die  Schranke

B1

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈʃʁaŋkə/

🚧 What Exactly is a Schranke?

The word die Schranke (feminine) mainly has two meanings:

• Physical barrier: A movable barrier used to control or prevent passage. You often find it at level crossings (Bahnschranke), parking garage entrances (Parkschranke), or border crossings. It usually opens and closes.
• Figurative limit or restriction: A boundary, limit, or constraint, often in a figurative or legal sense. These can be social, moral, legal, or personal boundaries. Example: jemandem Schranken setzen (to set limits for someone, to restrict someone).

⚠️ It's important to consider the context to understand the correct meaning.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar Spotlight: Die Schranke

The noun "Schranke" is feminine. The article is "die".

Example Sentences

1. Die Schranke am Bahnübergang senkte sich langsam. (The barrier at the level crossing lowered slowly.)
2. Wir müssen den Kindern klare Schranken setzen. (We must set clear boundaries/limits for the children.)
3. Die hohe Gebühr stellt für viele eine finanzielle Schranke dar. (The high fee represents a financial barrier for many.)
4. Er überwand alle sozialen Schranken seiner Zeit. (He overcame all social barriers of his time.)

🚦 When to Use "Schranke"?

Die Schranke is used in various contexts:

• Traffic: Very common for Bahnschranken (level crossing barriers) or Parkhausschranken (parking garage barriers). Here, it always refers to the physical barrier.
• Law & Administration: Often in the plural (die Schranken) for legal or bureaucratic restrictions or limits. Example: die Schranken der freien Meinungsäußerung (the limits of free speech).
• Society & Ethics: Also mostly in the plural for social or moral boundaries. Example: gesellschaftliche Schranken überwinden (to overcome social barriers).
• Everyday language (figurative): For personal limits or inhibitions. Example: innere Schranken abbauen (to break down internal barriers/inhibitions).

Comparison with similar words:

• Grenze: Often synonymous in the figurative sense, but 'Grenze' emphasizes more of a dividing line (e.g., Landesgrenze - country border), while 'Schranke' often refers to a (surmountable or controlled) blockade or limit.
• Hindernis: A more general term for something that stands in the way. A Schranke is a specific type of Hindernis.
• Barriere: Very similar to the physical meaning of Schranke, but can also be fixed. Often synonymous in the figurative sense.

🧠 Mnemonics for Schranke

For the article: Die Schranke ends in -e, like many feminine nouns in German. Imagine die Schranke swinging up and down elegantly (feminine trait!).

For the meaning: Think of the English word "shrank" or the German verb "einschränken" (to restrict, limit). A Schranke restricts or limits your way or freedom – it sets a boundary.

🔄 Similar and Opposite Words

Caution: Words like "der Schrank" (masculine, cupboard/closet) sound similar but have a completely different meaning!

😂 A Little Joke

Warum hat die Schranke nie Stress?
(Why is the barrier never stressed?)

Weil sie immer weiß, wann sie runterkommen muss!
(Because it always knows when it needs to come down! - Also a pun on "to calm down")

📜 A Poem about the Schranke

Die Schranke senkt sich, rot und weiß,
(The barrier lowers, red and white,)
hält Autos auf auf ihrer Reis'.
(Stops cars on their journey's flight.)
Mal ist sie offen, mal ist sie zu,
(Sometimes it's open, sometimes closed anew,)
setzt Grenzen unserm Tun im Nu.
(Sets limits on what we can do.)
Auch im Kopf, da gibt es sie,
(In the mind, too, it can be,)
die unsichtbare Phantasie,
(The invisible fantasy,)
'ne Schranke, die uns manchmal hemmt,
(A barrier that sometimes holds us stemmed,)
bis Mut sie kühn beiseiteschwemmt.
(Until courage boldly sweeps it condemned.)

❓ Riddle Time

Ich stehe oft an Gleis und Tor,
(I often stand at track and gate,)
mal geh' ich runter, mal empor.
(Sometimes I lower, sometimes elevate.)
Ich setze Grenzen, halte auf,
(I set boundaries, bring to a halt,)
beende manchen schnellen Lauf.
(Ending many a swift assault.)
Im übertragenen Sinn bin ich bekannt,
(In a figurative sense, I am known,)
als Limit Dir im Kopf genannt.
(As a limit named inside your dome.)

What am I? (Solution: die Schranke - the barrier/limit)

💡 More about die Schranke

Word Compounds:

• Bahnschranke: The barrier at a level crossing.
• Park(haus)schranke: The barrier at the entrance/exit of a parking lot or garage.
• Schrankenwärter/in: The person who operates a barrier (often manually).
• Gebührenschranke: A financial barrier (lit. 'fee barrier').
• Altersschranke: An age limit (lit. 'age barrier').

Etymology: The word "Schranke" is related to the verb "(ein)schränken" (to restrict, limit) and likely originally referred to obstacles made of woven branches or poles.