noun
distress, need, hardship
B1
'Not' (die Not): distress, need, hardship. Feminine noun meaning serious need or crisis; common phrases: 'in Not sein' (to be in distress). Plural irregular: Nöte (with Umlaut). Declines regularly; genitive der Not, plural die Nöte. Used in compounds like Notfall.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.EXAMPLES
Die wirtschaftliche Not nach der Krise war deutlich spürbar.
The economic hardship after the crisis was clearly noticeable.
Die Helfer fanden eine Frau in Not, als sie die Straße patrouillierten.
The helpers found a woman in distress while they were patrolling the street.
In seiner Not nahm er jede Hilfe an.
In his need he accepted any help.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.DETAILS_LABEL
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.MNEMONICS
Imagine a red SOS flag (a small red sign) to picture someone in distress.
Sounds like English 'not' — think of being 'not OK' to remember distress.
Die Not is feminine — think 'die' like 'die' in 'diet' (female image) to anchor feminine gender.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.NOTES
Not is a relatively abstract noun meaning distress or need. It is often used in set phrases (e.g., 'in Not sein'). Don't confuse 'Not' with 'Notfall' (an acute emergency).