Signification
To read current events and information, typically from a newspaper or online.
Contexte culturel
Germans value 'Informationspflicht'. It is common to see people reading physical newspapers like 'Die Zeit' or 'FAZ' in trains, though digital consumption is rising. Public broadcasting (ARD/ZDF) is highly trusted. The 'Kronen Zeitung' is a massive cultural force in Austria. Reading 'die Krone' is a specific subset of 'die Nachrichten lesen' for millions of Austrians. Due to multilingualism, Swiss people often read news in multiple languages (German, French, Italian) to get a full picture of their country. There is a distinction between 'Boulevardpresse' (tabloids like BILD) and 'Qualitätspresse'. Saying you 'read the news' might prompt someone to ask which source you use, as it reflects your social/political stance.
Use 'News'
If you forget 'Nachrichten', most Germans under 40 will perfectly understand 'News' (pronounced like English).
Singular vs Plural
Always use 'die Nachrichten' (plural) for the news. 'Die Nachricht' (singular) is a text message.
Signification
To read current events and information, typically from a newspaper or online.
Use 'News'
If you forget 'Nachrichten', most Germans under 40 will perfectly understand 'News' (pronounced like English).
Singular vs Plural
Always use 'die Nachrichten' (plural) for the news. 'Die Nachricht' (singular) is a text message.
Dative Case
When saying 'in the news', use 'in den Nachrichten' (dative plural).
Tagesschau
If you want to sound like a local, mention 'Tagesschau'—it's the most famous news source in Germany.
Teste-toi
Fill in the correct form of the verb 'lesen'.
Du _______ jeden Morgen {die|f} Nachrichten.
The 'du' form of 'lesen' is 'liest' (irregular).
Which sentence is correct for 'I read the news yesterday'?
Choose the correct past tense sentence.
The perfect tense of 'lesen' uses 'haben' + 'gelesen'.
Match the action to the medium.
If you are using a smartphone app, you are...
Reading text on an app is 'lesen'.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Warum weißt du so viel über den Unfall? B: Ich habe es in _______ _______ _______.
After 'in' (dative plural), 'die Nachrichten' becomes 'den Nachrichten'.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Medium vs Verb
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesDu _______ jeden Morgen {die|f} Nachrichten.
The 'du' form of 'lesen' is 'liest' (irregular).
Choose the correct past tense sentence.
The perfect tense of 'lesen' uses 'haben' + 'gelesen'.
If you are using a smartphone app, you are...
Reading text on an app is 'lesen'.
A: Warum weißt du so viel über den Unfall? B: Ich habe es in _______ _______ _______.
After 'in' (dative plural), 'die Nachrichten' becomes 'den Nachrichten'.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
12 questionsYes, it's very common in informal German, especially among younger people.
When referring to 'the news' as a media concept, yes. As a single message, it's 'die Nachricht'.
'Lesen' is for yourself; 'vorlesen' is to read aloud to someone else.
Usually yes. 'Ich lese Nachrichten' sounds like you are reading random messages; 'Ich lese die Nachrichten' sounds like you are staying informed.
Use the phrase: 'Ich habe es in den Nachrichten gelesen.'
It's a subset. All 'Zeitung lesen' is 'Nachrichten lesen', but not all 'Nachrichten lesen' is 'Zeitung lesen' (could be an app).
We use the English term 'Fake News' or the German 'Falschmeldungen'.
Only if you are analyzing the news very deeply (e.g., for a thesis). For daily use, 'lesen' is correct.
Yes, but usually people say 'Ich habe eine Nachricht bekommen' (I got a message).
That's a 'Breaking News' alert you might read.
No, it's strong/irregular: ich lese, du liest, er liest.
Ich lese gern {die|f} Nachrichten.
Expressions liées
{die|f} Zeitung lesen
specialized formTo read the newspaper
sich informieren
similarTo inform oneself
{die|f} Nachrichten schauen
contrastTo watch the news
auf dem Laufenden bleiben
builds onTo stay up to date
Schlagzeilen überfliegen
specialized formTo skim headlines
