lottery
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lottery
A game of chance in which you buy tickets and can win money or other prizes through a random drawing.
Sie hat mit einem einzigen Los in der Lotterie den Hauptpreis gewonnen.
She won the grand prize in the lottery with a single ticket.
In the literal sense, 'Lotterie' (lottery) is often used with the verbs 'spielen' (to play) and 'gewinnen' (to win). The usual preposition is 'in' with the dative.
Er spielt jede Woche in der Lotterie, hat aber noch nie etwas Großes gewonnen.
He plays the lottery every week, but he has never won anything big.
In the figurative meaning, the structure 'etwas ist eine (reine) Lotterie' (something is a complete lottery) is often used. This expresses that the outcome of something depends entirely on chance.
Einen Parkplatz in der Innenstadt zu finden, ist eine reine Lotterie.
Finding a parking space downtown is a complete lottery.
You can recognize the literal meaning from words like 'Los' (ticket), 'spielen' (to play), or 'gewinnen' (to win). The figurative meaning usually describes an abstract situation and is often combined with the verb 'sein' (to be).
Ich habe mir ein Los für die Weihnachtslotterie gekauft.
I bought a ticket for the Christmas lottery.
risk
'das Risiko' and 'die Lotterie' can both have to do with an uncertain outcome. 'Risiko' emphasizes the possible negative consequence, for example loss, damage, or failure. 'Lotterie' actually means a game of chance. Figuratively, it is used for a situation in which the outcome depends almost entirely on chance. The words can be confused because both involve uncertainty. The practical difference is: with 'Risiko', you think of danger or loss. With 'Lotterie', you think of chance and the fact that you can hardly control the outcome.
Ob man dort schnell einen Termin bekommt, ist leider eine Lotterie.
Whether you can get an appointment there quickly is unfortunately a lottery.
Bei dieser Entscheidung geht sie ein großes Risiko ein.
With this decision, she is taking a big risk.