English–German
“disaster” in German
Pronunciation
IPA/gaʊ̯/
Example
Das Konzert gestern war ein richtiger Gau.
Yesterday's concert was a real disaster.
How to say “disaster” in German
“Disaster” in German is Gau.
A single failure spreads through a whole undertaking until the entire plan lies in ruins.
Example sentences with Gau
Durch den Absturz der Systeme wurde das Projekt ein technischer Gau.
Because the systems crashed, the project became a technical disaster.
Tips for using Gau
- Gau is masculine, so the standard form is "der Gau"; the disaster sense is colloquial, while formal writing often uses "Katastrophe" or "schwerer Unfall".
Other German words for “disaster”
Die Folgen des Desasters sind noch sichtbar.
The consequences of the disaster are still visible.
Nach der Katastrophe war die Stadt zerstört.
After the disaster, the city lay in ruins.
Die Folgen des Verhängnisses waren katastrophal.
The consequences of the disaster were catastrophic.