German Conversation · Level 105
58 words
German word
Fastnacht
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈfastˌnaxt/
Meaning
- feminine nouncarnival
Example
Wir besuchen jedes Jahr die Fastnächte.
We attend the carnival festivities every year.
More examples
Die Familien pflegen die Traditionen der Fastnacht gemeinsam.
Families maintain carnival traditions together.
Core concept
A masked crowd fills the streets with parades, costumes, jokes, and noisy celebrations before Lent.
Common phrases
die Fastnacht feiern
celebrate carnival
sich zur Fastnacht verkleiden
dress up for carnival
Traditionen der Fastnacht pflegen
maintain carnival traditions
Similar words
Karneval: A pre-Lent festival known in the Rhineland for costumes and large parades.
Fasching: A pre-Lent festival in Bavaria and Austria featuring costumes and dances.
Fasnet: A Swabian pre-Lent festival with traditional costumes and folk customs.
Definition in German
Fastnacht ist ein traditionelles Fest, das in bestimmten Regionen am Vorabend der Fastenzeit mit Masken, Umzügen und lustigen Reden gefeiert wird.
Word origin
Fastnacht comes from Middle High German vastnaht, formed from fasten, 'to fast', and naht, 'night', for the time before the Lenten fast.
Usage tips
- Fastnacht is feminine, with the plural Fastnächte, and is a regional term alongside Karneval and Fasching.
Opposites
- FastenzeitLentnoun
- Alltageveryday lifenoun
Related words
- Fastnachtsumzugcarnival paradenoun
- Fastnachtskostümcarnival costumenoun
- Fastnachtszeitcarnival seasonnoun