01
der Pol
pole
One of the two geographic endpoints of the Earth's axis, that is, the North Pole or the South Pole.
example
Am Nordpol ist es extrem kalt und es gibt Eisbären.
At the North Pole it is extremely cold, and there are polar bears.
der Pol
pole
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Meaning in context
The exact meaning of 'Pol' (pole) is almost always made clear by the context or by a compound word. Pay attention to signal words like 'Nord-/Süd-' (north/south, geography), 'Plus-/Minus-' (positive/negative, electricity), or 'Gegensatz' (opposite, figurative).
EXAMPLE
Das Schiff ist bis zum Nordpol gefahren.
The ship sailed all the way to the North Pole.
Geographic poles
In geography, the poles are almost always referred to as 'Nordpol' (North Pole) or 'Südpol' (South Pole). To describe the location, German uses the preposition 'an' with the dative.
EXAMPLE
An den Polen der Erde ist es das ganze Jahr über sehr kalt.
At the Earth's poles, it is very cold all year round.
Figurative use
In a figurative sense, 'Pol' (pole) describes an extreme opposite. A common expression is also 'ein ruhender Pol sein' (to be a calm center/steadying presence), which describes a very calm and balancing person in a hectic environment.
EXAMPLE
In der hitzigen Diskussion vertrat er den entgegengesetzten Pol.
In the heated discussion, he represented the opposite pole.
Compare with
Pol vs Kontakt
contact
'der Kontakt' and 'der Pol' can both appear in technical or electrical contexts. 'der Pol' is a specific terminal of an electrical source, for example the positive terminal or negative terminal of a battery. 'der Kontakt' is the point where an electrical connection is made or broken. The words can be confused because both have to do with electricity and connections. More precisely: a battery has 'Pole' (terminals), and a device or plug has 'Kontakte' (contacts) through which the current can flow.
Pol
Beim Einlegen der Batterie muss der Pluspol nach oben zeigen.
When inserting the battery, the positive terminal must face upward.
Kontakt
Der Kontakt im Stecker ist locker, deshalb lädt das Handy nicht.
The contact in the plug is loose, so the phone is not charging.
In real life
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