mile
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mile
A unit of length used mainly in the Anglo-American world, equal to about 1.6 kilometers. There is also the nautical mile in shipping and aviation (1.852 km).
Die Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung auf der Autobahn beträgt 70 Meilen pro Stunde.
The speed limit on the highway is 70 miles per hour.
In everyday German life, distance is measured in kilometers. 'Meile' (mile) is mainly used when talking about countries like the USA or Great Britain, or in shipping and aviation ('Seemeile' — nautical mile).
Unser Hotel in den USA war nur eine Meile vom Strand entfernt.
Our hotel in the USA was only one mile from the beach.
A very common combination is 'Meilen pro Stunde' (miles per hour) to indicate speed. This is the counterpart to German 'Kilometer pro Stunde' (kilometers per hour, km/h).
In dieser Zone darf man nicht schneller als 30 Meilen pro Stunde fahren.
In this zone, you must not drive faster than 30 miles per hour.
The expression 'die letzte Meile' (the last mile) is a fixed term from logistics and business. Figuratively, it describes the final, often most labor-intensive step in a delivery or service process up to the customer.
Viele Lieferdienste investieren in neue Technologien für die letzte Meile.
Many delivery services are investing in new technologies for the last mile.
kilometer
'der Kilometer' and 'die Meile' are both units for distances. The important difference is the system of measurement: one kilometer is 1,000 meters and is the normal unit in German and in many countries. A mile is used mainly in the Anglo-American world and is about 1.6 kilometers long. Learners may confuse the words because both measure distances. But you cannot simply swap them, because then the numbers will no longer be correct. In Germany, people usually say 'Kilometer' in everyday life; for English information or travel in the USA, you are more likely to see or use 'Meilen'.
Auf dem Schild in England stand die Entfernung in Meilen.
On the sign in England, the distance was given in miles.
Bis zum See sind es nur drei Kilometer.
It is only three kilometers to the lake.