die
Überwachungskamera
📹 What does 'die Überwachungskamera' mean?
Die Überwachungskamera is the German word for a surveillance camera or CCTV camera. It refers to a camera used to observe or monitor places, people, or processes, usually for security reasons. They are often used for crime prevention, solving crimes, or controlling specific areas.
The term is a compound word: 'Überwachung' (surveillance) + 'Kamera' (camera). Since 'Kamera' is feminine (die Kamera), the compound word 'Überwachungskamera' is also feminine.
🧐 Grammar in Detail: Die Überwachungskamera
The word 'Überwachungskamera' is a feminine noun. The definite article is 'die'.
Singular
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Überwachungskamera |
| Genitive | der | Überwachungskamera |
| Dative | der | Überwachungskamera |
| Accusative | die | Überwachungskamera |
Plural
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Überwachungskameras |
| Genitive | der | Überwachungskameras |
| Dative | den | Überwachungskameras |
| Accusative | die | Überwachungskameras |
Example Sentences
- Die neue Überwachungskamera wurde über dem Eingang installiert.
(The new surveillance camera was installed above the entrance.) - Man sieht auf den Aufnahmen der Überwachungskamera, wie der Dieb das Gebäude betritt.
(You can see on the footage from the surveillance camera how the thief enters the building.) - Mit modernen Überwachungskameras kann man auch nachts gute Bilder aufnehmen.
(With modern surveillance cameras, you can record good images even at night.) - Der Ladenbesitzer überprüft regelmäßig die Aufzeichnungen seiner Überwachungskameras.
(The shop owner regularly checks the recordings from his surveillance cameras.)
🌐 How is 'Überwachungskamera' used?
The term 'Überwachungskamera' is primarily used in contexts related to security, crime prevention, and monitoring. You'll encounter it:
- In news reports about crime or security technology.
- In discussions about data privacy and personal privacy (Datenschutz und Privatsphäre).
- In technical descriptions of security systems (e.g., CCTV systems).
- In everyday language when discussing the observation of public or private spaces.
Alternative terms include Sicherheitskamera (security camera) or colloquially just Kamera if the context makes it clear. The term 'Überwachungskamera' emphasizes the surveillance function.
🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids
Here are a couple of ideas to help remember the word and its article:
Article 'die': Remember the base word is 'Kamera', and it's die Kamera. Compound nouns in German often take the gender of the last part. So: die Kamera -> die Überwachungskamera.
Meaning: Imagine a camera watching over everything ('über') watchfully ('wach'). An 'Über-wach-ungs-kamera' is an 'over-watching' camera.
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (Similar Meaning)
- Sicherheitskamera: Emphasizes the security aspect.
- Videokamera (in context): Video camera, used when it's clear it's for surveillance.
- CCTV-Kamera: Technical term (Closed Circuit Television).
- Webcam (rarely): Only if explicitly used for surveillance, often technically less precise.
Antonyms (Opposite Meaning)
There isn't a direct antonym. However, you could contrast concepts:
- Privatsphäre: Privacy, the state of not being surveilled.
- Unsichtbarkeit / Versteck: Invisibility / Hiding place, areas not covered by cameras.
- Fotokamera / Filmkamera: Photo camera / Movie camera, primarily used for creative or documentary recording, not continuous surveillance.
⚠️ Similar but Different Words
- Wildkamera: Trail camera, used for observing animals in nature.
- Dashcam: Camera in a car for recording traffic events.
😄 A Little Joke
Warum hat die Überwachungskamera im Gemüseladen gekündigt?
Sie hat gesagt: 'Ich halte diesen Lauch nicht mehr aus!'
(Why did the surveillance camera in the vegetable shop quit?
She said: 'I can't stand this leek (common slang for 'idiot/dork') anymore!') (Pun: 'Lauch' means leek, but is also slang.)
📜 A Little Poem
Die Kamera an der Wand,
hält alles fest in ihrer Hand.
Ein Auge, das niemals schläft,
und über Sicherheit hier schwebt.
Die Überwachungskamera, still und klein,
soll Hüter dieses Ortes sein.
(The camera on the wall,
holds everything firmly in its hand.
An eye that never sleeps,
and hovers over security here.
The surveillance camera, silent and small,
shall be the guardian of this place.)
❓ Riddle Time
Ich habe ein Auge, doch kann nicht sehen.
Ich wache stets, ohne zu gehen.
Ich zeichne auf, was vor mir geschieht,
ob Freude, Trauer oder Diebeslied.
Was bin ich?→ Die Überwachungskamera
(I have an eye, but cannot see.
I always watch, without moving my feet.
I record what happens before me,
whether joy, sorrow, or a thief's ditty.
What am I?
→ The surveillance camera)
🧩 Other Information
Word Composition (Wortzusammensetzung):
The word 'Überwachungskamera' is a compound noun (Kompositum), formed from:
- Überwachung: Noun form of the verb 'überwachen' (to monitor, to surveil).
- -s-: Linking 's' (Fugen-s), a common connecting element in German compounds.
- Kamera: The base word (camera).
The proliferation of Überwachungskameras has significantly increased in recent decades, often leading to debates about the balance between security (Sicherheit) and privacy (Privatsphäre).
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Überwachungskamera?
The noun 'Überwachungskamera' is feminine. The correct article is die Überwachungskamera. It describes a camera used for monitoring and securing areas (surveillance camera/CCTV).