der Heuhaufen
haystack
A large, loosely piled heap of hay.
EXAMPLE
Auf dem Feld stand ein großer Heuhaufen.
There was a large haystack in the field.
der Heuhaufen
haystack
der Heuhaufen, die Heuhaufen
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Meanings
die Nadel im Heuhaufen
needle in a haystack
A person or thing being searched for that is extremely difficult to find among many other things.
EXAMPLE
Die Suche nach dem kleinen Schlüssel war wie die Suche nach der Nadel im Heuhaufen.
Looking for the small key was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Heuhaufen, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Heuhaufen |
| genitive | des Heuhaufens |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Heuhaufen | die Heuhaufen |
| accusative | den Heuhaufen | die Heuhaufen |
| dative | dem Heuhaufen | den Heuhaufen |
| genitive | des Heuhaufens | der Heuhaufen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Compound word
'Heuhaufen' (haystack) is made up of 'Heu' (hay) and 'Haufen' (heap). It therefore means a heap of hay; the first component specifies what the heap consists of.
EXAMPLE
Hinter der Scheune lag ein kleiner Heuhaufen.
There was a small haystack behind the barn.
Typical collocations
'Heuhaufen' (haystack) often appears with words such as 'groß' (large), 'riesig' (huge), or 'aufgeschichtet' (piled up). Typical verb phrases include 'auf einem Heuhaufen liegen' (to lie on a haystack) and 'in einen Heuhaufen fallen' (to fall into a haystack).
EXAMPLE
Die Kinder versteckten sich lachend in einem großen Heuhaufen.
The children hid in a large haystack, laughing.
Fixed expression
In the fixed expression 'die Nadel im Heuhaufen' (the needle in the haystack), 'im' is short for 'in dem' (in the). The expression describes a search in which the person or thing being sought is almost impossible to find among many other things.
EXAMPLE
Ohne Namen und Adresse ist das, als würde man eine Nadel im Heuhaufen suchen.
Without a name and address, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack.
In real life
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