die /
das
Steuer
💰🧾 What does "Steuer" mean? A dual explanation!
The German word Steuer has different meanings depending on its article:
die Steuer (feminine)
This refers to a tax or levy, a sum of money that must be paid to the government or another public body. Examples include Einkommensteuer (income tax), Umsatzsteuer (VAT), or Kirchensteuer (church tax).
Think of: die financial burden, die mandatory payment.
das Steuer (neuter)
This refers to a steering mechanism or helm used to direct a vehicle or aircraft. This could be the Lenkrad (steering wheel) of a car, the Ruder (rudder) of a ship, or the Steuerknüppel (control stick/joystick) of an airplane.
Think of: das steering wheel, das rudder, das control device.
🚨 Caution: Potential for confusion with plurals! The plural of das Steuer (steering device) is die Steuer. The plural of die Steuer (tax) is die Steuern. Context is key here!
⚙️ Grammar Deep Dive: "die Steuer" and "das Steuer" Declension
Here you can see the declension for both meanings of "Steuer":
Declension of die Steuer (Tax)
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative (who/what?) | die Steuer | die Steuern |
| Genitive (whose?) | der Steuer | der Steuern |
| Dative (to whom/what?) | der Steuer | den Steuern |
| Accusative (whom/what?) | die Steuer | die Steuern |
Declension of das Steuer (Steering Device)
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative (who/what?) | das Steuer | die Steuer |
| Genitive (whose?) | des Steuers | der Steuer |
| Dative (to whom/what?) | dem Steuer | den Steuern |
| Accusative (whom/what?) | das Steuer | die Steuer |
⚠️ Note that the plural of das Steuer is die Steuer (e.g., die Steuer eines großen Schiffes können mehrere Ruder sein - a large ship's steering mechanisms can be multiple rudders).
Example Sentences
- Die Steuer auf Benzin wurde erhöht. (The tax on gasoline was increased.)
- Er hat seine Steuern pünktlich bezahlt. (He paid his taxes on time.)
- Der Kapitän übernahm das Steuer des Schiffes. (The captain took the helm of the ship.)
- Die alten Schiffe hatten oft riesige hölzerne Steuer. (The old ships often had huge wooden rudders/helms. - Plural of das Steuer)
- Seine Steuererklärung war sehr kompliziert. (His tax declaration was very complicated. - Referring to tax)
🎯 Using "Steuer" in Context: When and How
The use of "Steuer" clearly depends on its respective meaning:
- Die Steuer (tax):
- Used whenever referring to financial payments to the state or other institutions.
- Typical contexts: Steuergesetze (tax laws), Steuererklärung (tax return), Steuerreform (tax reform), Steuerhinterziehung (tax evasion).
- Examples: "Die Mehrwertsteuer beträgt 19%." (VAT is 19%.), "Er muss hohe Steuern zahlen." (He has to pay high taxes.)
- Das Steuer (steering device):
- In the context of vehicles, ships, airplanes – anything that is steered.
- Typical contexts: Autofahren (driving a car), Schifffahrt (shipping, navigation), Luftfahrt (aviation), Bedienung von Maschinen (operating machines).
- Examples: "Sie saß am Steuer ihres neuen Wagens." (She sat at the steering wheel of her new car.), "Das Flugzeug reagierte prompt auf das Steuer." (The airplane responded promptly to the controls.)
Important to distinguish from:
- The verb steuern: "Er steuert das Boot sicher in den Hafen." (He steers the boat safely into the harbor.) or "Sie steuert einen Teil ihres Gehalts zur Miete bei." (She contributes part of her salary to the rent - from 'beisteuern', to contribute).
- Nouns referring to people like der Steuermann (helmsman) or der Steuerberater (tax advisor). These are masculine and refer to people, not the object or the tax itself.
The idiom "das Steuer herumreißen" (literally: to yank the wheel around) means to avert a critical situation through decisive action.
🧠 Memory Aids for Articles and Meanings of Steuer
For the articles:
"Die Abgabe (the levy/due) is feminine, like die Steuer (tax). Many 'e's!"
"Das Gerät (the device) is neuter, like das Steuer (steering device)."
For the meanings (combined):
"The state uses die Steuer (tax) to steer your money into its coffers, so you might afford a new car with a fine das Steuer (steering wheel) – but only maybe!"
Or shorter: "With one Steuer (das) you steer, the other Steuer (die) you clear (pay to the state)."
↔️ Similar and Different: Synonyms and Antonyms for Steuer
die Steuer (tax)
Synonyms:
- Abgabe (levy, charge, contribution - general term)
- Gebühr (fee - for a specific service)
- Beitrag (contribution - e.g., social security contribution)
- Zoll (customs duty, toll)
- Obolus (contribution, often ironically for a small sum)
- Tribut (tribute - historically, forced payment)
Antonyms:
- Subvention (subsidy)
- Zuschuss (grant, allowance)
- Förderung (support, funding)
- Erstattung (refund, reimbursement)
- Steuererleichterung (tax relief)
das Steuer (steering device)
Synonyms:
- Lenkrad (steering wheel - mainly for cars)
- Volant (steering wheel - often for sports cars or older cars)
- Ruder (rudder - for ships, aircraft)
- Steuerknüppel (joystick, control stick - for aircraft)
- Pinne (tiller - for small sailboats)
- Helm (helm - nautical term for rudder assembly/tiller)
Antonyms:
- (Difficult for a part; in context: Autopilot, feststehend - fixed/non-steerable)
🚨 Beware of similar words: "Der Steuermann" is a helmsman (a person). "Die Steuerung" is the control system or the act of steering.
