German Conversation · Level 9
87 words
German word
Kreis
Pronunciation
IPA/kʁaɪ̯s/
Meaning
- masculine nouncircle
Example
Sie standen im Kreis und sangen.
They stood in a circle and sang.
More examples
Wir sitzen im Kreis und reden.
We sit in a circle and talk.
Core concept
A closed ring of people or points, extended to a defined area on a map.
Common phrases
im Kreis sitzen
sit in a circle
einen Kreis bilden
form a circle
Similar words
Gruppe: A set of people brought together by a shared purpose or setting.
Runde: A single turn in an activity where participants act in order.
Zirkel: A small, regular gathering for people with the same interest.
Definition in German
Ein Kreis bezeichnet eine geschlossene, runde Form oder eine Gruppe von Personen, die einen Ring bilden, und kann auch einen Verwaltungsbezirk bezeichnen.
Word origin
Kreis comes through Old High German kreiz and Middle High German from Latin circus, whose sense of a ring or circle underlies the modern word.
Usage tips
- Kreis is masculine, and its plural is Kreise; the dative phrase im Kreis means in the circle or among the people forming it.
Other meanings
- districtnoun
Opposites
- Einzelpersonindividualnoun
Related words
- Familienkreisfamily circlenoun
- Landkreisdistrictnoun