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post
A vertical beam made of wood, metal, or concrete that is anchored in the ground or in a structure and serves to support, delimit, or fasten something.
Wir müssen die Pfosten für den neuen Gartenzaun noch setzen.
We still need to set the posts for the new garden fence.
'Der Pfosten' is a vertical beam. The English word 'post' can mean this too, but it also refers to mail. Mail is called 'die Post' in German.
Der Zaun wird von stabilen Holzpfosten gehalten.
The fence is held up by sturdy wooden posts.
You can recognize the meaning from context. In construction or gardening, it means a support beam. In sports, it means the goalpost. In an argument or derogatory remark, it is an insult.
Der Ball prallte vom Pfosten zurück ins Spielfeld.
The ball bounced off the goalpost back into the field of play.
As an insult, 'Pfosten' is very colloquial and offensive. It expresses that you consider someone very stupid or incompetent.
Was für ein Pfosten! Er hat das Auto direkt vor der Einfahrt geparkt.
What an idiot! He parked the car right in front of the driveway.
In a sports context, especially in soccer, you often hear fixed phrases such as 'den Pfosten treffen' (to hit the goalpost), 'am Pfosten scheitern' (to be denied by the post), or 'ein Schuss an den Pfosten' (a shot against the post).
Der Stürmer hatte Pech und traf nur den Pfosten.
The striker was unlucky and only hit the goalpost.
idiot
'der Idiot' and 'der Pfosten' can both be insulting terms for a person you consider stupid or incompetent. 'der Idiot' is a very direct and strong insult. 'der Pfosten' is colloquial and sounds more like a casual but still derogatory insult, often when someone acts clumsily or does not understand something obvious. 'Idiot' can sound very hurtful. 'Pfosten' is more common in everyday speech, for example among friends or in sports, but it is still not polite.
Beim Training schoss Max den Ball ins Aus und rief über sich selbst: „Was für ein Pfosten!“
During training, Max kicked the ball out of bounds and shouted about himself, “What an idiot!”
Nenn ihn nicht Idiot, nur weil er einen Fehler gemacht hat.
Don't call him an idiot just because he made a mistake.