poison
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poison
A substance that can cause serious harm to health or death when taken into a living organism; a toxin or poison.
Das Gift dieser Schlange wirkt innerhalb von Minuten tödlich.
The poison of this snake is deadly within minutes.
poison
(figurative) Something that has a very harmful, corrosive, or destructive effect on something, for example on a relationship, the mood, or society.
Ständiges Misstrauen ist pures Gift für jede Freundschaft.
Constant mistrust is pure poison for any friendship.
you can bet on it
(idiom) You can absolutely rely on that; it is completely certain.
Er wird wieder zu spät kommen, darauf kannst du Gift nehmen.
He will be late again; you can bet on it.
'Das Gift' means 'poison' in German. It is one of the best-known false friends because it looks like the English word 'gift' (present). A gift is 'das Geschenk' in German.
Zum Geburtstag habe ich ein tolles Geschenk bekommen.
I got a great gift for my birthday.
In the figurative sense, 'Gift' describes something that has a very harmful effect on a situation or relationship. In this context, it is often used with the preposition 'für' (for): 'etwas ist Gift für ...' (something is poison for ...).
Ständige Eifersucht ist Gift für eine Partnerschaft.
Constant jealousy is poison for a relationship.
The idiom 'darauf kannst du Gift nehmen' means that something is absolutely certain. It expresses that you can rely on a statement one hundred percent.
Der Chef wird mit dem Ergebnis unzufrieden sein, darauf kannst du Gift nehmen.
The boss will be unhappy with the result; you can bet on it.
The adjective related to 'das Gift' (poison) is 'giftig' (poisonous). It describes things that contain poison or are poisonous, for example 'eine giftige Schlange' (a poisonous snake) or 'eine giftige Pflanze' (a poisonous plant).
Vorsicht, dieser Pilz ist giftig!
Careful, this mushroom is poisonous!
pollutant
“Das Gift” and “der Schadstoff” can both refer to a harmful substance in water. “Das Gift” particularly emphasizes the toxic effect on a living organism, while “der Schadstoff” highlights pollution and the possible impact on the environment or health. Use “Gift” when focusing on the effect on people and “Schadstoff” when focusing on pollution in the water.
Das Gift im Wasser kann Menschen und Tiere schwer krank machen.
The poison in the water can make people and animals seriously ill.
Der Schadstoff im Wasser belastet die Umwelt und muss entfernt werden.
The pollutant in the water is harming the environment and must be removed.
