die
Kurve
🛤️ What does "die Kurve" mean?
The word die Kurve (noun, feminine) has several meanings:
- A bend or curve: This is the most common meaning, often relating to roads, paths, or railway tracks. Example: Das Auto fuhr langsam um die enge Kurve. (The car drove slowly around the tight curve.)
- A line in a diagram or graph: Especially in mathematics, statistics, or economics, it describes a non-straight line representing data. Example: Die Kurve zeigt den Temperaturverlauf. (The curve shows the temperature trend.)
- Figuratively: It can also describe a turn of events or development, often in idioms. Example: Er hat gerade noch die Kurve gekriegt (He just managed it / pulled it off).
⚠️ There are no common confusions with other articles for this word.
Article rules for der, die, and das
-e/-ee → almost always feminine.
There are many -e nouns, many of which are feminine, but there are also some important exceptions.
📐 Grammar of "Kurve" in Detail
"Kurve" is a feminine noun. The article is die.
Singular
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Kurve |
| Genitive | der | Kurve |
| Dative | der | Kurve |
| Accusative | die | Kurve |
Plural
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Kurven |
| Genitive | der | Kurven |
| Dative | den | Kurven |
| Accusative | die | Kurven |
Example Sentences
- Der Radfahrer nahm die Kurve sehr schnell.
(The cyclist took the curve very quickly.) - Die Angebots- und Nachfragekurven schnitten sich im Gleichgewichtspunkt.
(The supply and demand curves intersected at the equilibrium point.) - Nach seiner Krankheit musste er erst wieder die Kurve kriegen.
(After his illness, he first had to get back on track / manage again.) - Achtung, gefährliche Kurven voraus!
(Caution, dangerous curves ahead!)
🔄 When to use "die Kurve"?
Die Kurve is used in various contexts:
- In traffic: Describing road layouts (Haarnadelkurve - hairpin bend, S-Kurve - S-bend).
- In sports: Describing race tracks or movements (die Kurve schneiden - to cut the corner).
- In mathematics/science: Representing functions or data (Gaußsche Glockenkurve - Gaussian bell curve, Fieberkurve - temperature chart).
- In idioms:
- die Kurve kriegen/bekommen: to just manage something, to overcome a difficult situation.
- aus der Kurve fliegen: to fail, to lose control (literally or figuratively).
- jemanden um die Kurve bringen: to kill someone (colloquial, rather dated/macabre).
Compared to die Biegung (the bend), Kurve often refers more specifically to a clearly defined, often man-made arc (road, graph), while Biegung can describe a curvature more generally (e.g., of a pipe or river).
🧠 Mnemonics for "die Kurve"
Article Mnemonic: Think of a curVe – it often looks like a part of the letter 'V', which might remind you that many feminine nouns in German end in '-e', taking 'die'. Or imagine a diva driving dangerously around die Kurve.
Meaning Mnemonic: A Kurve makes things less straight, like data on a graph or a road that isn't a direct line.
🔁 Similar and Opposite Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
- Gerade (straight line): The direct opposite of a curve (mathematically or on a route).
- Strecke (stretch, section): A straight section of a route.
Similar Misleading Words
- Kürbis (der): (pumpkin) - Sounds vaguely similar, but unrelated.
- Kurbel (die): (crank) - Mechanical part for turning.
😄 A Little Joke
Warum hat der Mathematiker Angst vor Kurven?
Weil er nie weiß, wann sie die Gerade verlassen! 😉
(Why is the mathematician afraid of curves? Because he never knows when they'll leave the straight line!)
📜 Poem about the Curve
Die Straße macht 'nen Bogen weit,
Die Kurve lädt zur Langsamkeit.
Im Diagramm, da steigt sie an,
zeigt Daten auf dem Lebensplan.
Mal sanft geschwungen, mal ganz spitz,
die Kurve hat Esprit und Witz.
(The road makes a wide arc,
The curve invites you to slow down.
In the diagram, it rises up,
shows data on life's plan.
Sometimes gently swung, sometimes very sharp,
the curve has spirit and wit.)
❓ Riddle Time
Ich bin kein gerader Strich,
auf Straßen fürchtet mancher mich.
Im Diagramm zeig' ich den Trend,
bin oft als Biegung wohlbekannt.
Was bin ich?
(I am not a straight line,
on roads, many fear me.
In a diagram, I show the trend,
am often known as a bend.
What am I?)
Solution: die Kurve (the curve)
🧩 Other Info & Trivia
Etymology: The word "Kurve" comes from the Latin curvus, meaning "bent" or "curved".
Compound words (Examples):
- Haarnadelkurve: (hairpin bend) - An extremely tight curve resembling a hairpin.
- Fieberkurve: (temperature chart) - Graphic representation of temperature during a fever.
- Lernkurve: (learning curve) - Metaphor for the progress made when learning a new skill.
- Kurvenlicht: (adaptive headlight) - Car headlight that illuminates into the curve.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Kurve?
The noun Kurve is feminine. The correct article is always die Kurve.