Why do I need to know Streit?
Though it's not something you'd want to have too much of in your day-to-day life, Streit is something you're bound to encounter sooner or later. This noun - which can also be turned into a verb - can be used to talk about a range of difficult situations, from arguments with loved ones to legal disputes.
What does it mean?
Der Streit (pronounced like this) is a quarrel, argument or dispute in English. It reflects almost any situation where two or more people have an ongoing disagreement or opposing views on a certain issue.
At its most benign level, a Streit could be an intense debate you have with a colleague about the best place to grab lunch in the area or a brief row with your partner.
That said, a Streit can sometimes drag on over time, like an ongoing quarrel with you neighbour over their habit of blasting loud music at all hours of the night.
Sometimes - especially in Germany's litigious culture - a Streit may escalate and turn into a fully blown legal dispute. Or, in politics, parties can sometimes end up locked in a pretty much eternal Streit over key issues, whether that's the upcoming budget or the question of a speed limit on the Autobahn.
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In these cases, you can turn Streit into a compound noun by pinning the issue that's being debated onto the front of the word. For example, der Haushaltsstreit - which looks set to be a major topic for the coalition government in the coming months - is an ongoing debate over the Haushalt, or budget.
If you're wondering how to remember the word, it can be helpful to think of the slightly old-fashioned English word 'strife', which sounds very similar and means pretty much the same thing.
If you want to turn Streit into a verb, you'll need the word streiten, which means to argue or row with somebody, or the word gestritten in the past tense.
Use it like this:
Nach jedem Streit haben wir uns vertragen.
We made up after every argument.
Können sie sich einigen, und diesen endlosen Streit endlich lösen?
Can they come to an agreement and finally resolve this endless dispute?
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