noun
marriage
B1
Ehe (die) means 'marriage' as legal or social union. Feminine noun: die Ehe, plural Ehen. Declines regularly (Sing.: die Ehe, der Ehe; Pl.: die Ehen, der Ehen). Common collocations: eine Ehe schließen, in die Ehe treten. No irregular plural; used for legal and cultural contexts.
Examples
Die Ehe ist für viele Menschen ein wichtiger Lebensabschnitt.
Marriage is an important stage of life for many people.
Das Paar beschloss, dass sie die Ehe retten wollten, nachdem sie lange über ihre Probleme gesprochen hatten.
The couple decided that they wanted to save their marriage after they had talked at length about their problems.
Sie führen eine glückliche Ehe.
They have a happy marriage.
Details
Mnemonics
Imagine two wedding rings forming the shape of an 'E' for 'Ehe'.
Sounds like 'ay' in 'say' + 'uh' — think of two people saying 'I do' (marriage).
die — feminine: think of 'die' as the definite article wearing a wedding dress (feminine).
Notes
Ehe refers to the institution or state of being married. Common synonyms include 'Heirat' (the act of getting married) and 'Ehe' (the marriage itself).