01
der West
west
The compass direction west, often used in seafaring or meteorology.
example
Der Kapitän befahl, den Kurs genau auf West zu ändern.
The captain ordered the course to be changed exactly to west.
der West
west
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Register and context
The form 'der West' (west) is mainly used in specialized language such as seafaring, aviation, or meteorology. In general usage, the form 'der Westen' (the west) is more common.
EXAMPLE
Im Westen Deutschlands geht die Sonne später unter.
In western Germany, the sun sets later.
Typical collocations
When 'West' (west) indicates a direction, it is often used without an article and with certain prepositions. Typical phrases are 'Kurs auf West' (course to west) or 'Richtung West' (toward west).
EXAMPLE
Das Schiff hält direkten Kurs auf West.
The ship is holding a direct course to west.
Word family
'West' (west) is the base for many other words. These include the adjective 'westlich' (western), compound nouns like 'Westwind' (west wind) or 'Westküste' (west coast), and adverbs like 'westwärts' (westward).
EXAMPLE
Die westliche Küste ist bekannt für ihre schönen Strände.
The western coast is known for its beautiful beaches.
Compare with
West vs Osten
east
'der Osten' and 'der West' both belong to the cardinal directions, but they are on different sides. 'der Osten' is the direction in which the sun rises. 'der West' means the direction west and, in this form, is mainly common in technical language, for example in weather or seafaring contexts. In everyday language, people usually say 'der Westen', not 'der West'. The words can be confused because they both name directions and appear in similar ways on maps or in weather reports. A practical tip: east is sunrise, west is the opposite direction, and 'der West' sounds more technical.
West
Morgen dreht der Wind auf West.
Tomorrow the wind will shift to west.
Osten
Lukas fährt am Wochenende in den Osten der Stadt, weil dort ein Turnier stattfindet.
Lukas is going to the east of the city on the weekend because a tournament is taking place there.
In real life
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