Today’s word is Revolution — a powerful word that carries the same meaning in German and English. Whether you're talking about political uprisings, technological breakthroughs, or the orbit of a planet, Revolution is a bold and dramatic term.
Revolution is a feminine noun, so the correct article is die — die Revolution. Want to get better at remembering which nouns take der, die, or das? Our super clear 5-minute video makes gender finally click.
Real conversations where Revolution might come up
You’ll hear Revolution in history class, tech discussions, science documentaries, and protest slogans. It's a formal word — but also highly emotional and symbolic.
– Die Französische Revolution hat Europa verändert.
(“The French Revolution changed Europe.”)
Or:
– Diese App ist eine Revolution im Sprachlernen!
(“This app is a revolution in language learning!”)
Beginner sample dialogue
Mara: Was ist eine Revolution?
Jonas: Wenn viele Menschen etwas im Land ändern wollen.
Mara: Also wie ein großer Protest?
Jonas: Genau. Manchmal sogar mit Gewalt.
(Mara: What’s a revolution?
Jonas: When many people want to change something in the country.
Mara: Like a big protest?
Jonas: Exactly. Sometimes even with violence.)
Grammar in action: How to use Revolution
Nominative: Die Revolution begann im Jahr 1848.
(The revolution began in 1848.)Accusative: Wir diskutieren die Revolution.
(We’re discussing the revolution.)Dative: Nach der Revolution war vieles anders.
(After the revolution, many things were different.)Genitive: Die Folgen der Revolution waren groß.
(The consequences of the revolution were huge.)
German case endings giving you a headache? Our plain-English grammar course walks you through it without jargon or confusion.
Other ways to talk about Revolution in German
die industrielle Revolution – the industrial revolution
die digitale Revolution – the digital revolution
die politische Revolution – political revolution
die soziale Revolution – social revolution
die wissenschaftliche Revolution – scientific revolution
You can also say:
eine Revolution auslösen – to trigger a revolution
eine Revolution verhindern – to prevent a revolution
in der Revolution kämpfen – to fight in the revolution
Revolutionär sein – to be revolutionary
Word variations and tidbits
Revolution is directly borrowed from Latin via French — just like in English. It's a classic example of shared political vocabulary across Europe. It also shows up in science:
die Erdrevolution – the Earth’s orbit (one complete turn around the sun)
eine Revolution um die eigene Achse – a rotation on one’s own axis
Culturally, Revolution is a big word in German history — from the 1848 revolutions to the peaceful revolution of 1989 that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
You might hear:
Friedliche Revolution – peaceful revolution
Revolutionsführer – revolutionary leader
Revoluzzer – rebel (colloquial, sometimes playful)
Duden entry:
https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Revolution
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