detour
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detour
A route to a destination that is longer or more complicated than the direct or usual route. A detour often becomes necessary because of an obstacle such as roadworks.
Wegen der gesperrten Brücke mussten wir einen großen Umweg fahren.
Because of the closed bridge, we had to take a long detour.
'Umweg' (detour) is made up of the preposition 'um' (around) and the noun 'der Weg' (way/path). So it literally describes a route that goes around an obstacle.
Ein umgefallener Baum zwang uns zu einem Umweg durch den Wald.
A fallen tree forced us to take a detour through the forest.
In the literal sense, 'Umweg' (detour) is often combined with verbs of movement. Typical phrases are 'einen Umweg fahren' (to drive a detour), 'einen Umweg gehen' (to walk a detour), or 'einen Umweg machen' (to make/take a detour).
Ich nehme lieber einen kleinen Umweg, um den Stau zu vermeiden.
I'd rather take a small detour to avoid the traffic jam.
In the figurative meaning, the expression 'über Umwege' is very common. It means 'indirectly' or 'not by the direct route.'
Ich habe nur über Umwege von der Neuigkeit erfahren.
I only found out about the news indirectly.
shortcut / abbreviation
'die Abkürzung' and 'der Umweg' are opposites when it comes to routes. An 'Abkürzung' makes the route shorter than the normal route. An 'Umweg' makes the route longer or more complicated, often because of roadworks or because the direct route is closed. You can confuse the words because both describe a different route to the destination. The practical question is: Does the route save time or distance? Then it is an 'Abkürzung'. Does it take longer? Then it is an 'Umweg'.
Wegen der Baustelle mussten wir auf dem Weg zur Arbeit einen langen Umweg fahren.
Because of the roadworks, we had to take a long detour on the way to work.
Omar kennt eine Abkürzung durch den Park, wenn der Bus zu spät kommt.
Omar knows a shortcut through the park when the bus is late.