😂 A Little Joke About "Steuer"
German:
Fragt der Finanzbeamte den Steuerzahler: "Ist das Ihr Ernst, dass Sie als Beruf 'Zauberer' angeben und dann 10.000 Euro für 'Verschwindekosten' absetzen wollen?"
Antwortet der Zauberer: "Aber ja! Sie sollten mal sehen, wie schnell das Geld verschwindet!"
English Translation:
The tax officer asks the taxpayer: "Are you serious that you state 'magician' as your profession and then want to deduct 10,000 Euros for 'disappearing costs'?"
The magician replies: "But of course! You should see how quickly the money disappears!"
✒️ A Little Poem About the Whims of "Steuer"
German:
Die Steuer, oft ein schwerer Posten,
lässt manchen Bürger ächzen, kosten.
Sie füllt des Staates Säckel prall,
ist unvermeidlich, überall.
Das Steuer fest in starker Hand,
führt sicher uns durch See und Land.
Ein Dreh nach links, ein Zug nach rechts,
so meistert man des Weges Schlecht's.
Zwei Worte, doch ihr Klang ist gleich,
verwirren manchmal fürchterlich.
Doch wer den Unterschied erkennt,
ist im Gespräch eloquent!
English Translation:
The tax (die Steuer), often a heavy item,
Makes many a citizen groan, at great cost then.
It fills the state's coffers tight,
Is unavoidable, everywhere in sight.
The helm (das Steuer) firm in a strong hand,
Guides us safely through sea and land.
A turn to the left, a pull to the right,
Thus one masters the path's bad plight.
Two words, yet their sound is the same,
Sometimes confuse most terribly.
But whoever discerns the difference plain,
Is eloquent in conversation, certainly!
❓ Riddle Time: Who or What Am I?
German:
Ich habe zwei Artikel, bring Freud und Leid.
Mit 'die' bin ich bekannt als das, was man dem Staat oft leidvoll gibt.
Mit 'das' halte ich dich auf Kurs, bei Tag und auch bei Nacht geschwind.
Mal bin ich eine Summe Geld, die schrumpft dein Portemonnaie,
Mal bin ich ein Rad, ein Hebel, oh je, was bin ich, he?
English Translation:
I have two articles, bring joy and sorrow.
With 'die', I'm known as what one often painfully gives to the state, quite thorough.
With 'das', I keep you on course, by day and also swiftly by night's morrow.
Sometimes I am a sum of money that shrinks your wallet, you see,
Sometimes I am a wheel, a lever, oh dear, what am I, tell me?
Answer: Die Steuer / Das Steuer (The Tax / The Helm or Steering Wheel)
💡 Trivia and Word Components for Steuer
Word Origin (Wortherkunft)
The word "Steuer" originates from the Old High German word "stiura," which could mean "support," "aid," as well as "steering" or "levy." So, the dual meaning is very old and rooted in Germanic languages.
Compound Nouns (Wortzusammensetzungen / Komposita)
"Steuer" is a very productive word in German and forms many compound nouns:
With die Steuer (tax):
- Einkommensteuer (income tax)
- Umsatzsteuer (VAT/sales tax)
- Mehrwertsteuer (VAT)
- Körperschaftsteuer (corporate tax)
- Gewerbesteuer (trade tax)
- Grundsteuer (property tax)
- Erbschaftsteuer (inheritance tax)
- Steuererklärung (tax declaration/return)
- Steuerbescheid (tax assessment notice)
- Steuerberater (tax advisor)
- Steuerfahndung (tax investigation (unit))
- Steuerhinterziehung (tax evasion)
- Steuerklasse (tax bracket/class)
- Steueroase (tax haven)
With das Steuer (steering device):
- Steuerrad (steering wheel - often synonymous with Lenkrad)
- Steuerknüppel (joystick/control stick)
- Steuerbord (starboard - right side of a ship)
- Steuermann / Steuerfrau (helmsman/helmswoman)
- Steuerhaus (wheelhouse/bridge on a ship)
- Fernsteuerung (remote control)
- Servolenkung (power steering, literally servo-steering)
- Bugstrahlruder (bow thruster - a type of steering device)
Idioms (Redewendungen)
- Am Steuer sitzen: Literally "to sit at the helm/wheel"; means to be in charge or in control.
- Das Steuer herumreißen: Literally "to yank the wheel around"; means to decisively change a course of action or development, often to avert something worse.
- Jemanden ans Steuer lassen: Literally "to let someone at the helm/wheel"; means to entrust someone with responsibility.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Steuer?
The word "Steuer" has two articles and thus two main meanings: die Steuer (feminine) refers to a financial levy paid to the state (e.g., Einkommensteuer - income tax). Das Steuer (neuter) is a device for steering, like a steering wheel in a car or a rudder on a ship. Remember: "die Abgabe" (the levy) for tax, "das Lenkrad" (the steering wheel) for the device. Crucially, the plural of "das Steuer" (steering wheel) is "die Steuer", which can be confused with the singular feminine word for tax. The plural for taxes is "die Steuern".