die  Fracht

B1

Estimated CEFR level.

/fraxt/

🚚 What does "die Fracht" mean?

The German word die Fracht (feminine noun) primarily has two meanings:

1. The goods being transported: The items or cargo moved from one place to another, especially by ship, plane, train, or truck. Synonyms include die Ladung or das Transportgut. 📦
2. The charge for transport: The price or cost paid for transporting goods. A synonym for this is das Beförderungsentgelt. 💰

It's important to understand from the context which meaning is intended.

Article rules for der, die, and das

📊 Grammar of "die Fracht"

"Fracht" is a feminine noun. The article is die.

Declension Singular

Declension Plural

The plural "die Frachten" is used less frequently and often refers to individual shipments or consignments.

📝 Example Sentences

• Die Fracht wurde pünktlich am Hafen gelöscht. (The cargo was unloaded punctually at the port. - Meaning: cargo)
• Wie hoch ist die Fracht für diesen Container? (How high is the freight charge for this container? - Meaning: transport cost)
• Wir müssen die Fracht für den Seetransport im Voraus bezahlen. (We have to pay the freight for the sea transport in advance. - Meaning: transport cost)
• Die Frachten für Lufttransporte sind gestiegen. (The freight charges for air transport have increased. - Meaning: transport costs, plural)

🚢 How to use "die Fracht"?

"Die Fracht" is a key term in the fields of transport, logistics, and trade.

• Transport of Goods: You talk about Seefracht (sea freight), Luftfracht (air freight), Bahnfracht (rail freight), or LKW-Fracht (truck freight), depending on the means of transport. Example: "Die Fracht wird per Luftfracht nach New York geschickt." (The cargo is being sent to New York by air freight.)
• Cost Calculation: When calculating transport costs, "die Fracht" (in the sense of payment/charge) is a significant item. Example: "Die Spedition berechnete eine hohe Fracht." (The shipping company charged high freight costs.)
• Documentation: In documents like the Frachtbrief (bill of lading/consignment note), details about the Fracht (cargo and often the costs) are recorded.

Distinctions:

• Ladung: Very similar to "Fracht" (goods), often used synonymously. However, "Fracht" can also refer to the cost.
• Gut/Güter: General term for goods, not specifically related to transport.
• Frachter: Refers to the transport vehicle itself (ship, plane), not the cargo. Note the masculine ending "-er"! 🛳️

🧠 Mnemonics for "die Fracht"

Remembering the article "die":

Think of die shipment, which is feminine in German. Many nouns ending in "-acht" are feminine (die Macht - power, die Pracht - splendor, die Fracht - freight). It's die important delivery!

Remembering the meaning:

"Fracht" sounds very similar to the English word "freight". Imagine the effort it takes to bring (gebracht) something heavy (the cargo) or expensive (the cost) – that's die Fracht.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Watch out for confusion:

• Der Frachter: This is the freighter (ship or vehicle) that transports die Fracht, not the cargo itself. It's masculine!

😄 A little joke

Fragt der Spediteur den Fahrer: "Ist die Fracht Tomaten schwer?"
Antwortet der Fahrer: "Nein, die sind alle hohl. Ich habe die ganze Nacht hineingerufen, es kam nur ein Echo zurück!" 🍅🗣️

Translation: The freight forwarder asks the driver: "Is the cargo of tomatoes heavy?"
The driver replies: "No, they're all hollow. I shouted into them all night, and only an echo came back!"

📜 Poem about Fracht

Von Land zu Land, auf See, auf Schienen,
bewegt sich was, von fleiß'gen Bienen
des Transports gebracht, bei Tag und Nacht.
Mal schwer, mal leicht, mal kühl, mal heiß,
gezahlt wird dafür mancher Preis.
Die Fracht, sie reist, kommt sicher an,
verbindet Welten, dann und wann.

Translation:
From land to land, on sea, on rails,
Something moves, by diligent bees
Of transport brought, by day and night.
Sometimes heavy, sometimes light, sometimes cool, sometimes hot,
A certain price is paid for it.
The freight, it travels, arrives safely,
Connects worlds, now and then.

🧩 Riddle

Ich reise viel, doch hab kein Bein,
bin mal die Ware, mal der Schein (das Geld dafür).
Auf Schiffen, Zügen, LKW,
beweg' ich Güter, fern und nah.

Was bin ich?

Translation:
I travel a lot, but have no leg,
Sometimes I'm the goods, sometimes the check (the money for it).
On ships, trains, trucks,
I move goods, far and near.

What am I?

Solution: die Fracht

💡 More about "Fracht"

• Word Origin: The word "Fracht" comes from the Middle Low German/Middle Dutch word "vracht", which originally meant "rent for a ship; ship's cargo". It is related to verbs like "frachten" (to charter, to load).
• Compound Words: There are many compound words with "Fracht", e.g.:
  • die Luftfracht (air freight ✈️)
  • die Seefracht (sea freight 🚢)
  • die Frachtkosten (freight costs 💶)
  • der Frachtbrief (bill of lading, consignment note 📄)
  • das Frachtgut (cargo, freight goods 📦)
  • der Frachtverkehr (freight traffic)