supply / stock
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supply / stock
A quantity of things (e.g., food, materials) that you keep or have accumulated for future use.
Für den Winter haben wir einen großen Vorrat an Holz im Keller.
For the winter, we have a large supply of wood in the basement.
The word is made up of 'vor' (before/ahead) and 'Rat' (advice). The idea behind it is that you keep something ready or have accumulated it 'im Voraus' (in advance).
Ein guter Vorrat an Konserven ist bei einem Stromausfall nützlich.
A good supply of canned food is useful during a power outage.
When you want to say what you have a supply of, you use the preposition 'an' with the dative. The structure is: 'ein Vorrat an etwas' (a supply of something).
Die Eichhörnchen haben einen großen Vorrat an Nüssen für den Winter gesammelt.
The squirrels have gathered a large supply of nuts for the winter.
Common verbs used with 'Vorrat' (supply/stock) are 'einen Vorrat anlegen' (to build up a supply), 'einen Vorrat aufbrauchen' (to use up a supply), and 'der Vorrat geht zur Neige' (the supply is running low).
Wir sollten einen neuen Vorrat an Kaffee anlegen.
We should build up a new supply of coffee.
The phrase 'solange der Vorrat reicht' (while supplies last) is very common in advertising and retail. It means that an offer is available only in limited quantities.
Das Sonderangebot gilt nur, solange der Vorrat reicht.
The special offer is valid only while supplies last.
warehouse / camp
'das Lager' and 'der Vorrat' both belong to the topic of storing things. The important difference is: 'Lager' is the place or building where things are kept. 'Vorrat' is the quantity of things that you keep for later. The words are easy to confuse because supplies are often in a warehouse. Memory tip: 'das Lager' is the place; 'der Vorrat' is the contents.
Vor dem Winter kauft meine Nachbarin einen kleinen Vorrat an Kerzen und Batterien.
Before winter, my neighbor buys a small supply of candles and batteries.
Die neuen Möbel stehen noch im Lager und werden morgen geliefert.
The new furniture is still in the warehouse and will be delivered tomorrow.