der Saal
hall
A large room in a public building used for events, concerts, celebrations, or meetings.
EXAMPLE
Die Hochzeitsfeier fand in einem festlich geschmückten Saal statt.
The wedding celebration took place in a festively decorated hall.
der Saal
hall
der Saal, die Säle
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Meanings
der Saal
auditorium
The audience area in a theater, cinema, or concert building.
EXAMPLE
Als der Vorhang aufging, wurde es im Saal ganz still.
When the curtain rose, the auditorium became completely silent.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Saal, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Säle |
| genitive | des Saals |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Saal | die Säle |
| accusative | den Saal | die Säle |
| dative | dem Saal | den Sälen |
| genitive | des Saals des Saales | der Säle |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Movement and location
The preposition 'in' is used with 'Saal' (hall/auditorium) with different cases depending on the situation. Movement into the room requires the accusative ('in den Saal' — into the hall), while a state or action inside the room requires the dative ('im Saal' — in the hall).
EXAMPLE
Die Gäste gingen langsam in den festlichen Saal.
The guests slowly went into the festive hall.
Im Saal warteten schon alle auf den Beginn der Vorstellung.
In the hall, everyone was already waiting for the performance to begin.
Typical collocations
When 'Saal' (hall) refers to a general event room, it is often combined with verbs like 'mieten' (to rent), 'reservieren' (to reserve), or 'schmücken' (to decorate). Typical adjectives are 'festlich' (festive), 'groß' (large), or 'klein' (small).
EXAMPLE
Für die Konferenz haben wir den größten Saal im Hotel gemietet.
For the conference, we rented the largest hall in the hotel.
Der Saal wurde für die Hochzeit wunderschön geschmückt.
The hall was beautifully decorated for the wedding.
Context clue: audience
In the context of theater, cinema, or concerts, 'der Saal' (the auditorium) can also stand metonymically for the entire audience. In this case, the word describes the reaction of the people present.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem beeindruckenden Solo applaudierte der ganze Saal.
After the impressive solo, the whole auditorium applauded.
Während der spannenden Szene war es im Saal absolut still.
During the suspenseful scene, it was absolutely silent in the auditorium.
Compare with
Saal vs Halle
hall
Halle and Saal can both refer to large rooms for events. A Halle is usually particularly spacious and often suitable for various purposes, whereas a Saal is more typically a specific event or meeting room in a building. Use Halle for a hall-like facility and Saal for the individual room.
Saal
Das Konzert findet wegen der begrenzten Gäste im großen Saal des Rathauses statt.
Because the number of guests was limited, the concert is being held in the large hall at city hall.
Halle
Das Konzert findet wegen der vielen Gäste in einer großen Halle statt.
Because of the large number of guests, the concert is being held in a large hall.
In real life
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