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.
'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.
background
'Hintergrund' and 'Vordergrund' are opposites. In a picture or on a stage, the background is farther away, while the foreground is closer to the viewer. Figuratively, 'im Hintergrund' often means that something is less visible or that a person keeps a low profile. 'im Vordergrund', on the other hand, means that something is especially important or gets a lot of attention. Learners may confuse the words because both often appear in fixed expressions with 'im' or 'in den'. Remember: in the foreground, you see something first; in the background, it tends to remain unobtrusive.
Bei der Planung steht die Sicherheit der Kinder im Vordergrund.
During the planning, the children's safety is the focus.
Auf dem Foto sieht man im Hintergrund die Berge.
In the photo, you can see the mountains in the background.