Steuer

tax

noun SHTOY-er Less Common

Also means

steering wheel

Usage Note

Steuer is a gender trap: die Steuer (feminine) means 'tax', while das Steuer (neuter) means 'steering wheel' or 'helm'. The tax sense is very common in the plural Steuern, and you pay them with Steuern zahlen.

Examples

"Die Steuer wurde wieder erhöht."

Natural Translation

The tax was raised again.

Literal Translation

The tax was again raised.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Modal Verbs: Können, Müssen, Wollen and More

German modal verbs put the modal in position 2 and the real verb at the end. Master können, müssen, wollen and the rest with charts and clear examples.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German Separable Verbs: When the Prefix Splits

German separable verbs split in two: the verb stays near the front and the prefix flies to the end. Learn the stress test and where every piece goes.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

Tipping in Germany: A Visitor's Etiquette Guide

Tipping in Germany means saying your total out loud, not leaving coins. Learn the exact phrases, how much to tip, and the Sie-vs-du etiquette travelers need.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

Der, Die, Das: Rules to Guess German Gender

German noun gender rules made simple: check the suffix first, then meaning. Endings like -ung, -chen, and -ling predict der, die, or das with ~90% accuracy.

June 5, 2026 6 min read