der Regen
rain
Water that falls from the clouds to the earth in drops. It is the most common form of precipitation.
EXAMPLE
Wegen des starken Regens sind wir zu Hause geblieben.
Because of the heavy rain, we stayed at home.
der Regen
rain
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
der Regen
shower
A large amount of something that comes down on someone or something, similar to raindrops.
EXAMPLE
Nach der Bekanntgabe gab es einen Regen von Protestbriefen.
After the announcement, there was a shower of protest letters.
Usage tips
Word family
'Der Regen' (the rain) is the noun that belongs to the verb 'regnen' (to rain). If you know the sentence 'Es regnet' (It's raining), you can remember the noun easily.
EXAMPLE
Ich hoffe, es hört bald auf zu regnen.
I hope it stops raining soon.
Describing rain
The type of rain is often described with adjectives. Typical combinations are 'starker Regen' (heavy rain), 'leichter Regen' (light rain), and 'anhaltender Regen' (persistent rain).
EXAMPLE
Wir machten trotz des leichten Regens einen Spaziergang.
We went for a walk despite the light rain.
Fixed expression
The idiom 'jemanden im Regen stehen lassen' means not to help someone in a difficult situation.
EXAMPLE
Als ich umziehen musste, hat mein bester Freund mich im Regen stehen lassen.
When I had to move, my best friend left me standing in the rain.
Sentence structure of the metaphor
You can recognize the metaphorical meaning from the fixed structure 'ein Regen von + noun' (a shower of + noun). This signals that a large amount of something is meant, not the weather.
EXAMPLE
Nach seiner Rede gab es einen Regen von Applaus.
After his speech, there was a shower of applause.
Compare with
Regen vs Niederschlag
precipitation / precipitate / suppression
Regen is liquid precipitation that falls from clouds in drops. Niederschlag is the broader meteorological term and also includes solid forms such as snow or hail. Use Regen when actual raindrops are meant, and Niederschlag when the form is left open or several forms are possible.
Regen
Für den Nachmittag wird in der Stadt kräftiger Regen erwartet.
Heavy rain is expected in the city this afternoon.
Niederschlag
Für den Nachmittag wird in den Bergen Niederschlag erwartet, möglicherweise auch Schnee.
Precipitation is expected in the mountains this afternoon, possibly including snow.
In real life
Loading video examples...