die
Parallele
📏 What does 'die Parallele' mean?
Die Parallele is a feminine noun with several meanings:
- Geometry: A line that lies in the same plane as another line but never intersects it, maintaining a constant distance. Example: Zeichne eine Parallele zur y-Achse. (Draw a parallel to the y-axis.)
- Comparison/Analogy: A comparable case, correspondence, or similarity between things, events, or situations. Example: Man kann Parallelen zwischen den beiden historischen Ereignissen ziehen. (One can draw parallels between the two historical events.)
- Geography (often plural): A line of latitude running parallel to the equator. Example: Der 50. Breitengrad (die 50. Parallele) verläuft durch Deutschland. (The 50th degree of latitude (the 50th parallel) runs through Germany.)
🚨 Important: The adjective is parallel (e.g., zwei parallele Linien - two parallel lines), the noun is die Parallele.
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.
📚 Navigating the Grammar of 'die Parallele'
Die Parallele is a feminine noun.
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Parallele |
| Genitive | der | Parallele |
| Dative | der | Parallele |
| Accusative | die | Parallele |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Parallelen |
| Genitive | der | Parallelen |
| Dative | den | Parallelen |
| Accusative | die | Parallelen |
💡 Example Sentences
- Die Geometrieaufgabe erforderte das Zeichnen einer Parallele.
(The geometry problem required drawing a parallel line.) - Der Redner zog interessante Parallelen zur aktuellen Situation.
(The speaker drew interesting parallels to the current situation.) - Zwischen den beiden Konzepten gibt es deutliche Parallelen.
(There are clear parallels between the two concepts.) - Wir befinden uns auf der 48. Parallele nördlicher Breite.
(We are on the 48th parallel north latitude.)
🗣️ How to Use 'die Parallele'
- In mathematical/technical contexts: When talking about lines, planes, or vectors that never intersect. "Die beiden Schienen verlaufen als Parallelen." (The two rails run as parallels.)
- When comparing: To point out similarities or correspondences. Often used with the preposition 'zu' (to) or 'zwischen' (between). "Er sieht Parallelen zu seiner eigenen Kindheit." (He sees parallels to his own childhood.), "Die Parallelen zwischen den Fällen sind frappierend." (The parallels between the cases are striking.) The phrase "eine Parallele ziehen" (to draw a parallel) is very common here.
- In geographical contexts: Referring to lines of latitude (parallels). "Die Reise führte sie über mehrere Parallelen hinweg." (The journey took them across several parallels.)
⚠️ Don't confuse the noun die Parallele with the adjective parallel (e.g., zwei parallele Straßen - two parallel streets).
🧠 Memory Aids (Eselsbrücken)
Article Mnemonic: Think of a line (feminine in German: die Linie) that runs on forever. Like many feminine nouns ending in -e, it's die Parallele.
Meaning Mnemonic: Imagine two parallel skis making tracks in the snow – they run side-by-side (like Parallelen in geometry) and you can see their similarity (like Parallelen in the sense of analogies).
↔️ Opposites and Similarities: Die Parallele
Synonyms
- (Geometry): (No direct noun synonym, usually paraphrased like 'parallele Gerade/Linie' - parallel line)
- (Comparison): Analogie (analogy), Entsprechung (correspondence), Ähnlichkeit (similarity), Vergleichbarkeit (comparability), Bezug (reference, relation)
- (Geography): Breitenkreis (circle of latitude)
Antonyms
- (Geometry): Schnittpunkt (intersection point), Senkrechte (perpendicular)
- (Comparison): Unterschied (difference), Gegensatz (contrast, opposite), Divergenz (divergence), Abweichung (deviation)
⚠️ Similar Words
- parallel (adjective): Describes something that runs parallel. Be mindful of the difference between the noun 'die Parallele' and the adjective 'parallel'.
😄 A Little Joke
Warum treffen sich zwei parallele Linien nie?
(Why do two parallel lines never meet?)
Weil sie zu viel Respekt vor dem persönlichen Raum des anderen haben! 😉
(Because they have too much respect for each other's personal space!)
✍️ Poem about the Parallel
Zwei Linien, stolz und grad,
(Two lines, proud and straight,)
Die Parallele, Pfad für Pfad.
(The parallel, path by path.)
Sie laufen gleich, in Raum und Zeit,
(They run alike, in space and time,)
Berühren sich nicht, weit und breit.
(Don't touch each other, far and wide.)
Doch auch im Geist, da gibt's die Spur,
(But also in the mind, there is the trace,)
Ein Fall, der ähnlich, glaub es nur.
(A case that's similar, just believe.)
Man zieht sie dann, ganz ungeniert,
(One draws it then, quite unabashed,)
Die Parallele, wohlstudiert.
(The parallel, well-studied.)
❓ Riddle Time
Ich laufe neben dir, doch treff dich nie.
(I run beside you, but never meet you.)
In Mathe bin ich wichtig, irgendwie.
(In math I'm important, somehow.)
Man zieht mich auch, um Ähnliches zu seh'n.
(One also draws me to see similar things.)
Was bin ich, sag's, dann ist's gescheh'n?
(What am I, say it, then it's done?)
Solution: die Parallele (the parallel)
🧐 More Tidbits
The word "Parallele" comes from the Greek word parállēlos (παράλληλος), meaning "beside one another". It's composed of pará (παρά) meaning "beside" and állēlos (ἄλληλος) meaning "one another". The feminine gender in German likely derives from the Latin phrase linea parallela (parallel line).
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Parallele?
The correct article for Parallele is die. It is a feminine noun (die Parallele, plural: die Parallelen). It refers to a parallel line (in geometry), a comparable case (analogy), or a circle of latitude (in geography).