This deep dive covers Environment vocabulary within The environment and where people live for GCSE German. Revise The environment and where people live in Theme 3: Communication and the World Around Us for GCSE German with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 2 of 4 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📋 Environment vocabulary
| Deutsch | English |
|---|---|
| die Umwelt (no pl) | the environment |
| die Umweltverschmutzung (no pl) | pollution |
| der Müll (no pl) | rubbish |
| die Natur (no pl) | nature |
| der Wald / die Wälder | forest |
| der Fluss / die Flüsse | river |
| die Luft (no pl) | air |
| der Verkehr (no pl) | traffic |
| das Gebäude / die Gebäude | building |
📋 Living & describing
| Deutsch | English |
|---|---|
| die Stadt / die Städte | city |
| das Land (no pl) — auf dem Land | countryside |
| recyceln | to recycle |
| schützen | to protect |
| sparen | to save |
| umweltfreundlich | eco-friendly |
| sauber | clean |
| schmutzig | dirty |
| laut | noisy |
| ruhig | quiet |
⭐ Key environment phrases
- die Umwelt schützen — to protect the environment
- Energie / Wasser sparen — to save energy / water
- auf dem Land (in the countryside) vs in der Stadt (in the city)
- Wir müssen mehr recyceln. — We must recycle more.
Ich wohne auf dem Land, weil es dort ruhig und sauber ist.
I live in the countryside, because it is quiet and clean there.
- auf dem Land — "in the countryside" (dative, fixed locative expression)
- weil sends the verb ist to the end of the clause
- ruhig / sauber — predicate adjectives, so they take no ending
Wir müssen die Umwelt schützen und mehr Energie sparen.
We must protect the environment and save more energy.
- müssen … schützen — modal verb plus infinitive sent to the end (the verb bracket)
- die Umwelt schützen — to protect the environment
- Energie sparen — to save energy
Practice questions for The environment and where people live
What does 'die Umwelt' mean in English?
What is the German word for 'rubbish / waste'?