foreground
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foreground
The area of an image, stage, or landscape that is closest to the viewer. The opposite of background.
Im Vordergrund des Fotos sieht man eine Familie am Strand.
In the foreground of the photo, you can see a family on the beach.
to be the focus
A figurative meaning in which something is the most important thing or the central topic and receives the most attention.
Bei der Entwicklung des neuen Produkts stand die Sicherheit der Nutzer im Vordergrund.
During the development of the new product, the users' safety was the focus.
to push oneself forward
To conspicuously try to draw attention to oneself and appear more important than others.
In Teammeetings versucht er immer, sich mit lauten Wortbeiträgen in den Vordergrund zu drängen.
In team meetings, he always tries to push himself forward with loud contributions.
'Vordergrund' (foreground) is the opposite of 'Hintergrund' (background). It is made up of 'vorder-' (which means 'front') and 'Grund' (ground). So it literally describes the ground or area that is in front.
Im Vordergrund des Bildes steht ein Baum, im Hintergrund sieht man die Berge.
In the foreground of the picture there is a tree; in the background you can see the mountains.
Pay attention to the case after the preposition 'in.' 'Im Vordergrund' (in the foreground, dative) describes a static position. 'In den Vordergrund' (into the foreground, accusative) describes movement or a shift in focus.
Die Blumen im Vordergrund sind sehr farbenfroh.
The flowers in the foreground are very colorful.
The expression 'im Vordergrund stehen' means that something is the most important thing or gets the most attention. It is used very often in both formal and informal contexts.
Für mich steht bei einer Freundschaft Ehrlichkeit im Vordergrund.
For me, honesty is the focus in a friendship.
The expression 'sich in den Vordergrund drängen' (or 'spielen') is reflexive and has a negative meaning. It describes someone trying to get an excessive amount of attention.
Er versucht immer, sich bei Besprechungen in den Vordergrund zu spielen.
He always tries to push himself forward in meetings.
center
Both words can refer to an important topic in a discussion. Zentrum emphasizes its central role in terms of content, while Vordergrund places more emphasis on the fact that it is currently receiving particular attention. Zentrum suits the general meaning, while Vordergrund is more appropriate for current prominence.
Nach dem Unfall steht die Sicherheit heute im Vordergrund.
Following the accident, safety is the focus today.
Die Sicherheit steht im Zentrum der neuen Verkehrsplanung.
Safety is at the center of the new traffic plan.
