steering wheel
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steering wheel
The wheel in a vehicle with which the driver controls the direction of the wheels and therefore the direction of travel.
Er hielt das Lenkrad mit beiden Händen fest und konzentrierte sich auf die Straße.
He held the steering wheel firmly with both hands and focused on the road.
'Lenkrad' (steering wheel) is made up of the verb 'lenken' (to steer) and the noun 'Rad' (wheel). So it is literally the wheel with which you steer a vehicle.
Moderne Autos haben viele Knöpfe direkt am Lenkrad.
Modern cars have many buttons directly on the steering wheel.
The expression 'am Lenkrad sitzen' means 'to drive a vehicle' or literally 'to sit at the steering wheel'. It is also used metaphorically to express that someone is in control.
Wer saß zum Zeitpunkt des Unfalls am Lenkrad?
Who was behind the wheel at the time of the accident?
Common verbs that describe what you do with a steering wheel are 'das Lenkrad festhalten' (to hold the steering wheel), 'drehen' (to turn), or 'einschlagen' (to turn quickly and sharply).
Um die Kurve zu schaffen, musste er das Lenkrad stark einschlagen.
To make the turn, he had to turn the steering wheel sharply.
steering wheel / helm
'das Steuer' and 'das Lenkrad' can both mean the part used to steer a vehicle. 'das Lenkrad' is more precise: it is the round wheel in a car or a similar vehicle. 'das Steuer' is more general and can also be used for other vehicles. In addition, people often say 'am Steuer sitzen' (to be behind the wheel / to be driving) when someone is driving. The words can be confused because both occur in the context of driving. If you mean the specific round part, 'Lenkrad' is more precise.
Max legt beide Hände ans Lenkrad, bevor er losfährt.
Max puts both hands on the steering wheel before he sets off.
Auf der langen Fahrt sitzt mein Vater die meiste Zeit am Steuer.
On the long drive, my father is behind the wheel most of the time.