der Football
football
A team sport originating in the USA that is played with an oval ball (American football).
EXAMPLE
Jeden Sonntagabend schaut er mit seinen Freunden Football.
Every Sunday evening, he watches football with his friends.
der Football
football
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Meanings
der Football
football
The oval ball used in American football.
EXAMPLE
Der Quarterback warf den Football präzise zum Receiver.
The quarterback threw the football precisely to the receiver.
Usage tips
False friend
Careful: in German, 'Football' almost always means 'American football'. The world's most popular ball sport, which is called 'football' in British English, is called 'Fußball' in German.
EXAMPLE
Der Super Bowl ist das Finale der amerikanischen Football-Saison.
The Super Bowl is the final of the American football season.
Context clue
The verb tells you whether the sport or the ball is meant. Verbs like 'spielen' (to play), 'schauen' (to watch), or 'trainieren' (to train) refer to the sport. Verbs like 'werfen' (to throw), 'fangen' (to catch), or 'kaufen' (to buy) refer to the ball.
EXAMPLE
Wollen wir am Sonntag zusammen Football schauen?
Do we want to watch football together on Sunday?
Typical collocations
When referring to the sport, 'Football' is often used in combinations such as 'Football spielen' (to play football), 'Football-Fan' (football fan), 'Football-Mannschaft' (football team), or 'Football-Spiel' (football game).
EXAMPLE
Er ist ein großer Football-Fan und verpasst kein Spiel seiner Mannschaft.
He is a big football fan and never misses one of his team's games.
Compare with
Football vs Rugby
rugby
Football and Rugby are team sports played with an oval ball, but they have different rules. Football refers to American football, while Rugby involves carrying or kicking the ball into the opposing team's in-goal area. Therefore, pay attention to the particular sport and its rules.
Football
Beim Football versucht das Team, den eiförmigen Ball über die gegnerische Linie zu bringen.
In American football, the team tries to carry the oval ball over the opposing team's line.
Rugby
Beim Rugby trägt der Spieler den ovalen Ball bis ins gegnerische Malfeld.
In rugby, the player carries the oval ball into the opposing team's in-goal area.
In real life
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