das Luftschiff
airship
A usually steerable aircraft that is carried by a gas lighter than air and moves with the help of an engine.
EXAMPLE
Das Luftschiff schwebte langsam über die Stadt.
The airship slowly floated over the city.
das Luftschiff
airship
das Luftschiff, die Luftschiffe
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Luftschiff, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| plural | die Luftschiffe |
| genitive | des Luftschiffes |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Luftschiff | die Luftschiffe |
| accusative | das Luftschiff | die Luftschiffe |
| dative | dem Luftschiff | den Luftschiffen |
| genitive | des Luftschiffes des Luftschiffs | der Luftschiffe |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Compound words
'Luftschiff' (airship) is made up of 'Luft' (air) and 'Schiff' (ship). The second component describes the vehicle metaphorically as a ship that moves through the air.
EXAMPLE
Das Luftschiff konnte mehrere Stunden in der Luft bleiben.
The airship was able to stay in the air for several hours.
Typical collocations
Common combinations include 'ein Luftschiff steuern' (to steer an airship), 'ein Luftschiff bauen' (to build an airship), and 'mit einem Luftschiff fliegen' (to fly in an airship). 'An Bord eines Luftschiffs' (on board an airship) is also a typical phrase.
EXAMPLE
Die Ingenieurin lernte, ein Luftschiff sicher zu steuern.
The engineer learned to steer an airship safely.
Travel expressions
'Mit' (with/by) is often used with 'Luftschiff' (airship) to indicate the means of transport; the article is then in the dative. As with other means of transport, the definite article is usually used: 'mit dem Luftschiff' (by airship).
EXAMPLE
Die Gäste reisten mit dem Luftschiff über den Atlantik.
The guests traveled across the Atlantic by airship.
In real life
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