Definition
A device with coloured lights that controls traffic.
Translations
- English
- traffic light
- Français
- feu de circulation
- Türkçe
- trafik ışığı
- Polski
- sygnalizacja świetlna
- Русский
- светофор
- Українська
- світлофор
GERMAN DICTIONARY
die Ampel
- A2
- Noun
- City & Places
traffic light
/diː ˈampl̩/
Meaning and translations
Meaning, definition and translations of this sense.
Grammar & classification
Main grammatical and classification properties of the word.
- Article
- die
- Gender
- Feminine
- Plural
- Ampeln
- Part of speech
- Noun
- CEFR level
- A2
- Morphology
- Borrowing
- Topics
- City & PlacesPrimary
Usage examples
Examples showing real usage and grammatical forms.
- Die Ampel zeigt gerade Rot.NominativSing.The traffic light is currently red.
- Ich sehe die Ampel an der Kreuzung.AkkusativSing.I see the traffic light at the intersection.
- Wir nähern uns der Ampel vorsichtig.DativSing.We are approaching the traffic light carefully.
- Das Licht der Ampel ist heute kaum zu erkennen.GenitivSing.The traffic light is barely visible today.
- Die Ampeln schalten gleichzeitig auf Grün.NominativPlur.The traffic lights turn green simultaneously.
- Die Autofahrer beachten die Ampeln.AkkusativPlur.The drivers pay attention to the traffic lights.
- Die Fußgänger folgen den Ampeln an der Straße.DativPlur.The pedestrians follow the traffic lights along the road.
- Die Farben der Ampeln leuchten hell.GenitivPlur.The colors of the traffic lights shine brightly.
Pronunciation and forms
Pronunciation and audio for the lemma and important forms.
-
Lemma
Ampel/ˈampl̩/
-
Article phrase
die Ampel/diː ˈampl̩/
-
Plural
Ampeln/ˈampl̩n̩/
Declension / Forms
How the noun changes across German cases and singular or plural.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominativ | die Ampel | die Ampeln |
| Akkusativ | die Ampel | die Ampeln |
| Dativ | der Ampel | den Ampeln |
| Genitiv | der Ampel | der Ampeln |
Usage and collocations
Typical constructions, prepositions and word combinations.
- Adjective combinationeine rote Ampel
- Adjective combinationeine grüne Ampel
- Collocationan der Ampel warten
- Verb constructiondie Ampel beachten + Akkusativ
- Prepositional constructionan der Ampelan + Dativ
- Sentence patternDie Ampel springt auf Grün.
Semantic relations
How this meaning relates to other meanings and easily confused words.
- Narrower termFußgängerampel
A Fußgängerampel is specifically intended to regulate pedestrian traffic, whereas a Ampel can also regulate vehicular traffic or other road users.
- Near-synonymLichtzeichenanlage
Lichtzeichenanlage is the more technical term; Ampel is more common in everyday language and, depending on the context, can also refer to the entire signal system.
Word formation and word family
How the word is formed and its reviewed lexical family.
Formation typeBorrowing
„Ampel“ is a loanword from Latin.