It rolls over us without cessation.
A sea of data, deep and wide,
Demands order, nowhere to hide.

Riddle Time ❓

Mal bring ich Wasser an den Strand,
mal überschwemme ich das Land.
Mal bin ich nur ein Wort für viel,
mal bin ich Teil vom Gezeiten-Spiel.

Was bin ich?

Translation:
Sometimes I bring water to the shore,
Sometimes I flood the land and more.
Sometimes I'm just a word for plenty,
Sometimes I'm part of the tidal entry.

What am I?
... Die Flut (The flood / high tide)

More About 'die Flut' 🧐

Compound Words (Wortzusammensetzungen): "Flut" is part of many compound nouns:

• Sturmflut: A tide increased by strong wind (storm surge).
• Springflut: An especially high tide during new moon or full moon (spring tide).
• Nippflut: An especially low high tide during half-moon (neap tide).
• Sintflut: The biblical flood (deluge).
• Informationsflut, Datenflut, Bilderflut: Figurative terms for large quantities (information overload, data flood, flood of images).

Etymology: The word "Flut" comes from the Old High German "fluot" and is related to "fließen" (to flow).