die
Frist
⏳ What does "die Frist" mean?
Die Frist (feminine) refers to a specific, defined period of time within which something must happen or until the end of which something is valid. It essentially means a deadline or time limit.
- Main meaning: A specific, often limited period of time set for an action, task, or validity (e.g., Abgabefrist - submission deadline, Zahlungsfrist - payment deadline).
- Less common: postponement, respite (though more specific words are often used for these).
⚠️ Be careful not to confuse die Frist with der Termin. A Termin is a specific point in time (an appointment), while a Frist is a period of time that ends at a certain point.
📐 Grammar & Declension of "die Frist"
"Frist" is a feminine noun. Its declension is as follows:
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Frist |
| Genitive | der | Frist |
| Dative | der | Frist |
| Accusative | die | Frist |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Fristen |
| Genitive | der | Fristen |
| Dative | den | Fristen |
| Accusative | die | Fristen |
📝 Example Sentences
- Die Frist für die Anmeldung endet morgen. (The deadline for registration ends tomorrow.)
- Bitte beachten Sie die gesetzlichen Fristen. (Please observe the legal deadlines/periods.)
- Innerhalb welcher Frist muss die Rechnung bezahlt werden? (Within what period must the invoice be paid?)
- Der Antrag wurde nach Ablauf der Frist eingereicht. (The application was submitted after the deadline had expired.)
💡 How to use "die Frist"?
Die Frist is very commonly used in connection with deadlines, submissions, and time limits, in professional, private, and official contexts.
- Typical verbs: eine Frist setzen (to set a deadline), eine Frist einhalten (to meet a deadline), eine Frist verlängern (to extend a deadline), eine Frist versäumen (to miss a deadline), eine Frist läuft ab (a deadline expires).
- Contexts:
- Professional/Educational: Abgabefrist for projects, Bewerbungsfrist (application deadline), Einspruchsfrist (objection period).
- Official/Legal: Zahlungsfrist (payment deadline), Widerspruchsfrist (appeal period), Verjährungsfrist (statute of limitations).
- Private: Anmeldefrist for a course, Kündigungsfrist (notice period) for a contract.
- Idiomatic uses:
- kurze Frist: a short deadline/notice.
- jemandem eine Frist setzen: to give someone a deadline.
- auf kurze/lange Frist: in the short/long term.
🧠 Mnemonics for "die Frist"
Article Mnemonic: Think of the phrase "She missed the deadline." 'She' is feminine, like die Frist.
Meaning Mnemonic: Frist sounds a bit like the English word "first". You have to do something first, before the time runs out, i.e., before the Frist (deadline) expires.
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
- Deadline (borrowed from English, very common)
- Termin (end point, often used synonymously, but technically a point in time)
- Zeitraum (period, more general)
- Zeitlimit (time limit)
- Abgabefrist, Zahlungsfrist, Kündigungsfrist etc. (more specific types of deadlines)
- Galgenfrist (final reprieve, colloquial, literally 'gallows deadline')
Antonyms:
- Unbefristetheit (unlimited duration)
- Fristlosigkeit (immediacy, without notice period)
- Ewigkeit (eternity, figuratively)
⚠️ Similar Words:
😄 A Little Joke
Warum nehmen Beamte immer eine Leiter mit zur Arbeit?
Damit sie die Karriereleiter hochklettern und die Fristen von oben herab betrachten können! 😉
(Why do civil servants always take a ladder to work?
So they can climb the career ladder and look down on the deadlines from above!)
📜 Poem about the Frist
Die Uhr, sie tickt, die Zeit verrinnt,
die Frist im Nacken sitzt geschwind.
Ein Datum rot im Kalender steht,
bis dahin muss es sein gesät –
oder getan, was Pflicht gebietet,
sonst hat man sich umsonst bemühet.
(The clock, it ticks, time slips away,
the deadline sits behind, quick to stay.
A date in red on the calendar shows,
by then the seed must needs be sown –
or done, what duty has decreed,
else all your efforts were in vain indeed.)
🧩 Riddle
Ich habe ein Ende, aber keinen Anfang.
Man kann mich setzen, einhalten oder versäumen.
Ich messe die Zeit für eine Aufgabe oder ein Recht.
Was bin ich?
(I have an end, but no beginning.
You can set me, meet me, or miss me.
I measure the time for a task or a right.
What am I?)
Solution: die Frist (the deadline/period)
🤓 Other Information
Etymology: The word "Frist" comes from the Old High German word "frist", which originally could mean "period of time", "postponement" or even "state of peace". Over time, the meaning narrowed to the defined period of time.
Compounds: "Frist" is often part of compound nouns that specify the type of deadline: Abgabefrist (submission deadline), Bewerbungsfrist (application deadline), Einspruchsfrist (objection period), Kündigungsfrist (notice period), Meldefrist (registration deadline), Nachfrist (grace period), Schonfrist (grace period/closed season), Verjährungsfrist (statute of limitations), Zahlungsfrist (payment deadline).
Summary: is it der, die or das Frist?
The noun "Frist" is feminine, so the correct article is die Frist. It refers to a set period of time or a deadline.
