rubble
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rubble
A pile of broken stones, bricks, mortar, and other remains from destroyed or demolished buildings.
Die Aufräumarbeiten begannen damit, den ganzen Schutt vom Grundstück zu entfernen.
The cleanup work began with removing all the rubble from the property.
to reduce to rubble and ashes
A fixed expression meaning to destroy something completely, for example through fire or war.
Der verheerende Brand hat das historische Gebäude in Schutt und Asche gelegt.
The devastating fire reduced the historic building to rubble and ashes.
The word 'Schutt' (rubble) is an uncountable noun and is used almost exclusively in the singular. You say 'viel Schutt' (a lot of rubble), but not 'vielen Schutten'.
Nach dem Abriss des Hauses lag überall Schutt.
After the demolition of the house, there was rubble everywhere.
'Schutt' (rubble) is related to the verb 'schütten' (to pour/dump). It describes material that has been 'geschüttet' (poured/dumped) or thrown into a pile.
Der Bagger schüttete den Schutt auf den LKW.
The excavator dumped the rubble onto the truck.
In connection with construction rubble, verbs that describe removal are often used. Typical phrases are 'Schutt wegräumen' (to clear away rubble), 'Schutt abtransportieren' (to haul away rubble), or 'Schutt entsorgen' (to dispose of rubble).
Die Feuerwehr musste zuerst den Schutt wegräumen, um zu den Verschütteten zu gelangen.
The fire department first had to clear away the rubble to reach the people buried under it.
The expression 'etwas in Schutt und Asche legen' (to reduce something to rubble and ashes) is a fixed unit. It means to destroy something completely, usually through fire or violence.
Der Krieg hat ganze Städte in Schutt und Asche gelegt.
The war reduced entire cities to rubble and ashes.
rubble / ruins
Both Trümmer and Schutt can refer to the remains of a destroyed building. Trümmer tends to emphasize the still-recognizable fragments or parts of what was destroyed, while Schutt refers to the loose mass of stones, bricks, and other remains. Choose Trümmer for identifiable remains and Schutt for loose demolition debris.
Nach dem Abriss wurde der Schutt des Hauses in Container geladen.
After the demolition, the rubble from the house was loaded into containers.
Nach der Explosion suchten die Helfer zwischen den Trümmern des Hauses nach Überlebenden.
After the explosion, the rescuers searched among the rubble of the house for survivors.
