This is the 960th most frequent German word.
ums
"Ums" is a contraction of "um das" in German, meaning "around the" or "about the," depending on context.
Here, 'ums' is a contracted form of 'um das', indicating movement around something.
Er rannte ums Haus.
He ran around the house.
In this sentence, 'ums' is also the contraction of 'um das', and it means around but in a figurative sense, suggesting avoidance of a direct topic.
Sie sprachen ums Problem herum.
They talked around the issue.
Here, 'ums' describes a positional relationship around a central point, emphasizing spatial location.