fertile / fruitful
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fertile
Describes the ability of living beings to produce offspring, or of plants and soils to produce fruit or a rich harvest.
Dank des Regens war der Boden dieses Jahr besonders fruchtbar.
Thanks to the rain, the soil was especially fertile this year.
The word 'fruchtbar' is derived from 'die Frucht' (fruit). The ending '-bar' means 'capable of' or 'producing something'. So 'fruchtbar' literally means that something can produce fruit.
Ein fruchtbarer Baum trägt jedes Jahr viele Äpfel.
A fertile tree bears many apples every year.
In the literal meaning, 'fruchtbar' is often combined with terms from nature and agriculture. Typical phrases are 'fruchtbarer Boden' (fertile soil), 'fruchtbare Erde' (fertile earth), or 'fruchtbares Land' (fertile land).
Die Bauern hoffen auf ein fruchtbares Jahr mit viel Regen.
The farmers are hoping for a fertile year with plenty of rain.
In the figurative, productive meaning, 'fruchtbar' is used for intellectual or social processes. Common combinations are 'eine fruchtbare Zusammenarbeit' (a fruitful collaboration), 'ein fruchtbarer Austausch' (a fruitful exchange), or 'fruchtbare Ideen' (fruitful ideas).
Das Team hatte eine sehr fruchtbare Besprechung.
The team had a very fruitful meeting.
awesome / horny
'geil' and 'fruchtbar' can both refer, in an old meaning, to rich soil or strong plant growth. Today, you would normally use 'fruchtbar' for this. 'geil' in this meaning is outdated and sounds unusual in modern conversation. When talking about soil, plants, or harvests, 'fruchtbar' is almost always more natural and more precise. Today, 'geil' is much more familiar from colloquial language with other meanings.
Der Boden im Tal ist sehr fruchtbar, deshalb wächst dort viel Gemüse.
The soil in the valley is very fertile, so a lot of vegetables grow there.
In alten Texten kann ein geiler Boden einen sehr reichen und üppigen Boden meinen.
In old texts, 'geiler Boden' can mean very rich and lush soil.