01
tropisch
tropical
Relates to the tropics, the hot and humid region of the Earth around the equator.
example
Im botanischen Garten kann man viele tropische Pflanzen bewundern.
In the botanical garden, you can admire many tropical plants.
tropisch
tropical
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
01 / 02
Usage tips
Word structure
The adjective 'tropisch' (tropical) is derived from the noun 'die Tropen' (the tropics, always plural) and is formed with the suffix '-isch'. It describes things that come from the tropics or are typical of this region.
EXAMPLE
Malaria ist eine typische tropische Krankheit.
Malaria is a typical tropical disease.
Typical collocations
In its literal meaning, 'tropisch' (tropical) is often combined with terms from geography and biology. Common combinations are 'tropischer Regenwald' (tropical rainforest), 'tropische Früchte' (tropical fruits), or 'tropische Fische' (tropical fish).
EXAMPLE
Im Supermarkt gibt es eine große Auswahl an tropischen Früchten.
There is a large selection of tropical fruits at the supermarket.
Figurative meaning
The figurative meaning 'very hot' is used almost exclusively in connection with 'Hitze' (heat) or 'Temperaturen' (temperatures). This is a clear signal that the topic is the weather and not the geographical region.
EXAMPLE
Letzte Woche hatten wir eine tropische Hitze in der ganzen Region.
Last week we had tropical heat throughout the whole region.
Compare with
tropisch vs heiß
hot
'heiß' and 'tropisch' can both describe high temperatures. 'heiß' is the general word for anything that has a high temperature: weather, food, water, or objects. 'tropisch' is more precise when the heat is reminiscent of the tropics or really has to do with the tropics. Often it means not just hot, but also humid and muggy. That is why in everyday language you simply say 'heiß', but 'tropisch' sounds more natural when the air is very warm and humid or when talking about a climate in the tropics.
tropisch
Nach dem Gewitter war die Luft im Garten fast tropisch.
After the thunderstorm, the air in the garden was almost tropical.
heiß
Im Restaurant ist die Suppe so heiß, dass Hannah kurz warten muss.
In the restaurant, the soup is so hot that Hannah has to wait a moment.
In real life
Loading video examples...