cement
Loading your saved state.
cement
A powdery binding material that is mixed with water to make concrete or mortar and becomes hard as it dries. It is a basic building material.
Für das Fundament des Hauses werden mehrere Säcke Zement benötigt.
Several bags of cement are needed for the foundation of the house.
cement
In a figurative sense, something that holds a group, relationship, or society together and stabilizes it.
Gemeinsame Werte sind der Zement, der eine Gemeinschaft zusammenhält.
Shared values are the cement that holds a community together.
'Zement' (cement) is a material noun and is usually used as an uncountable noun in the singular without an article. If you want to specify an amount, you use quantity expressions like 'ein Sack Zement' (a bag of cement) or 'eine Tonne Zement' (a ton of cement).
Wir brauchen mehr Zement, um die Mauer fertigzustellen.
We need more cement to finish the wall.
You can recognize the literal meaning from words like 'Baustelle' (construction site), 'Beton' (concrete), or 'Fundament' (foundation). You can recognize the figurative meaning from abstract nouns like 'Gesellschaft' (society), 'Familie' (family), or 'Beziehung' (relationship) and verbs like 'zusammenhalten' (to hold together).
Der Maurer mischt Sand und Zement zu Mörtel.
The bricklayer mixes sand and cement into mortar.
In the context of building, cement is often used with verbs like 'anmischen' (to mix), 'verwenden' (to use), 'brauchen' (to need), or, in connection with concrete, 'gießen' (to pour).
Man muss den Zement mit Wasser anmischen, bevor man ihn benutzen kann.
You have to mix the cement with water before you can use it.
The figurative meaning is often used in the structure 'X ist der Zement, der Y zusammenhält' (X is the cement that holds Y together) or 'X ist der Zement für Y' (X is the cement for Y).
Die gemeinsame Sprache ist der Zement, der die Nation zusammenhält.
The shared language is the cement that holds the nation together.
concrete
Beton is the finished building material made from cement, sand, gravel, and water. Zement, by contrast, is the powdered binding agent used to make concrete. For a solid structural element, you need concrete; cement is one component of the mixture.
Die Arbeiter mischen den Zement mit Sand, Kies und Wasser für das Fundament.
The workers mix the cement with sand, gravel, and water for the foundation.
Die Arbeiter gießen den frischen Beton in die Form für das Fundament.
The workers pour the fresh concrete into the form for the foundation.
