Load in German - It’s a Heavy Word with Meaning

You might be surprised how often we talk about “loads” in everyday life - a load of laundry, a truckload of sand or an electric charge. Ladung can cover all of these. For an emotional burden, Last or Belastung is usually a clearer choice.

The word is Ladung, pronounced /ˈlaːdʊŋ/. Stress the first syllable: a is long, but the u in -ung is short, like the vowel in English “put.” The final ng is like “ng” in “sing.”

Ladung is feminine, so it’s die Ladung. The plural is die Ladungen. If you’re not sure how gender works, my gender video lesson gives a solid overview in plain English.

Ladung is one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German, and it pops up in logistics, science, legal notices, and even slang.

Examples in all four cases:

Nominative:Die Ladung ist schwer und ungesichert.The load is heavy and unsecured.

Accusative:Ich habe die Ladung überprüft.I checked the load.

Dative:Mit der Ladung stimmt etwas nicht.Something’s wrong with the load.

Genitive:Das Gewicht der Ladung war zu hoch.The weight of the load was too high.

Real-World Tips for Learners

In German, Ladung is the go-to word for transported goods, whether it’s on a truck or a ship. You’ll hear:

• eine schwere Ladung - a heavy load

• eine gefährliche Ladung - a dangerous load (e.g. chemicals)

• eine neue Ladung Wäsche - a new load of laundry

• eine emotionale Ladung - an emotional charge or intensity (for a burden, use eine emotionale Belastung)

• eine elektrische Ladung - an electric charge

In legal language, Ladung also refers to a summons:eine gerichtliche Ladung - a court summons.You’ll usually see this in mail from courts or public authorities.