die Rede
speech
An oral presentation or address given in front of a group of people.
EXAMPLE
Der Präsident hielt eine wichtige Rede an die Nation.
The president gave an important speech to the nation.
die Rede
speech / talk
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Meanings
die Rede sein von
to be talk of
To be the topic of a conversation or discussion. Often used in the negative form.
EXAMPLE
Es kann keine Rede davon sein, dass wir das Projekt aufgeben.
There can be no talk of us abandoning the project.
jemanden zur Rede stellen
to confront someone
To confront someone and demand an explanation for his or her behavior.
EXAMPLE
Nachdem er die Gerüchte gehört hatte, stellte er seinen Freund zur Rede.
After he heard the rumors, he confronted his friend.
die Rede
speech / way of speaking
Speaking or the way someone speaks. Mostly used in fixed expressions.
EXAMPLE
Er verfiel in eine schnelle, aufgeregte Rede.
He fell into a rapid, excited way of speaking.
jemandem in die Rede fallen
to interrupt someone
To interrupt someone while he or she is speaking.
EXAMPLE
Es ist unhöflich, anderen ständig in die Rede zu fallen.
It is impolite to constantly interrupt others.
Usage tips
Word family
'Die Rede' (speech/talk) is the noun related to the verb 'reden' (to talk/speak). This connection helps you understand the basic meaning.
EXAMPLE
Wir müssen morgen über dieses Problem reden.
We need to talk about this problem tomorrow.
Typical collocation
To express that someone gives an address, German says 'eine Rede halten' (to give a speech). The literal translation with 'geben' is not correct here.
EXAMPLE
Die Bürgermeisterin wird morgen eine Rede halten.
The mayor will give a speech tomorrow.
Sentence structure of the expression
The expression 'es kann keine Rede davon sein' (there can be no talk of it) is a fixed formula used to strongly negate something. It is often combined with a 'dass' clause or an infinitive construction with 'zu'.
EXAMPLE
Es kann keine Rede davon sein, dass wir jetzt aufgeben.
There can be no talk of us giving up now.
Accusative construction
In the expression 'jemanden zur Rede stellen' (to confront someone), the person being confronted is always in the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Der Lehrer stellte den Schüler wegen des Lärms zur Rede.
The teacher confronted the student about the noise.
Dative construction
In the expression 'jemandem in die Rede fallen' (to interrupt someone), the person being interrupted is always in the dative.
EXAMPLE
Bitte fall mir nicht ständig in die Rede, lass mich aussprechen!
Please don't keep interrupting me; let me finish!
Compare with
Rede vs Wort
word
Wort and Rede can both occur in expressions for interrupting someone who is speaking. The fixed expressions are „jemandem ins Wort fallen“ and „jemandem in die Rede fallen“; Wort often sounds more concise, while Rede refers more strongly to the ongoing speech. Both expressions are idiomatic.
Rede
Entschuldige, dass ich dir in die Rede gefallen bin.
Sorry for interrupting you.
Wort
Entschuldige, dass ich dir ins Wort gefallen bin.
Sorry for interrupting you.
In real life
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