der Südost
southeast
The compass direction that lies exactly between south and east.
EXAMPLE
Der Kompass zeigt genau nach Südost.
The compass points exactly southeast.
der Südost
southeast
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
der Südost
southeast
Refers to a region or part of a geographic area (e.g. a country or continent) that lies in this compass direction.
EXAMPLE
Der Tourismus im Südosten der Insel hat stark zugenommen.
Tourism in the southeast of the island has increased sharply.
Usage tips
Word composition
'Südost' (southeast) is a compound word made from the compass directions 'der Süden' (the south) and 'der Osten' (the east). This pattern applies to all intermediate compass directions, such as 'Nordwest' (northwest) or 'Südwest' (southwest).
EXAMPLE
Die Hütte liegt in Richtung Südost.
The hut lies in a southeasterly direction.
Prepositions & declension
To indicate a direction, you use 'nach Südost' (toward southeast). To describe origin, you say 'aus Südost(en)' (from the southeast). A position in a region is expressed with 'im Südosten' (in the southeast), with the ending -en.
EXAMPLE
Nächstes Jahr reisen wir nach Südost-Asien.
Next year we are traveling to Southeast Asia.
Region vs. direction
When 'Südost' (southeast) describes a geographic region, it often appears with the definite article and a 'von' phrase, e.g. 'der Südosten von Spanien' (the southeast of Spain). As a pure direction, it usually appears without an article after a preposition like 'nach' (toward).
EXAMPLE
Der Südosten des Landes ist für sein mildes Klima bekannt.
The southeast of the country is known for its mild climate.
Compare with
Südost vs Südosten
southeast
Der Südosten and der Südost both refer to the direction between south and east. Der Südosten is the standard full form used as a noun, while der Südost is shorter and occurs especially in fixed directional expressions or technical language. In a normal sentence, der Südosten is usually the better choice.
Südost
Der Wind kommt heute aus Südost.
The wind is coming from the southeast today.
Südosten
Der Wind kommt heute aus dem Südosten.
The wind is coming from the southeast today.
In real life
Loading video examples...