guide / guidebook
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guide
A person who accompanies tourists or travel groups at a place, shows them sights, and gives information.
Unser Reiseführer in Rom wusste zu jeder Ruine eine spannende Geschichte zu erzählen.
Our guide in Rome knew an exciting story to tell about every ruin.
The word is made up of 'Reise' (trip / travel) and 'Führer' (guide), connected with an 's'. So it literally means a person who guides a trip, or a book that guides you through a trip.
Ohne einen guten Reiseführer hätten wir die besten Orte verpasst.
Without a good guidebook, we would have missed the best places.
You can tell whether the person or the book is meant from the verb. Verbs like 'erklären' (to explain), 'zeigen' (to show), or 'begleiten' (to accompany) point to the person. Verbs like 'lesen' (to read), 'kaufen' (to buy), or 'nachschlagen' (to look up) refer to the book.
Der Reiseführer hat uns die Geschichte der Stadt erklärt.
The guide explained the history of the city to us.
When the person is meant, they are often 'gebucht' (booked) or 'engagiert' (hired). They 'führt' (guide) a group or 'zeigt' (show) tourists the sights.
Für unsere Städtetour haben wir einen privaten Reiseführer gebucht.
We booked a private guide for our city tour.
When the book is meant, it is often 'gekauft' (bought) or 'gelesen' (read). You can also 'in einem Reiseführer nachschlagen' (look something up in a guidebook) or 'sich einen Reiseführer besorgen' (get yourself a guidebook).
Schlag mal im Reiseführer nach, wann der Bus zum Strand fährt.
Look it up in the guidebook to see when the bus to the beach leaves.
guide / leader
'der Führer' and 'der Reiseführer' can both help with traveling or sightseeing. 'Reiseführer' is more specific: it can be a person who accompanies tourists, or a book with information for a trip. 'Führer' is more general and often needs an added word, for example 'Museumsführer' (museum guide) or 'Bergführer' (mountain guide). On its own, 'Führer' can be unclear and may also sound unpleasant because of German history. Learners may confuse the words because 'Reiseführer' contains the word 'Führer'. When it is about travel, 'Reiseführer' is almost always the clearer choice.
Max kauft einen Reiseführer für Prag, bevor er die Reise plant.
Max buys a guidebook for Prague before he plans the trip.
Der Führer im Schloss erzählt spannende Geschichten über die alten Räume.
The guide in the castle tells exciting stories about the old rooms.