die  Heuer

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈhɔʏɐ/

💰 What does 'die Heuer' mean?

The noun die Heuer (feminine) primarily has two meanings:

• 🚢 Sailor's wage/pay: The salary or pay given to sailors for their work on a ship. This is the most traditional meaning. *Example: The crew received their Heuer after the long voyage.*
• 🚜 Lease/rent (dated/regional): Especially the rent or lease for agricultural land or property. This meaning is less common today or limited to certain regions.

⚠️ Don't confuse it with the adverb heuer, which means "this year" and is mainly used in Southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

🧐 Grammar of 'die Heuer'

Die Heuer is a feminine noun. It is mostly used in the singular, especially when referring to wages.

Declension Singular

Declension Plural

The plural form 'die Heuern' is very rare and hardly ever used.

📝 Example Sentences

1. Der Kapitän zahlte der Mannschaft pünktlich die Heuer aus.
   (The captain paid the crew their wages on time.)
2. Nach langer Fahrt auf See freuten sich die Matrosen auf ihre Heuer.
   (After a long voyage at sea, the sailors looked forward to their pay.)
3. Der Bauer musste für das Feld eine hohe Heuer entrichten.
   (The farmer had to pay a high rent/lease for the field. - dated/regional usage)

⚓ Usage in Context

The term die Heuer is specifically used in the context of seafaring for wages. One talks about sailors receiving their Heuer or about *anheuern* (signing on for a voyage).

The meaning as lease or rent is dated or limited to certain regions and is rarely used in modern language for rent (more commonly die Miete) or lease (more commonly die Pacht).

Important distinction: The adverb heuer (lowercase!) means "this year" and should be treated separately: „Heuer fahren wir nicht in den Urlaub.“ (This year, we are not going on vacation.) This is primarily common in Southern Germany and Austria.

🧠 Mnemonics for Heuer

Article mnemonic: Think of the *fee* (feminine sound association, though not grammatically related) sailors earn, which is *die Heuer*. Or imagine sailors shouting *"Hooray!"* (sounds a bit like Heuer) when they get *their* pay (feminine possessive 'ihre' can imply 'die').

Meaning mnemonic: The verb *anheuern* means *to hire* someone (often a sailor). The payment for this is die Heuer. It sounds like *"hire"*.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

😂 A Little Joke

Fragt der junge Matrose den Kapitän: „Wann gibt's denn endlich die Heuer?“
Sagt der Kapitän: „Wenn der Schiffsjunge aufhört, das Salz ins Meer zu streuen, weil er denkt, es wächst dann schneller!“

Translation:
The young sailor asks the captain: "When do we finally get our pay (die Heuer)?"
The captain replies: "When the cabin boy stops sprinkling salt into the sea because he thinks it will grow faster!"

📜 Poem about Heuer

Der Seemann schaut aufs weite Meer,
die Arbeit schwer, das Herz oft leer.
Doch am Ende, nach der langen Fahrt,
gibt's die Heuer, auf die er hart gespart.
Ein Lohn für Müh', für Wind und Wellen,
damit die Taschen wieder schwellen.

Translation:
The sailor looks upon the wide sea,
the work is hard, the heart often empty.
But in the end, after the long journey,
there's the pay (die Heuer), for which he saved hard.
A reward for toil, for wind and waves,
so that the pockets swell again.

❓ Riddle

Ich bin der Lohn für Fahrt auf See,
nach Sturm und Gischt, nach Ach und Weh.
Manchmal pachte ich auch Land und Feld,
bin Lohn und Miete in der alten Welt.

Was bin ich, feminin und klar?

Translation:
I am the wage for journeys on the sea,
after storm and spray, after ache and plea.
Sometimes I also lease land and field,
am wage and rent in the old world revealed.

What am I, feminine and clear?

Solution: die Heuer

💡 Other Interesting Facts

Etymology: The word 'Heuer' comes from the Middle Low German word hūre, which meant rent or wage. It is related to the English word hire.

Regional Specificity: As mentioned, the adverb heuer ("this year") is an important regional variant in the south of the German-speaking world, which can often cause confusion if one only knows the noun.