die  Schleuse

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈʃlɔʏzə/

🌊 What exactly is a Schleuse?

The word die Schleuse (feminine) primarily refers to a technical device used to equalize water levels or control passages. Here are the main meanings:

• Schiffsschleuse/Kammerschleuse (Ship lock/Chamber lock): A structure in a canal or river that allows ships to overcome differences in water levels. The ship enters a chamber, which is then filled or emptied to match the level of the next section.
• Sperr- oder Regulierschleuse (Barrier or Regulating Sluice): A device (often a weir with movable parts) to control the flow of water in a body of water, e.g., for irrigation or flood protection.
• Luftschleuse (Airlock): A chamber with two airtight doors that allows passage between areas with different air pressures or air purity levels (e.g., in space travel, cleanrooms, or diving bells).
• Personenschleuse/Sicherheitsschleuse (Personnel Lock/Security Lock): A control area (e.g., at airports, banks, or secure buildings) that allows people to pass through individually or in small groups, often after screening.
• Figurative: Sometimes "Schleuse" is used metaphorically for a bottleneck or control point through which something is channeled (e.g., flow of information).

⚠️ Although there are different types of Schleusen, the article is always die.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar in Detail: Die Schleuse

The noun "Schleuse" is feminine. Therefore, the article is always die.

📝 Example Sentences

• Das große Containerschiff wartet vor der Schleuse.
  (The large container ship is waiting in front of the lock.)
• Die Astronauten betraten die Raumstation durch eine spezielle Luftschleuse.
  (The astronauts entered the space station through a special airlock.)
• An der Sicherheitskontrolle mussten wir eine Personenschleuse passieren.
  (At the security check, we had to pass through a personnel lock.)
• Die alte Schleuse am Wehr muss dringend repariert werden.
  (The old sluice at the weir urgently needs repair.)
• Alle Anträge müssen durch diese bürokratische Schleuse gehen.
  (All applications have to go through this bureaucratic bottleneck/channel.)

💬 How is "Schleuse" used?

"Schleuse" is used in technical and everyday contexts, whenever controlled transitions are involved.

• In Wasserbau (Hydraulic Engineering): The most common use refers to Schiffsschleusen (ship locks) in canals and rivers. One talks about "das Schleusen eines Schiffes" (locking a ship through) using the verb schleusen.
• In Technik/Wissenschaft (Technology/Science): Luftschleusen (airlocks) are essential in space travel, diving, and cleanrooms (e.g., chip manufacturing, pharmaceuticals).
• In Sicherheitsbereich (Security): Personenschleusen or Sicherheitsschleusen (personnel/security locks) are found in places with high security requirements.
• Figuratively: Less common, but possible, is the figurative use for processes that filter or channel something (e.g., "Informationsschleuse" - information channel, "Datenschleuse" - data gateway).

The word is clearly defined and rarely confused with other terms. The related verb schleusen not only means 'to move through a lock' but also colloquially 'to smuggle or sneak someone/something in or out' (e.g., Flüchtlinge schleusen - to smuggle refugees, jemanden ins Konzert schleusen - to sneak someone into a concert).

💡 Mnemonics for Schleuse

Article Mnemonic: Many German nouns ending in -e with two syllables are feminine. Remember: die Schleuse – the 'e' at the end hints at 'die'!

Meaning Mnemonic: Imagine ships having to **slow** down (sounds like Schleu-) to enter the (die) lock. Or think of the sound when air is released from an airlock - a 'sluicing' sound.

↔️ Similar and Opposite Terms

🚨 Caution: A Wehr (weir) is not the same as a Schleuse, although both affect water levels. A weir primarily dams water, while a lock primarily enables overcoming height differences.

😄 A Little Joke

Warum nehmen Fische die Schleuse nie ernst?

Weil sie wissen, dass es nur auf und ab geht! 😄

(Why do fish never take the lock seriously? Because they know it's just up and down!)

📜 Poem about the Schleuse

Am Kanal, aus Stahl und Stein,
wartet die Schleuse, groß und fein.
Das Wasser steigt, das Wasser fällt,
das Schiff wird sanft emporgestellt.
Tor auf, Tor zu, ein nasses Spiel,
die Schleuse bringt das Schiff ans Ziel.

(By the canal, of steel and stone,
Waits the lock, large and finely known.
The water rises, the water falls,
The ship is gently lifted over walls.
Gate open, gate shut, a watery game,
The lock brings the ship towards its aim.)

❓ Riddle Time

Ich habe Kammern, doch kein Haus,
lass Schiffe ein und wieder raus.
Ich hebe sie hoch, ich senke sie tief,
obwohl ich selber niemals schlief.
Mal voller Wasser, mal ganz leer,
ich helfe Schiffen auf dem Meer (oder Fluss/Kanal).

Wer bin ich?

(I have chambers, but no house,
Let ships in and let them out.
I lift them high, I sink them low,
Although I never sleep, you know.
Sometimes full of water, sometimes bare,
I help ships on the sea (or river/canal) prepare.

Who am I?)

Solution: Die Schleuse (The lock)

🧩 Other Information about Schleuse

Etymology: The German word "Schleuse" comes from Middle Low German slûse, which in turn derives from Middle Latin sclusa ("weir", "dam"), originating from the Latin verb excludere ("to exclude", "to shut out"). The original meaning thus referred to blocking or shutting out water.

Related Verb: schleusen - means 'to move something or someone through a lock' or figuratively 'to sneak something somewhere' or 'to channel something through a process'.

Compound Words: There are many compound words, e.g., Schleusenwärter (lock keeper), Schleusentor (lock gate), Schleusenkammer (lock chamber), Schleusengebühr (lock fee), Luftschleuse (airlock), Personenschleuse (personnel lock).