tide / time
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tides
The regular rising and falling of sea level caused by the gravitational forces of the moon and the sun. A distinction is made between 'Ebbe' (ebb tide, receding water) and 'Flut' (flood tide, incoming water). The word is used almost exclusively in the plural.
An der Nordsee muss man bei einer Wattwanderung immer die Gezeiten beachten.
On the North Sea, you always have to pay attention to the tides when hiking across the mudflats.
The word 'Gezeit' is closely related to 'Zeit' (time). The prefix 'Ge-' here suggests a recurring, completed period of time, which fits well with the rhythm of ebb and flood tide.
Die Gezeiten sind ein ewiger Kreislauf der Zeit am Meer.
The tides are an eternal cycle of time by the sea.
In the meaning 'Tide' (tide), this word is used almost exclusively in the plural 'die Gezeiten' (the tides). The singular 'die Gezeit' is very rare in this context.
Die Gezeiten bestimmen das Leben an der Küste.
The tides determine life on the coast.
The two phases of the tides are called 'Ebbe' (ebb tide; the water goes out) and 'Flut' (flood tide; the water comes in). A typical phrase is 'der Rhythmus der Gezeiten' (the rhythm of the tides).
Ebbe und Flut sind die zwei Seiten der Gezeiten.
Ebb and flood tide are the two sides of the tides.
The meaning 'Epoche' (era) or 'Zeitabschnitt' (period of time) is outdated and today is used only in poetic or very elevated language to create a special historical mood.
Es war eine düstere Gezeit voller Unsicherheit und Angst.
It was a dark time full of uncertainty and fear.
time
'die Zeit' and 'die Gezeit' look similar and can therefore easily be confused. 'Zeit' is the normal word for a period or duration. 'Gezeit' can also mean a period of time in old or poetic language, but that is rare today. In modern German, people almost always use the plural 'die Gezeiten', meaning the tides at the sea. In everyday language, 'Zeit' is therefore almost always correct when you are talking about duration or a period of time. 'Gezeiten' fits when you are talking about the sea and the water level.
An der Nordsee muss man die Gezeiten beachten, bevor man ins Watt geht.
On the North Sea, you have to pay attention to the tides before going out onto the mudflats.
Vor dem Wochenende hatte ich wenig Zeit zum Einkaufen.
Before the weekend, I had little time for shopping.