cemetery
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cemetery
A defined area of land where deceased people are buried in graves. Often there is also a chapel there for funeral services.
Wir besuchen am Sonntag das Grab unserer Großeltern auf dem Friedhof.
On Sunday, we are visiting our grandparents' grave at the cemetery.
The word 'Friedhof' (cemetery) is made up of 'Friede(n)' (peace) and 'Hof' (yard/court). So it literally describes a 'yard of peace', a resting place for the deceased.
Viele alte Friedhöfe sind wie Parks angelegt und strahlen eine friedliche Atmosphäre aus.
Many old cemeteries are laid out like parks and radiate a peaceful atmosphere.
To describe movement, German uses 'auf den Friedhof gehen' (to go to the cemetery). To describe a place where someone is located, you say 'auf dem Friedhof sein' (to be at the cemetery).
Er geht jeden Sonntag auf den Friedhof, um das Grab zu pflegen.
He goes to the cemetery every Sunday to tend the grave.
Common verbs in connection with the cemetery are 'ein Grab besuchen' (to visit a grave), 'Blumen niederlegen' (to lay flowers), and 'beerdigt werden' (to be buried).
Meine Urgroßmutter wurde auf diesem Friedhof beerdigt.
My great-grandmother was buried in this cemetery.
The figurative meaning can be recognized when the context is about a collection of old, broken objects. The word often then becomes part of a compound such as 'Autofriedhof' (car graveyard) or 'Schiffsfriedhof' (ship graveyard).
Hinter der alten Fabrik befindet sich ein riesiger Autofriedhof.
Behind the old factory there is a huge car graveyard.
grave
'das Grab' and 'der Friedhof' both belong to the topic of death and burial. A 'Grab' is the individual spot where a deceased person is buried. A 'Friedhof' is the whole area with many graves. Learners may confuse the words because a grave is usually located in a cemetery. When you visit a specific deceased person, you often go to their grave. When you mean the place as a whole, you say 'Friedhof'.
Der Friedhof am Stadtrand ist sehr alt und hat viele große Bäume.
The cemetery on the edge of town is very old and has many large trees.
Am Sonntag legt Anna Blumen auf das Grab ihrer Großmutter.
On Sunday, Anna places flowers on her grandmother's grave.