der Vorrang
priority
The greater importance or priority given to one thing, person, or goal over others.
EXAMPLE
Bei diesem Projekt hat die Sicherheit absoluten Vorrang vor den Kosten.
In this project, safety has absolute priority over costs.
der Vorrang
priority / right of way
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Meanings
der Vorrang
right of way
The right in road traffic to go before another road user. A synonym for this is 'Vorfahrt' (right of way).
EXAMPLE
An dieser Kreuzung haben Fahrzeuge von rechts Vorrang.
At this intersection, vehicles from the right have the right of way.
jemandem/etwas den Vorrang geben
to give priority
A fixed expression meaning to prefer or prioritize someone or something.
EXAMPLE
Wir müssen den langfristigen Zielen den Vorrang vor kurzfristigen Gewinnen geben.
We must give priority to long-term goals over short-term profits.
Usage tips
Word composition
The word is made up of 'vor' (before) and 'Rang' (rank). Literally, it means that something or someone has a 'rank before' others, so it is more important or comes earlier.
EXAMPLE
Die Gesundheit der Mitarbeiter hat obersten Vorrang.
The health of the employees has top priority.
Sentence structure with 'haben'
When you want to express that something has priority, you often use the construction 'Vorrang haben' (to have priority). The thing that is less important is added with the preposition 'vor' (+ dative).
EXAMPLE
Ältere Menschen haben hier Vorrang vor jüngeren.
Older people have priority here over younger people.
Traffic context clue
In the context of roads, intersections, and vehicles, 'Vorrang' always means 'Vorfahrt' (right of way). Signal words such as 'Kreuzung' (intersection), 'rechts' (right), 'links' (left), 'Verkehrsregel' (traffic rule), or 'Auto' (car) point to this meaning.
EXAMPLE
Achtung, an dieser Kreuzung hat die Straßenbahn Vorrang!
Careful, at this intersection the tram has the right of way!
Fixed expression with dative
In the fixed expression 'jemandem/etwas den Vorrang geben' (to give someone/something priority), the person or thing being preferred is in the dative. This construction emphasizes an active decision in favor of a priority.
EXAMPLE
Ich gebe meiner Familie immer den Vorrang vor der Arbeit.
I always give my family priority over work.
Compare with
Vorrang vs Priorität
priority
Priorität and Vorrang both show that one thing is more important than another. Priorität often refers to an established position in a sequence of tasks. Vorrang emphasizes more strongly that one thing is preferred over a specific alternative or gets to be dealt with first.
Vorrang
Bei der Planung geben wir der Reparatur den Vorrang vor dem neuen Anstrich.
When planning, we give priority to the repair over the new paint job.
Priorität
Die Reparatur hat heute höchste Priorität auf unserer Aufgabenliste.
The repair has the highest priority on our task list today.
In real life
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