die  Wirtschaft

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈvɪʁtʃaft/

🌍 What does "die Wirtschaft" mean?

The German word die Wirtschaft primarily has two meanings:

• Economy: This refers to the entire system of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services in a country, region, or worldwide. For example: Die deutsche Wirtschaft wächst. (The German economy is growing.) It encompasses concepts like Volkswirtschaft (national economy) and Betriebswirtschaft (business administration).
• Pub / Inn / Tavern: This denotes a place where drinks and often food are sold and consumed, similar to a pub, inn, or a (usually simple) restaurant. For example: Wir treffen uns heute Abend in der Wirtschaft an der Ecke. (We'll meet at the pub/tavern on the corner tonight.) This meaning is often used in everyday language, sometimes regionally specific (especially in Southern Germany).

Since the word is feminine, the article is always die. There's no confusion possible due to different articles.

Article rules for der, die, and das

📊 Grammar of "die Wirtschaft"

Wirtschaft is a feminine noun. The definite article is always die.

Declension

Here's how die Wirtschaft declines (changes form depending on its grammatical case):

Note: The plural die Wirtschaften is mostly used for the meaning "pubs/inns". For "economy", the plural is less common (e.g., die verschiedenen Wirtschaften Europas - the different economies of Europe); one often speaks of Wirtschaftssysteme (economic systems) or Volkswirtschaften (national economies).

Example Sentences

1. Meaning Economy:
   • Die globale Wirtschaft steht vor großen Herausforderungen. (The global economy faces major challenges.)
   • Die Regierung fördert die heimische Wirtschaft. (The government supports the domestic economy.)
   • Experten analysieren die Entwicklung der Wirtschaft. (Experts analyze the development of the economy.)
2. Meaning Pub/Inn:
   • Gehen wir heute Abend in die kleine Wirtschaft am Marktplatz? (Shall we go to the little pub/tavern on the market square tonight?)
   • In dieser Wirtschaft gibt es das beste Schnitzel der Stadt. (This pub/inn has the best Schnitzel in town.)
   • Der Wirt der Wirtschaft ist sehr freundlich. (The landlord of the pub/inn is very friendly.)

🗣️ How to use "die Wirtschaft"?

The context usually makes the intended meaning clear:

• Economy: Often used in news reports, political discussions, and academic or professional contexts related to finance and commerce. Common collocations include: freie Marktwirtschaft (free market economy), soziale Marktwirtschaft (social market economy), Wirtschaftswachstum (economic growth), Weltwirtschaft (world economy), Volkswirtschaft (national economy), Betriebswirtschaft (business administration). You talk about the Wirtschaft eines Landes (a country's economy) or einer Branche (an industry's economy).
• Pub/Inn: More common in everyday spoken German, sometimes with regional variations (especially in southern Germany). It typically refers to a simple, traditional pub, tavern, or inn. You gehen in die Wirtschaft (go to the pub), treffen sich in der Wirtschaft (meet at the pub). Depending on the region and type of establishment, synonyms like Kneipe (pub), Lokal (local pub/bar), Gasthaus (inn), or Beiz (Swiss German for pub) might be more fitting.

⚠️ Be careful not to mix up the meanings. When people talk about „der Krise der Wirtschaft“ (the crisis of the economy), they almost always mean the economic system, not that all the pubs are in trouble.

🧠 Mnemonics for "die Wirtschaft"

• For the article "die":

  Think of how many German nouns ending in "-schaft" are feminine (die Freundschaft - friendship, die Gesellschaft - society, die Landschaft - landscape). Die Wirtschaft follows this pattern. Or picture a busy queen bee (die Königin - feminine) managing her hive – a perfect little economy (Wirtschaft). It's her (die) domain.

• For the meanings:

  Imagine the Wirt (innkeeper/host) who both runs his Gastwirtschaft (pub, serving guests) and talks business, discussing die Wirtschaft (the economy) in general. One place is about earning money locally (the pub), the other is the big picture of earning money (the economy). Both involve managing resources, whether it's beer taps or national budgets.

↔️ Synonyms & Antonyms

Similar Words

• Wirt/Wirtin: The host/innkeeper (male/female) who runs a pub or acts as a host.
• wirtschaften (verb): To manage economically, to run a household or business; (colloquially) to make a mess while working. E.g., Er wirtschaftet gut. (He manages things well.) Sie wirtschaftet in der Küche herum. (She's bustling about/making a bit of a mess in the kitchen.)
• wirtschaftlich (adjective): Economic, relating to the economy. E.g., Die wirtschaftliche Lage ist stabil. (The economic situation is stable.)
• Hauswirtschaft: Home economics, housekeeping.

😂 A little joke

German: Fragt der Wirtschaftsminister den Finanzminister: „Wie steht unsere Wirtschaft?“ Sagt der Finanzminister: „Am Abgrund, aber wir machen bald einen großen Schritt nach vorn!“

English: The Minister of Economy asks the Minister of Finance: "How is our economy doing?" The Minister of Finance replies: "At the abyss, but we're about to take a big step forward!"

📜 Poem about "die Wirtschaft"

German:
Die Wirtschaft, sie summt wie ein Bienenstock,
Mal geht's bergauf, mal erleidet sie 'nen Schock.
Ob Aktienkurs, ob BIP, ob Zins,
Sie ist ein Kreislauf, ohne Prins und ohne Pips.

Doch meint man die Wirtschaft, wo Bier man zapft,
Wo man nach Feierabend gemütlich hockt und schwatzt,
Ist's auch ein Ort, wo das Leben pulst,
Wo man mit Freunden lacht und schmust.

English Translation:
The economy, it hums like a beehive's sound,
Sometimes uphill, sometimes shock can astound.
Be it stock price, GDP, or interest rate,
It's a cycle turning, sealing its own fate.

But if you mean the pub, where beer flows free,
Where after work you chat contentedly,
It's also a place where life does pulse and thrive,
Where friends all laugh and feel alive.

❓ Riddle

German:
Ich habe Kurven, doch bewege mich nicht selbst.
Ich kann wachsen oder schrumpfen, ohne Diät.
Manchmal bin ich ein Ort, wo man Durst und Hunger stillt,
Manchmal ein ganzes Land, das nach Wohlstand schillt.

Was bin ich?

English Translation:
I have curves, but I don't move myself.
I can grow or shrink, without any diet.
Sometimes I'm a place where thirst and hunger are quenched,
Sometimes a whole country, striving for wealth.

What am I?
(Answer: die Wirtschaft - the economy / the pub)

🧩 More about "die Wirtschaft"

• Word Origin: The word Wirtschaft derives from the Old High German word wirt, meaning 'master of the house', 'host', or 'husband'. The suffix '-schaft' denotes a state or collectivity. Originally, it referred more to housekeeping (cf. Hauswirtschaft - home economics), then to hosting guests (Gastwirtschaft - inn/pub), and finally expanded to encompass the entire economic system.
• Compounds: There are countless compound words (Komposita) formed with Wirtschaft, such as: Wirtschaftswissenschaft (economics as a science), Wirtschaftspolitik (economic policy), Schattenwirtschaft (shadow economy), Planwirtschaft (planned economy), Marktwirtschaft (market economy), Wirtschaftswunder (economic miracle), Wirtschaftskriminalität (white-collar crime), Wirtschaftsprüfer (auditor), Gastwirtschaft (pub/inn).