stroke
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stroke
A sudden, life-threatening disruption of blood flow in the brain, caused by a blocked or burst blood vessel and leading to a loss of brain functions.
Nach dem Schlaganfall musste er das Sprechen und Gehen neu lernen.
After the stroke, he had to learn to speak and walk again.
The word is made up of 'Schlag' (blow/stroke) and 'Anfall' (attack/seizure). 'Schlag' can be understood here as a sudden, violent event (as in 'Stromschlag' — electric shock), and 'Anfall' as a sudden attack of illness. So it figuratively describes a 'blow' in the brain.
Sein Großvater erholt sich nur langsam von dem schweren Schlaganfall.
His grandfather is recovering only slowly from the severe stroke.
In connection with a stroke, the verbs 'erleiden' (to suffer), 'haben' (to have), or 'bekommen' (to get) are usually used to express that a person is affected by it.
Jedes Jahr erleiden in Deutschland tausende Menschen einen Schlaganfall.
Every year, thousands of people in Germany suffer a stroke.
To describe the severity of the illness, 'Schlaganfall' (stroke) is often combined with the adjectives 'leicht' (mild) or 'schwer' (severe).
Nach einem leichten Schlaganfall konnte er die Klinik schnell wieder verlassen.
After a mild stroke, he was able to leave the hospital again quickly.
blow / stroke
Both Schlag and Schlaganfall can refer to a sudden loss of brain function. Schlag is a shortened term that depends heavily on the context, whereas Schlaganfall is unambiguous and commonly used in medical contexts. For clear information, Schlaganfall is therefore usually the better choice.
Nach dem Schlaganfall konnte er plötzlich seinen rechten Arm nicht mehr bewegen.
After the stroke, he suddenly could no longer move his right arm.
Nach dem Schlag konnte er plötzlich seinen rechten Arm nicht mehr bewegen.
After the stroke, he suddenly could no longer move his right arm.
