die  Schnelle

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈʃnɛlə/

🌊 What does 'die Schnelle' mean?

The German word die Schnelle primarily has two meanings:

1. As a noun, often in the plural (die Schnellen), it refers to rapids in a river: a section where the water flows particularly fast due to a steeper gradient or obstacles. It's often part of the compound noun die Stromschnelle (river rapids).
2. It appears very frequently in the fixed idiom auf die Schnelle. This adverbial phrase means 'quickly', 'hastily', 'in a hurry', often implying improvisation or lack of thorough preparation. Here, 'Schnelle' is used as a nominalized adjective.

⚠️ Note: Although derived from the adjective schnell (fast), 'die Schnelle' is rarely used independently to mean 'a fast woman'; one would typically say 'die schnelle Frau' for that.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar of 'die Schnelle'

The noun 'die Schnelle' is feminine.

Declension (referring to river rapids):

🚨 Note: The phrase 'auf die Schnelle' is a fixed adverbial phrase. 'Schnelle' here is always in the accusative singular following the preposition 'auf', which indicates manner ('in what way?' -> in the quick way).

Examples:

• Rapids: Das Kajak kämpfte sich durch die Schnellen des Flusses. (The kayak fought its way through the rapids of the river.)
• Auf die Schnelle: Ich habe auf die Schnelle einen Kaffee getrunken, bevor ich los musste. (I quickly drank a coffee before I had to leave. / I drank a coffee in a hurry...)
• Auf die Schnelle: Können wir das auf die Schnelle besprechen? (Can we discuss this quickly?)

💡 Everyday Use: When to use 'die Schnelle'?

• Rapids: This term (die Schnelle / die Schnellen) is mainly used in geographical, tourism (e.g., rafting, canoeing), or scientific contexts to describe fast-flowing river sections. A common synonym is die Stromschnelle.
• Auf die Schnelle: This idiom is very common in everyday German. It indicates that something is done hastily, on the fly, without much effort or preparation. It can sometimes carry a slightly negative connotation (superficial, not thorough), but often it's neutral, simply meaning 'quickly' or 'briefly'.
  • Example: 'Ich hab das nur auf die Schnelle gemacht, schau bitte nochmal drüber.' ('I only did this quickly, please look over it again.')
  • Comparison: Similar to 'on the fly', 'quickly', 'in passing', 'hastily'.

🧠 Mnemonics

For the article 'die': Imagine wild river rapids – they are unpredictable and powerful like a queen (die Königin = the queen) of the river. Or think of die Eile (the haste) – haste is feminine in German, just like die Schnelle in the phrase 'auf die Schnelle'.

For the meaning: 'Schnelle' sounds a bit like 'shell'. Imagine shells being tossed around quickly in the river rapids (*Schnellen*). And 'auf die Schnelle' means doing something schnell (fast), almost like riding a wave (*Welle*).

↔️ Synonyms and Antonyms for die Schnelle

😂 A Little Joke

German: Warum nehmen Informatiker immer einen Fluss mit vielen Schnellen zum Angeln? – Weil dort die Strömung am besten ist für den Datenfluss!

English: Why do computer scientists always choose a river with lots of rapids for fishing? – Because the current (Strömung) there is best for the data flow (Datenfluss)!

📜 Poem about 'Schnelle'

German:
Wo Wasser wild ins Tale schießt,
Die Schnelle tosend Felsen küsst.
Ein Kajak tanzt, ein kühner Ritt,
Nimmt die Herausforderung mit.

Doch auch im Alltag, ohne Plan,
Fängt mancher 'auf die Schnelle' an.
Ein Kaffee hier, ein Wort geschwind,
Weil oft die Zeit davon uns rinnt.

English Translation:
Where water wildly shoots to vale,
The rapid kisses rocks with roaring wail.
A kayak dances, a daring ride,
Takes on the challenge, side by side.

But also daily, without a plan,
Some start things 'auf die Schnelle', quick span.
A coffee here, a word so fast,
Because our time runs out, aghast.

❓ Riddle

German:
Ich habe kein Bett, doch fließe geschwind,
Im Flussbett man mich rauschen find'.
Manchmal mach' ich Dinge nur fix,
Ohne viel Aufhebens, ohne Tricks.

Was bin ich, mal wild, mal nur fix getan?

English:
I have no bed, but flow with speed,
In riverbeds, my rushing sound you'll heed.
Sometimes I make things quickly done,
Without much fuss, beneath the sun.

What am I, sometimes wild, sometimes just quickly spun?

(Solution: die Schnelle / auf die Schnelle - the rapids / doing something quickly)

🧩 Other Details

Word Formation: The noun 'die Schnelle' is a nominalization (substantivization) of the adjective schnell (fast).

Related Words:

• schnell (adjective): fast, quick, rapid
• beschleunigen (verb): to accelerate
• die Schnelligkeit (noun): speed, velocity, quickness
• die Stromschnelle (noun): river rapids (compound noun)