die  Reihe

A2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈʁaɪə/

🚶‍♀️ What does "die Reihe" mean?

The word die Reihe (feminine) has several meanings:

• Physical arrangement: A line of people or things arranged side by side or one behind the other. Example: Eine Reihe Stühle (a row of chairs), eine Reihe wartender Menschen (a line of waiting people).
• Sequence/Series: A sequence of events, numbers, publications, or similar items. Example: Eine Reihe von Misserfolgen (a series of failures), eine Fernsehreihe (a TV series), eine mathematische Reihe (a mathematical series).
• Row of seats: A line of seats, e.g., in a cinema or theatre. Example: Wir sitzen in der zehnten Reihe (We are sitting in the tenth row).
• Turn: The position in a sequence that determines whose turn it is next. Example: Wer ist an der Reihe? (Whose turn is it?) Du bist an der Reihe (It's your turn).

🚨 Watch out: Don't confuse it with words like Reihung (the process of arranging in a row) or the adverb reihenweise (in rows, wholesale, galore).

Article rules for der, die, and das

📚 Grammar of "die Reihe" in Detail

Die Reihe is a feminine noun. Here is its declension:

Declension Singular

Declension Plural

Example Sentences ✍️

• Die Kinder standen in einer langen Reihe. (The children stood in a long row/line.)
• Das Ende der Reihe war nicht zu sehen. (The end of the row/line could not be seen.)
• Ich saß in der letzten Reihe. (I sat in the last row.)
• Er überblickte die Reihe der Bewerber. (He surveyed the row of applicants.)
• Mehrere Reihen waren bereits besetzt. (Several rows were already occupied.)
• Das Problem betraf die Bewohner der Reihen 5 bis 10. (The problem affected the residents of rows 5 to 10.)
• Wir verteilten die Flyer an den vorderen Reihen. (We distributed the flyers to the front rows.)
• Der Lehrer prüfte die Reihen der Schüler. (The teacher checked the rows of students.)
• Wer ist jetzt an der Reihe? (Whose turn is it now? - Idiomatic use)

💡 Usage in Context

Die Reihe is used very versatilely:

• Physical arrangement: Often for people (Schlange stehen - to queue/stand in line), chairs (Kino, Theater - cinema, theatre), houses (Reihenhaus - terraced house/row house), trees, etc.
• Abstract sequences: For numbers (mathematische Reihe - mathematical series), events (eine Reihe von Unfällen - a series of accidents), TV shows (Fernsehreihe - TV series), books (Buchreihe - book series).
• Idioms:
  • an der Reihe sein/kommen: to be one's turn.
  • aus der Reihe tanzen: to step out of line, to be different from the others.
  • jemanden/etwas in eine Reihe stellen mit: to put someone/something on a par with, to compare someone/something with.
  • der Reihe nach: one after another, in sequence.

Compared to Schlange (snake, queue), Reihe often emphasizes the orderly side-by-side or behind-one-another arrangement, while Schlange might be used more often for a less orderly or winding waiting line, though the terms are often interchangeable. Folge (sequence, episode) or Serie (series) emphasize the temporal or content-related connection in abstract sequences more strongly.

🧠 Mnemonics for "die Reihe"

Article Mnemonic (die): Think of a line of elegant ladies (feminine) sitting in the front row (Reihe) at the theatre. Feminine 'ladies' -> 'die Reihe'. Or: Die is a feminine article, and Reihe ends in '-e', which is very common for feminine nouns.

Meaning Mnemonic: "Reihe" sounds a bit like the English word "row" or like a "ray" of light (a straight line). Imagine things arranged in a neat row or along a ray. Also, think of the command "Reih dich ein!" (Get in line!).

↔️ Synonyms and Antonyms

⚠️ Similar Words:

• Reihung (die): The act or process of arranging in a row.
• reihen (verb): To arrange in a row, to line up (e.g., Perlen aufreihen - to string pearls).
• reihenweise (adverb): Means 'in large numbers', 'one after another', 'galore' (e.g., Die Glühbirnen fielen reihenweise aus. - The light bulbs failed one after another / in large numbers.)
• Reiher (der): A heron (bird, masculine noun). Sounds similar!

😂 A Little Joke

Fragt der Lehrer: "Wer kann mir eine geometrische Reihe nennen?"
Meldet sich Fritzchen: "Ja, Herr Lehrer: Meine Oma, meine Mutter und ich!"

Translation: The teacher asks: "Who can name a geometric series/progression?"
Little Fritz answers: "Yes, teacher: My grandma, my mother, and me!" (Playing on 'Reihe' as sequence/line of people in a family generation)

📜 Poem about "Reihe"

Ob Menschen, Stühle, Zahlen klar,
steh'n sie geordnet, wunderbar.
Die Reihe zeigt, wer als Nächstes dran,
im Kino, Bus, oder beim Zahlenplan.
Mal kurz, mal lang, mal krumm, mal grad,
hält sie die Ordnung parat.

Translation:
Whether people, chairs, or numbers clear,
They stand arranged, wonderfully here.
The row/line shows whose turn is next to call,
In cinema, bus, or number plan for all.
Sometimes short, sometimes long, bent or straight,
It keeps the order ready, it's great.

🧩 Riddle

Ich bin eine Linie, doch kein Strich vom Malen,
ich bestehe oft aus Dingen oder aus Zahlen.
Im Theater findest du mich, Sitz an Sitz,
und beim Warten fragt man: "Wer ist dran jetzt mit Witz?"

Was bin ich?

Translation:
I am a line, but not a stroke from painting,
I often consist of things or of numbers, no fainting.
In the theatre you find me, seat by seat,
And when waiting, people ask: "Whose turn now, isn't that neat?"

What am I?

Lösung/Solution: die Reihe (the row/line/turn)

🤓 Trivia & Composition

Word Compounds: "Reihe" is part of many compound words in German:

• Reihenfolge: The sequence or order in which something happens or is arranged.
• Reihenhaus: A terraced house or row house; a house built wall-to-wall with other similar houses in a row.
• Zahlenreihe: A sequence of numbers, a number series.
• Buchreihe: A book series (books linked by theme or characters).
• Testreihe: A series of tests or experiments.

Mathematics: In mathematics, a Reihe (series) specifically refers to the sum of the terms of a sequence. This is a formal, specific meaning.