die  Spielrunde

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈʃpiːlˌʁʊndə/

🎲 What exactly is a Spielrunde?

Die Spielrunde (feminine noun, plural: die Spielrunden) refers to a self-contained section or round within a game. This can relate to board games, card games, video games, but also to sports or even rounds of discussion.

• In a game context: A part of a game defined by time or rules, after which points are often counted, positions are changed, or certain actions are completed (e.g., a round of dealing and playing cards).
• Figuratively: Sometimes the term is also used for a round of negotiations or discussions, especially if these have a playful or strategic character.

It's a compound word (Kompositum) made of Spiel (game) and Runde (round, circuit). Since Runde is feminine ("die Runde"), Spielrunde is also feminine: die Spielrunde.

Article rules for der, die, and das

📜 Grammar under the Microscope: Die Spielrunde

The noun „Spielrunde“ is feminine. The article is therefore „die“. Here are the declension tables:

💡 Examples from Life

1. Wir spielen noch eine Spielrunde Monopoly, bevor wir ins Bett gehen.
   (We'll play one more round of Monopoly before we go to bed.)
2. In der letzten Spielrunde hat er alle seine Punkte verloren.
   (In the last round, he lost all his points.)
3. Die nächste Spielrunde beginnt nach einer kurzen Pause.
   (The next round begins after a short break.)
4. Die Verhandlungen gingen in die dritte Spielrunde, ohne Ergebnis.
   (The negotiations went into the third round without a result.)

🎯 When to use "die Spielrunde"?

The term die Spielrunde is very commonly used in the context of games and leisure activities.

• Board and card games: Here it often denotes a complete cycle, e.g., until everyone has been the dealer once or a specific sub-goal has been reached. („Wer hat diese Spielrunde gewonnen?“ - Who won this round?)
• Video games: Especially in multiplayer games, a Spielrunde refers to a single game or match on a specific map or in a mode. („Die nächste Spielrunde startet in 10 Sekunden.“ - The next round starts in 10 seconds.)
• Sports: Sometimes used for a phase or heat in certain sports, although more specific terms like „Satz“ (set), „Halbzeit“ (half-time), or „Inning“ are often more common here.
• Discussions/Negotiations: Less common, but possible, to describe a phase of a discussion or negotiation, often with a slightly ironic or playful undertone. („Nach einer hitzigen Spielrunde vertagte man die Entscheidung.“ - After a heated round, the decision was postponed.)

Distinction from similar terms:

• Die Runde: Can be synonymous in a game context, but is more general and can also refer to a group of people (die Stammtischrunde - the regulars' table group) or an order of drinks (eine Runde Bier - a round of beer).
• Die Partie: Often refers to the entire game, not just a section. For example, in chess, one says „eine Partie Schach“ (a game of chess), not „eine Spielrunde Schach“.
• Der Durchgang: Very similar to Spielrunde, often interchangeable in the context of games, emphasizing the completion of a phase.

🧠 Mnemonics for Spielrunde

Article Mnemonic: Think of "die Runde" (the round). A Runde is feminine. A round in a game (Spiel) is therefore also feminine: die Spielrunde.

Meaning Mnemonic: Imagine everyone sitting in a round (Runde) during the game (Spiel), completing one phase. That's a Spiel-Runde.

↔️ Similar & Different: Synonyms and Antonyms

⚠️ Similar, but different words

• Der Spielplatz: (playground) Place for children to play.
• Das Rundenspiel: (round-based game) A game structured in rounds (as opposed to real-time, for example).

😂 A Little Joke

Fragt der eine Schachspieler den anderen nach drei Stunden: „Sag mal, ist das noch die erste Spielrunde oder schon die zweite Tasse Kaffee?“

(One chess player asks the other after three hours: "Say, is this still the first round or already the second cup of coffee?")

✍️ Poem about the Spielrunde

Die Karten gemischt, die Würfel bereit,
Für die Spielrunde ist es nun Zeit.
Punkte gesammelt, Strategie erdacht,
Wer hat am Ende am lautesten gelacht?
Ob Sieg oder Niederlage, das ist einerlei,
Die nächste Spielrunde kommt schnell herbei.

(The cards shuffled, the dice ready,
For the game round, it's now steady.
Points gathered, strategy conceived,
Who, in the end, laughed loudest, relieved?
Win or lose, it doesn't matter anyway,
The next game round is quickly on its way.)

❓ Fun Riddle

Ich bin ein Teil, doch nicht das Ganze,
Gehör zum Spiel, zum Sieg, zur Chance.
Mal kurz, mal lang, mit Würfelglück,
Nach mir kommt oft das nächste Stück.

Was bin ich?

(I am a part, but not the whole,
Belong to the game, the win, the goal.
Sometimes short, sometimes long, with lucky dice,
After me often comes the next slice.

What am I?)

(Answer: die Spielrunde / the game round)

🧩 More about Spielrunde

Word Composition

The word „Spielrunde“ is a compound noun (Kompositum):

• Das Spiel: Refers to the activity of playing.
• Die Runde: Refers to a completed cycle or round.

The gender of the compound noun is determined by the last word („die Runde“), hence „die Spielrunde“.

Cultural Context

In Germany, shared „Spielrunden“, often as part of a „Spieleabend“ (game night) with family or friends, hold significant social importance. They represent sociability and shared leisure time.