01
der Alkohol
alcohol
A general term for alcoholic drinks such as beer, wine, or liquor.
example
Der Arzt hat ihm geraten, weniger Alkohol zu trinken.
The doctor advised him to drink less alcohol.
der Alkohol
alcohol
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Typical collocations
When 'Alkohol' (alcohol) refers to drinks, it is often combined with verbs such as 'trinken' (to drink), 'vertragen' (to tolerate / to be able to handle), or 'verzichten auf' (to give up / to abstain from). In this context, the word is usually uncountable.
EXAMPLE
Seit einem Jahr verzichtet er komplett auf Alkohol.
He has completely given up alcohol for a year.
Context clues
You can tell from the context whether the chemical substance is meant. Words such as 'rein' (pure), 'Prozent' (percent), 'desinfizieren' (to disinfect), or a medical or chemical context point to this meaning.
EXAMPLE
Diese Lösung enthält 70 Prozent Alkohol.
This solution contains 70 percent alcohol.
Register and usage
The expressions 'unter Alkohol stehen' (to be under the influence of alcohol) or 'unter Alkoholeinfluss stehen' (to be under the influence of alcohol) are formal, official ways to say that someone is drunk. They are frequently used by the police, in news reports, or in official reports.
EXAMPLE
Laut Polizeibericht stand der Unfallverursacher unter Alkoholeinfluss.
According to the police report, the person who caused the accident was under the influence of alcohol.
Compare with
Alkohol vs betrunken
drunk
'der Alkohol' and 'betrunken' are both connected to drinking alcoholic beverages. But 'Alkohol' is the thing itself, for example beer, wine, or liquor. 'betrunken' describes the state of a person after they have drunk too much alcohol. You can confuse the words because both occur in the same situation. Still, you do not say that a person 'is alcohol'; instead, they are 'betrunken' or are 'unter Alkohol' (under the influence). 'Alkohol' names the drink or the substance, while 'betrunken' names the effect on a person.
Alkohol
Auf der Feier gab es auch Getränke ohne Alkohol.
At the party, there were also drinks without alcohol.
betrunken
Nach drei Gläsern Wein war er deutlich betrunken.
After three glasses of wine, he was clearly drunk.
In real life
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