Albtraum

German

Alternative forms

• Alptraum (sole standard spelling until 1996; now less common)

Etymology

Alb +‎ Traum, because nightmares in some forms of German folklore are thought to be caused by an elf sitting on one's chest while one slept.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈalptʁaʊ̯m/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Albtraum m (strong, genitive Albtraumes or Albtraums, plural Albträume)

1. nightmare

   Synonyms: Alpdruck, Alpdrücken

   Er leidet an schweren Albträumen.

   He suffers from severe nightmares.

Usage notes

• The spelling Albtraum has been an optional spelling since the German spelling reform of 1996 (the Rechtschreibreform).

Declension

Declension of Albtraum [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Albtraum	die	Albträume
genitive	eines	des	Albtraumes, Albtraums	der	Albträume
dative	einem	dem	Albtraum, Albtraume1	den	Albträumen
accusative	einen	den	Albtraum	die	Albträume

¹Now rare, see notes.

Further reading

• “Albtraum” in Duden online
• “Albtraum” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache