die  Kolonne

B1

Estimated CEFR level.

/koˈlɔnə/

🚶‍♀️🚗📊 What exactly is a Kolonne?

The German word die Kolonne has several meanings, often referring to an ordered line or group:

• Military/Marching Formation: A group of people (e.g., soldiers, demonstrators) marching in an ordered formation, usually longer than it is wide.
  Example: Die Soldaten marschierten in einer langen Kolonne. (The soldiers marched in a long column.)
• Line of Vehicles: A line of vehicles driving one behind the other, often slowly due to traffic jams or as an organized convoy (e.g., Autokolonne, LKW-Kolonne).
  Example: Wegen des Unfalls bildete sich eine kilometerlange Kolonne. (Because of the accident, a kilometer-long queue/convoy formed.)
• Text/Table: A vertical row of numbers, words, or characters in a text, table, or list (also called Spalte - column).
  Example: Trage die Werte bitte in die dritte Kolonne ein. (Please enter the values into the third column.)

🚨 The word is always feminine: die Kolonne.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar of 'die Kolonne' in Detail

The noun die Kolonne is feminine. Here are the declension tables:

📝 Example Sentences

• Die Polizei eskortierte die Kolonne der Demonstranten.
  (The police escorted the column of demonstrators.)
• Aufgrund des Staus standen wir stundenlang in der Kolonne.
  (Due to the traffic jam, we stood in the queue/column for hours.)
• Die Summe aller Kolonnen ergibt das Gesamtergebnis.
  (The sum of all columns gives the total result.)
• Sortieren Sie die Tabelle nach verschiedenen Kolonnen.
  (Sort the table by different columns.)

🌐 How to use "Kolonne"?

The use of Kolonne heavily depends on the context:

• In a military or organizational context, one speaks of Marschkolonnen (marching columns) or Demonstrationskolonnen (demonstration columns).
• In road traffic, it often refers to Autokolonnen (car convoys), LKW-Kolonnen (truck convoys), or simply Kolonnenverkehr (slow-moving traffic in a line). You can also say in Kolonne fahren (to drive in a convoy/column).
• In texts, tables, or databases, Kolonne refers to a vertical column (as opposed to the horizontal Zeile - row). Here, Spalte is often a more common synonym.

⚠️ Don't confuse Kolonne (column, convoy) with Kolon (colon ':') or Kolonie (colony).

🧠 Mnemonics for Kolonne

Article Mnemonic: Many German nouns ending in -e that come from French (like Kolonne from colonne) are feminine (die). Think: The elegant French Kolonne uses 'die'.

Meaning Mnemonic: Imagine a long COLONial CONVOY of cars or people, stretching out in a line, like a column (Kolonne). The 'o' sounds are similar. Or think of a data COLUMN in a spreadsheet.

↔️ Synonyms and Antonyms

Similar-sounding but different words: Kolon (colon :), Kolonie (colony), Kollision (collision).

😂 A Little Joke

Warum fahren Ameisen nie allein zur Arbeit?
Weil sie immer in einer Ameisen-Kolonne unterwegs sind! 😉🐜

--- Translation ---

Why do ants never drive to work alone?
Because they always travel in an ant column! 😉🐜

📜 Poem about a Kolonne

Rot, gelb, blau, im Lichterglanz,
die Blech-Kolonne zieht zum Tanz.
Stoßstange an Stoßstange dicht,
Bewegung kommt nur langsam in Sicht.
Ein jeder hofft, es geht bald voran,
in dieser Auto-Karawan'.

--- Translation ---

Red, yellow, blue, in shimmering light,
The metal column moves to dance.
Bumper to bumper, tight,
Movement only slowly comes in sight.
Everyone hopes it moves ahead soon,
In this car caravan's tune.

❓ Riddle Time

Ich kann aus Autos bestehen, die langsam fahren,
oder Soldaten, die in Reih' und Glied marschieren klar.
In Tabellen steh' ich senkrecht da.
Was bin ich wohl? Na klar, ...

Lösung: die Kolonne

--- Translation ---

I can be made of cars, driving slow,
Or soldiers marching in a neat row.
In tables, I stand vertically tall.
What am I? Of course, ...

Solution: die Kolonne

💡 Other Information

Word Origin: The word Kolonne comes from the French word colonne, which in turn goes back to the Latin columna (pillar, column). The idea of an upright row (like a column) underlies the meaning.

Compound Words: There are many compound words, e.g.:

• Autokolonne (car convoy)
• Fahrzeugkolonne (vehicle convoy)
• Marschkolonne (marching column)
• Panzerkolonne (tank column)
• Fünfte Kolonne (fifth column - secret group undermining from within)
• Tabellenkolonne (table column)