German word

Fortschritt

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈfɔɐ̯tˌʃʁɪt/

Meaning

  • masculine nounprogress

Example

Wir sehen große Fortschritte.

We are seeing great progress.

Illustration for Fortschritt (progress)

More examples

Ich habe in diesem Jahr deutliche Fortschritte gemacht.

I have made significant progress this year.

Core concept

A series of steps moves a skill, process, or situation forward while gradually improving its state.

Common phrases

  • große Fortschritte machen

    make great progress

  • kleine Fortschritte bemerken

    notice slight progress

  • schnelle Fortschritte machen

    make rapid progress

Similar words

Verbesserung: A shift toward a better state or condition.
Vorankommen: Forward movement that brings a person or process closer to a goal.

Definition in German

Schrittweise Verbesserung oder Vorankommen eines Zustands, Prozesses oder einer Fähigkeit im Vergleich zum früheren Stand.

Word origin

Fortschritt combines the German elements fort, meaning onward or farther, and Schritt, meaning step, so it denotes forward movement by steps.

Usage tips

  • The common expressions are Fortschritte machen and Fortschritte erzielen, with the plural often used for observable gains over time.

Other meanings

  • advancementnoun
  • developmentnoun
  • improvementnoun

Opposites

  • Stillstandstandstillnoun
  • Rückschrittregressionnoun

Related words

  • fortschrittlichprogressiveadjective

Word lists with this word