Should I use die See or das Meer for "sea" in German?

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t_maia2000

All the above answers are correct, exept that lake is "der See" (mask.) and sea is "die See" (fem.).

And whether you use Meer or See depends on context too - there are certain phrases that only work with one of them.

A seaman would say: "Ich fahre zur See " to mean he is a sailor - he would not use Meer in this sentence. I also learned that See in general means all oceans - but that Meer is more geografically specific. If Meer is used in an abstract sense, it is more as a "large body of water" - not all seas.

Martin S

das Meer is correct and no problems if you use it
die See is a little bit old fashioned and not really used anymore in everyday speach.
Some people still say "Ich fahre an die See" meaning making holidays in a seaside resort.
"Ich fahre zur See" means working on a ship (sailor, officer, captain) A "Offizier zur See" means a Navy officer
"der See" means lake - mind the different gender
But to come back to your question: "das Meer" is what you are looking for

SaThie

"das Meer" if you mean sea in a general.
ex : Ich fahre ans Meer. I am going to the sea (holiday).
or in specific names such as "das Polarmeer"

"die See" would be used in specific names such as Nordsee, etc. Also if you are a fisherman or in the Navy.
ex Ich fahre zur See. (I can't translate it correctly, but the meaning would be a general description of a job on aship)

On a wider scale Meer is opposed to Ozean (ocean) as 'sea' is opposed to 'ocean' in english.

cwomo

Das Meer would be most correct.

Alex S

You can actually use both. "Meer" however is
more common. "See" is not really old fashioned
but it has a somewhat poetic or romantic touch.
In general you should favor "Meer".

bunky95762

das Meer is probably "more" correct...but it all depends on context!

Certain seas in German are specifically referred to as "See," for instance: die Nordsee is the North Sea, and die Ostsee is the Baltic Sea. On the contrary, das Mittelmeer is the Mediterranean Sea for us English speakers! These are specific geographical terms that you really just have to learn by heart.

die See is most often associated with lakes in English. For instance, in the Leipzig area, there is an artificial lake called the Cospudenersee, or in the South of German there is the Bodensee, Lake Constance in English.

So my advice, unless you are specifically referring to a "sea" that you know to be a "see," I would use Meer!

fliege52000

Meer mean the Sea.

michab_24

with See in German you mena a lake or with the special "die See" you mean the "Nordsee" (North sea).

But in general sea means Meer.

Greetings from Germany
Michael

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