die Welt
world
The planet Earth with all its countries, seas, and living beings.
EXAMPLE
Sie möchte nach dem Studium um die Welt reisen.
She wants to travel around the world after her studies.
die Welt
world
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Meanings
die Welt
the world
All people as a whole; the public.
EXAMPLE
Die ganze Welt schaute bei der Eröffnungsfeier der Olympischen Spiele zu.
The whole world watched the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
die Welt
world / sphere
A specific area of life, sphere, or field of expertise.
EXAMPLE
Er kennt sich gut in der Welt der Finanzen aus.
He knows his way around the world of finance.
die Welt
world
Used metaphorically to describe something that is of the greatest importance to someone.
EXAMPLE
Ihre Kinder bedeuten ihr die Welt.
Her children mean the world to her.
zur Welt kommen
to be born
A fixed expression meaning 'to be born'.
EXAMPLE
Mein kleiner Bruder ist vor fünf Jahren zur Welt gekommen.
My little brother was born five years ago.
Usage tips
Compound words
'Welt' (world) is a very productive word and forms many important nouns. Examples include 'Weltreise' (trip around the world), 'Weltmeister' (world champion), or 'Weltall' (universe/space).
EXAMPLE
Deutschland wurde 2014 Fußball-Weltmeister.
Germany became football world champion in 2014.
Typical collocations
When 'Welt' means the planet Earth, it is often used in fixed expressions. Typical examples are 'um die Welt reisen' (to travel around the world), 'auf der ganzen Welt' (all over the world), and 'in aller Welt' (in the whole world/around the world).
EXAMPLE
Dieses Produkt wird auf der ganzen Welt verkauft.
This product is sold all over the world.
Sentence-structure signal
When 'Welt' describes a specific field, it is almost always followed by a specification with the genitive or with 'von' (of). This structure ('die Welt der/des...' or 'die Welt von...') is a clear signal for this meaning.
EXAMPLE
Sie ist eine Expertin in der Welt der klassischen Musik.
She is an expert in the world of classical music.
Dative construction
In the metaphorical meaning, 'Welt' follows a fixed pattern: 'Etwas bedeutet jemandem die Welt' (something means the world to someone). The person for whom something is important is always in the dative.
EXAMPLE
Seine Familie bedeutet ihm die Welt.
His family means the world to him.
Fixed expression
The expression 'zur Welt kommen' is a fixed phrase for 'geboren werden' (to be born). Another fixed expression is 'etwas zur Welt bringen', which means 'to give birth to a child'.
EXAMPLE
Meine Nichte ist gestern gesund zur Welt gekommen.
My niece was born healthy yesterday.
Exaggeration
The expressions 'die ganze Welt' (the whole world) or 'alle Welt' (everyone/the whole world) are often used as hyperbole (exaggeration). They then do not literally mean all people on Earth, but simply 'very many people' or 'the public'.
EXAMPLE
Alle Welt spricht über den neuen Film.
Everyone is talking about the new film.
Compare with
Welt vs Erde
Earth / soil
Welt and Erde can both refer to the planet with its countries and living beings. Erde places more emphasis on the physical planet, while Welt often emphasizes the global or human perspective. Erde usually fits scientific statements, while Welt is often used for global topics.
Welt
Die ganze Welt muss gemeinsam gegen den Klimawandel handeln.
The whole world must work together to combat climate change.
Erde
Die Erde bewegt sich auf ihrer Bahn um die Sonne.
The Earth moves in its orbit around the sun.
In real life
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