4.3 Science and Technology

Understanding Science and Technology in German

In this chapter you will learn how to move confidently in German whenever you talk about science, technology, research, and innovation. The focus is on typical structures, key vocabulary, and how texts in these fields are usually organized, so you can understand and produce German in academic and technical contexts at a B2 level.

Typical Features of Scientific and Technical German

Scientific and technical language in German tends to be very dense. It packs a lot of information into long noun phrases and complex sentences. You will see many passive constructions, participle constructions, and long compounds that name very specific concepts. Verbs often move toward the end of the sentence, especially in subordinate clauses, which makes it necessary to read an entire sentence before you fully understand it.

In written texts, the style is usually objective and neutral. Personal opinions and emotions are avoided, and writers prefer abstract nouns like “Durchführung” instead of verbs like “wir führen durch.” You will also notice many international terms that look similar in English, but you must still observe German grammar, gender, and plural endings.

The Language of Research and Experiments

When German texts describe research, they usually follow a clear structure: they present a problem, show a hypothesis, describe the method, then present and discuss results. You need a set of standard verbs and nouns to follow and to reproduce this pattern.

Common “research verbs” include “untersuchen,” “analysieren,” “ermitteln,” “durchführen,” “nachweisen,” and “belegen.” They often appear together with abstract nouns such as “Untersuchung,” “Analyse,” “Messung,” “Studie,” or “Versuch.”

A typical research sentence combines such a verb with a passive structure or a nominalization. Compare these two styles:

• “Die Forscher führen ein Experiment durch.”
• “Es wird ein Experiment durchgeführt.”

The second version sounds more formal and is common in written reports and articles.

Describing Processes and Procedures

Science and technology often deal with processes that have several steps. In German, such processes are described with clear temporal connectors and precise verbs. Words like “zunächst,” “danach,” “anschließend,” “abschließend,” “schließlich,” or “zum Schluss” help you follow the order of actions.

Processes can be described in active or passive voice. Passive is frequent, because it focuses on the process itself and not on the person who performs it. For instance:

• “Zunächst wird die Probe erhitzt. Anschließend wird sie auf Raumtemperatur abgekühlt.”
Here the procedure, not the scientist, is central.

Technical procedures also rely on verbs of change such as “erhöhen,” “senken,” “verändern,” “steigern,” “reduzieren,” “ansteigen,” “abfallen,” “sich stabilisieren,” often in combination with data or measurable quantities like “Temperatur,” “Druck,” “Konzentration,” “Energie,” or “Leistung.”

When you read such descriptions, watch for the subject. It can be a technical term, a process, or a measured value, which may come before or after the verb, especially in texts that vary sentence structure for style.

Dealing with Long Compounds

German is famous for its compound nouns, and science and technology intensify this habit. A single long word often replaces what would be a short phrase in English. For example, “Energieeinsparpotenzial” expresses the potential to save energy in one word. To understand such compounds, learn to recognize their building blocks and read them from right to left, where the core concept usually stands.

In technical and scientific texts, compounds allow precise naming of phenomena, devices, and methods. They are very compact, but they can look intimidating to learners. Instead of avoiding them, train yourself to split them into smaller known parts. Over time, you will notice recurring patterns that help you guess meanings even when you see a word for the first time.

Talking about Data, Results, and Trends

Science and technology rely on data. German uses many standard expressions to describe increases, decreases, comparisons, and interpretations. Verbs like “steigen,” “wachsen,” “zunehmen,” “sich erhöhen” express growth, while “sinken,” “abnehmen,” “zurückgehen,” “sich verringern” express reduction.

Results are often presented with phrases such as “Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass …,” “Die Daten deuten darauf hin, dass …,” “Die Studie kommt zu dem Ergebnis, dass …,” which introduce clauses that explain the main conclusion. Even at B2, you will see these structures again and again in articles about environment, medicine, or technology.

Numbers and percentages are common, but you must also pay attention to qualitative language. Terms such as “signifikant,” “messbar,” “erheblich,” “geringfügig,” “stark,” “deutlich,” “kaum” show how strong an effect is. These adverbs and adjectives are essential if you want to evaluate results rather than only list them.

Innovation, Technology, and Society

Technology texts are not only about machines. They often discuss social consequences, environmental impacts, and ethical questions. Typical themes include “Digitalisierung,” “Künstliche Intelligenz,” “Robotik,” “Nachhaltigkeit,” “erneuerbare Energien,” and “Datenschutz.”

In these discussions you will meet a mix of scientific vocabulary and more general terms such as “Auswirkung,” “Folge,” “Vorteil,” “Nachteil,” “Chance,” “Risiko,” “Herausforderung,” and “Lösung.” Many of these words appear in texts that argue about whether a technology is useful, dangerous, or both.

Writers often use abstract nouns to name problems and solutions instead of describing them with verbs. For example, “die Reduzierung des Energieverbrauchs” sounds more formal and abstract than “wir wollen weniger Energie verbrauchen.” For B2 comprehension and production, you must handle such nouns comfortably.

Reading Strategies for Scientific and Technical Texts

Scientific and technical texts can be heavy, but there are strategies that help you understand them more efficiently in German. Before reading in detail, skim the text to find headings, pictures, graphs, and highlighted terms. These elements give you a first idea of the topic and the structure. Then focus on introduction and conclusion, which often state the main question and summary in relatively clear language.

When you read sentence by sentence, do not stop too early. German sentences may put the key verb at the end, so your understanding might change after you see it. If a sentence is very long, identify the main clause first, then the subordinate clauses that add details. You can mentally reduce a complex sentence to its core, then add the information from the smaller parts.

Pay special attention to connectors such as “daher,” “deshalb,” “außerdem,” “jedoch,” “allerdings,” “denn,” “obwohl,” “während,” because they show logical relations between sentences. In research or technology texts, logical relations are crucial. They tell you what is cause, what is effect, what is contrast, and what is consequence.

Writing about Science and Technology at B2 Level

At B2 you should be able to write short summaries of scientific or technical texts and simple argumentative paragraphs about technology and its effects. To do this successfully in German, aim for clarity and structure rather than complexity for its own sake.

Use an introduction that names the topic and, if relevant, the source of your information. Then develop your points logically, each in its own paragraph. Use formal expressions such as “Zunächst,” “Außerdem,” “Darüber hinaus,” “Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass …” to connect your ideas. Avoid very personal or emotional style. Instead of “Ich finde super, dass …,” prefer “Ein Vorteil besteht darin, dass …” or “Ein wichtiger Aspekt ist, dass …”

If you need to describe a process, present the steps in order with clear temporal markers. If you refer to data, mention the most important numbers and summarize the trend rather than listing everything. When you use technical words, check their gender and plural forms, and try to keep terminology consistent throughout your text.

New Vocabulary from this Chapter