die Lava
lava
Molten rock that reaches the Earth's surface during a volcanic eruption. After cooling, it becomes solid rock.
EXAMPLE
Die heiße Lava floss langsam den Hang des Vulkans hinab.
The hot lava flowed slowly down the slope of the volcano.
die Lava
lava
die Lava, die Laven
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Lava, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Laven |
| genitive | der Lava |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Lava | die Laven |
| accusative | die Lava | die Laven |
| dative | der Lava | den Laven |
| genitive | der Lava | der Laven |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Uncountable noun
'Lava' is the name of a substance, similar to 'Wasser' (water) or 'Sand' (sand). Therefore, the word is almost always used in the singular without an article, or with the definite article 'die' when a specific mass is meant.
EXAMPLE
Überall auf der Insel sieht man erstarrte Lava.
You can see solidified lava everywhere on the island.
Typical verbs
Lava is often combined with verbs of movement. Typical phrases are 'Lava fließt' (lava flows), 'Lava strömt aus dem Vulkan' (lava streams out of the volcano), or 'Lava ergießt sich' (lava pours) over the land.
EXAMPLE
Man konnte beobachten, wie die Lava langsam ins Meer floss.
You could observe how the lava slowly flowed into the sea.
Typical adjectives
Common adjectives that describe lava refer to its temperature or state: 'heiße Lava' (hot lava), 'flüssige Lava' (liquid lava), or after cooling, 'erkaltete' (cooled) or 'erstarrte Lava' (solidified lava).
EXAMPLE
Die Landschaft besteht aus schwarzer, erstarrter Lava.
The landscape consists of black, solidified lava.
Compare with
Lava vs Magma
magma
Lava and Magma are both molten rock, but they differ in location. Beneath the Earth's surface it is called Magma; as soon as it reaches the surface during an eruption, it is called Lava.
Lava
Nach dem Ausbruch floss die heiße Lava den Vulkan hinunter.
After the eruption, hot lava flowed down the volcano.
Magma
Vor dem Ausbruch sammelte sich heißes Magma unter dem Vulkan.
Before the eruption, hot magma gathered beneath the volcano.
In real life
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