season / relay / squadron
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season
A complete set of episodes of a television series that are produced and broadcast together; a TV season.
Die dritte Staffel der Serie war meiner Meinung nach die beste.
In my opinion, the third season of the series was the best.
relay
A team or competition in sports in which the members of a team cover part of a distance one after another and pass on an object, such as a baton.
Deutschland hat bei der Olympiade die Goldmedaille in der 4x100-Meter-Staffel gewonnen.
Germany won the gold medal in the 4x100-meter relay at the Olympics.
squadron
A military unit, especially in the air force, consisting of a group of aircraft or vehicles.
Eine Staffel von Rettungshubschraubern war im Katastrophengebiet im Einsatz.
A squadron of rescue helicopters was deployed in the disaster area.
flock
A group of animals, especially birds, flying together in formation.
Im Herbst kann man eine Staffel Kraniche am Himmel beobachten.
In autumn, you can observe a flock of cranes in the sky.
rung
A single step or rung of a ladder. This meaning is rare today and is more regional or outdated.
Pass auf, die unterste Staffel der alten Holzleiter ist gebrochen.
Watch out, the bottom rung of the old wooden ladder is broken.
'Die Staffel' is a false friend of the English word 'staff'. 'Staff' means 'das Personal' or 'die Mitarbeiter' in German, while 'die Staffel' refers to a TV season, a sports relay team, or a military unit.
Das gesamte Personal des Hotels war sehr freundlich.
The entire hotel staff was very friendly.
The meaning of 'Staffel' is almost always clear from the context. Words like 'Serie' (series) or 'Folge' (episode) point to a TV season, 'laufen' (to run) or 'schwimmen' (to swim) to sports, and 'Flugzeuge' (aircraft) or 'Militär' (military) to a unit.
Ich freue mich schon auf die nächste Staffel meiner Lieblingsserie.
I'm already looking forward to the next season of my favorite series.
In the context of television series, 'Staffel' (season) is often used with verbs like 'schauen' (to watch) or 'veröffentlichen' (to release). Typical phrases also include 'die erste/zweite/letzte Staffel' (the first/second/last season) and 'eine Staffel mit X Folgen' (a season with X episodes).
Am Wochenende habe ich eine ganze Staffel auf einmal geschaut.
At the weekend, I watched a whole season all at once.
In a sports context, typical combinations are 'eine Staffel laufen/schwimmen' (to run/swim a relay) or 'in der Staffel antreten' (to compete in the relay). A central term is also 'der Staffelstab' (the baton), which is passed on.
Er ist der schnellste Läufer in unserer Staffel.
He is the fastest runner in our relay team.
The meaning 'Stufe einer Leiter' (rung of a ladder) is very rare today and is considered outdated or regional. You will find it almost only in old literature or in certain dialects.
Vorsicht, die oberste Staffel der Leiter ist morsch.
Careful, the top rung of the ladder is rotten.
season
Saison is a recurring period for an activity, such as in sports or culture. Staffel, on the other hand, is a related series of episodes of a television show. Saison is appropriate for a period of the year, while Staffel is appropriate for new episodes of a series.
Die neue Staffel der Fußballserie beginnt im August.
The new season of the soccer series begins in August.
Die neue Fußballsaison beginnt im August.
The new soccer season begins in August.
