main topic
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main topic
The central subject, the most important theme, or the guiding idea of a discussion, book, film, or work of art.
Das Hauptthema der Konferenz war der Klimawandel und seine Folgen.
The main topic of the conference was climate change and its consequences.
The word is composed of 'Haupt-' and 'Thema'. The prefix 'Haupt-' always means 'most important', 'central', or 'first' and helps you understand many other German words.
Der Hauptbahnhof ist der wichtigste Bahnhof einer Stadt.
The main train station is the most important train station in a city.
To say what something is the main topic of, you use the preposition 'von' followed by the dative, or the genitive. The construction with 'von' is more common in spoken language.
Das Hauptthema von dem Roman ist die Freundschaft.
The main topic of the novel is friendship.
Books, films, discussions, talks, or works of art typically have a 'Hauptthema' (main topic). Common verbs in this context are 'sein' (to be), 'behandeln' (to deal with), or 'darstellen' (to represent/present).
Der Vortrag behandelt als Hauptthema die Digitalisierung in der Arbeitswelt.
The talk deals with digitalization in the workplace as its main topic.
topic / theme
'das Thema' and 'das Hauptthema' both mean what people talk, write, or think about. 'das Thema' is more general and can be a small or large piece of content. 'das Hauptthema' is the most important topic, meaning the central point in a conversation, book, film, or presentation. Learners may confuse the words because every 'Hauptthema' is also a 'Thema'. If there are several topics and one is especially important, 'Hauptthema' fits better.
Im Film ist Freundschaft das Hauptthema, auch wenn es viele Nebenhandlungen gibt.
In the film, friendship is the main topic, even though there are many subplots.
Das Thema des heutigen Kurses ist Wohnen in Deutschland.
The topic of today's course is housing in Germany.