imaginär
imaginary
Existing only in the imagination or fantasy; not real.
EXAMPLE
Als Kind hatte ich einen imaginären Freund, mit dem ich immer gesprochen habe.
As a child, I had an imaginary friend whom I always talked to.
imaginär
imaginary
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Meanings
imaginär
imaginary
In mathematics, a property of numbers that are a multiple of the imaginary unit 'i' (the square root of -1).
EXAMPLE
Eine komplexe Zahl besteht aus einem Realteil und einem Imaginärteil.
A complex number consists of a real part and an imaginary part.
Usage tips
Word family
The word 'imaginär' (imaginary) is closely related to the noun 'die Imagination' (imagination). Both words have their origin in the Latin word for 'image' or 'idea.'
EXAMPLE
Die Geschichte spielt in einer imaginären Welt voller Magie.
The story takes place in an imaginary world full of magic.
Typical collocations
In general usage, 'imaginär' (imaginary) is often used to describe things that exist only in the imagination. Typical combinations are 'ein imaginärer Freund' (an imaginary friend), 'eine imaginäre Welt' (an imaginary world), or 'eine imaginäre Linie' (an imaginary line).
EXAMPLE
Viele Kinder haben einen imaginären Spielkameraden.
Many children have an imaginary playmate.
Context clue
You can recognize the mathematical meaning from technical terms such as 'Zahl' (number), 'Einheit' (unit), or 'Teil' (part). Without this context, the general meaning 'existing only in fantasy' is almost always meant.
EXAMPLE
Die imaginäre Einheit 'i' ist die Wurzel aus -1.
The imaginary unit 'i' is the root of -1.
Technical language
This meaning of 'imaginär' (imaginary) belongs exclusively to the technical language of mathematics. It is not used in everyday language.
EXAMPLE
Im Mathematikunterricht haben wir über imaginäre Zahlen gesprochen.
In math class, we talked about imaginary numbers.
Compare with
imaginär vs komplex
complex
In a mathematical context, „imaginär“ can refer to a specific type of number. The given meaning of „komplex“, by contrast, only describes something multilayered or difficult to understand and does not support the mathematical meaning relating to numbers. Therefore, this specific distinction cannot be assigned to any accepted meaning of „komplex“ here.
imaginär
In der Mathematik ist 3i eine imaginäre Zahl.
In mathematics, 3i is an imaginary number.
komplex
Die Aufgabenstellung ist so komplex, dass wir sie Schritt für Schritt lösen müssen.
The problem is so complex that we have to solve it step by step.
In real life
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