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Vocab: Clothing — A1 (2)
Clothing vocabulary at A1 level.
Maskulin Feminin Neutrum Plural
die Tasche — bag, pocket
die Tasche can mean a bag or handbag, and it can also mean a pocket in clothing. The plural is die Taschen; after in it is accusative for a destination but dative for a location.
Die Tasche ist sehr schwer.
The bag is very heavy.
sehr schwer means very heavy. Die Tasche is nominative because it is the subject of ist, and the finite verb stands in position two.
Ich nehme die Tasche mit.
I take the bag with me.
nehme ... mit means take along, and mit means along or with. die Tasche is accusative because mitnehmen takes a direct object; the separable verb puts nehme in position two and mit at the end.
Ich helfe meiner Schwester mit der Tasche.
I help my sister with the bag.
helfe means help, meiner Schwester means my sister, and mit means with. meiner Schwester is dative because helfen takes a dative person, and der Tasche is dative because mit always takes the dative.
Der Henkel der Tasche ist kaputt.
The handle of the bag is broken.
Henkel means handle, kaputt means broken, and ist means is. der Tasche is genitive because it shows whose handle it is; the feminine genitive article is der, although the noun does not change.
Im Geschäft liegen viele Taschen.
There are many bags in the shop.
im Geschäft means in the shop, liegen means are lying or are located, and viele means many. Taschen is nominative plural after liegen; im is in dem, and the location phrase comes first, so the verb still stays in position two.
tragen — to carry; to wear; to bear; to be responsible for
tragen takes an accusative object. It can mean carrying an object or wearing clothing and accessories; in the perfect it uses haben, not sein.
Ich trage jeden Tag eine Tasche.
I carry a bag every day.
jeden Tag means every day and eine Tasche is a bag. eine Tasche is accusative because tragen takes an accusative object, and the finite verb trage stands in position two.
Sie hat den schweren Koffer getragen.
She carried the heavy suitcase.
sie means she, schwer means heavy, and der Koffer is the suitcase. The perfect uses hat plus getragen because tragen takes haben; the participle stands at the end, and den schweren Koffer is accusative.
Er trug einen schwarzen Mantel.
He wore a black coat.
einen schwarzen Mantel means a black coat. trug is the strong preterite form, and the coat is accusative because it is what he wore; the finite verb is in position two.
Trag bitte die Kiste!
Please carry the box!
bitte means please and die Kiste means the box. Trag is the du imperative without a pronoun, and die Kiste is accusative because tragen takes an accusative object.
Wenn ich den Rucksack nicht trüge, wäre er leichter.
If I did not carry the rucksack, it would be lighter.
wenn means if, der Rucksack means the rucksack, and leichter means lighter. trüge is the Konjunktiv II of tragen; the verb goes to the end of the wenn clause, while wäre is in position two in the main clause.
Morgen werde ich den neuen Tisch nach oben tragen.
Tomorrow I will carry the new table upstairs.
morgen means tomorrow, neu means new, and nach oben means upstairs. Futur I uses werde in position two and the infinitive tragen at the end; den neuen Tisch is accusative because it is what is carried.
Die Firma trägt die Kosten.
The company bears the costs.
die Firma means the company and die Kosten means the costs. die Kosten is accusative because tragen takes an accusative object, and trägt is the third-person singular present form with the vowel change a to ä.
Er muss die Folgen tragen.
He has to bear the consequences.
muss means has to and die Folgen means the consequences. After the modal verb muss, the infinitive tragen goes to the end, and die Folgen is accusative.
die Unterwäsche — underwear
Die Unterwäsche is normally a mass noun, so it has no ordinary plural; individual items can be named, for example der Slip or der BH. It is a compound containing Wäsche, meaning laundry or underwear.
Die Unterwäsche ist sauber.
The underwear is clean.
sauber means clean, and ist means is. Die Unterwäsche is nominative because it is the subject; although it refers to several garments, this mass noun normally takes a singular verb.
Ich kaufe neue Unterwäsche.
I am buying new underwear.
Ich kaufe means I am buying, and neue means new. neue Unterwäsche is accusative because it is the object of kaufen; the noun has no plural here, so Unterwäsche remains unchanged.
Meine Schwester schenkt mir Unterwäsche.
My sister gives me underwear as a present.
Meine Schwester means my sister, schenkt means gives as a present, and mir means to me. mir is dative because schenken gives something to someone, while Unterwäsche is the accusative thing given; the verb stands in position two.
Die Farbe der Unterwäsche gefällt mir nicht.
I do not like the colour of the underwear.
Die Farbe means the colour, gefällt means is pleasing, and mir nicht means not to me. der Unterwäsche is genitive because it specifies whose colour it is; mir is dative because gefallen expresses what is pleasing to someone.
Im Schrank liegt Unterwäsche.
There is underwear in the wardrobe.
Im Schrank means in the wardrobe, and liegt means is lying or is placed. This example shows that Unterwäsche normally has no plural: it is a mass noun, so the singular form is used for an unspecified amount; im Schrank is dative because in describes a location.
die Wäsche — laundry, washing
Wäsche is usually an uncountable mass noun, so it normally has no plural. For individual items, use words such as die Kleidungsstücke for articles of clothing.
Die Wäsche ist noch nicht trocken.
The laundry is not dry yet.
trocken means dry, and noch nicht means not yet. Die Wäsche is nominative because it is the subject, and ist is the finite form of sein in position two.
Ich mache die Wäsche heute.
I am doing the laundry today.
heute means today, and machen means to do here. Die Wäsche is accusative because machen takes a direct object; the finite verb mache is in position two.
Ich helfe meiner Mutter bei der Wäsche.
I help my mother with the laundry.
helfen means to help, meiner Mutter is my mother, and bei means with or during. Der Wäsche is dative because bei always takes the dative, while helfe stands in position two.
Der Geruch der Wäsche ist angenehm.
The smell of the laundry is pleasant.
der Geruch means the smell, and angenehm means pleasant. Der Wäsche is genitive because it shows what the smell belongs to; the finite verb ist is in position two.
Am Samstag wasche ich die Wäsche.
On Saturday I do the laundry.
am Samstag means on Saturday, and waschen means to wash. This example uses the singular mass noun die Wäsche, not a plural; German normally does not use a plural for laundry in this everyday meaning.
der Ärmel — sleeve
Der Ärmel ist zu lang.
The sleeve is too long.
zu lang means too long. Der Ärmel is nominative because it is the subject, and the finite verb ist stands in position two.
Ich kürze den Ärmel.
I am shortening the sleeve.
kürzen means to shorten. Den Ärmel is accusative because it is the direct object of kürze, and the finite verb stands in position two.
Ich nähe den Knopf an den Ärmel.
I am sewing the button onto the sleeve.
nähen means to sew, and der Knopf is a button. An den Ärmel is accusative because an expresses movement onto the sleeve; the verb nähe stands in position two.
Die Farbe des Ärmels passt zum Hemd.
The colour of the sleeve matches the shirt.
die Farbe means the colour, and passt zum Hemd means matches the shirt. Des Ärmels is genitive because it shows whose colour it is, and zum means zu dem, with dative dem Hemd.
Die Ärmel sind unterschiedlich lang.
The sleeves are different lengths.
unterschiedlich lang means different lengths. Die Ärmel is plural and keeps the same noun form as the singular; the plural article die and the verb sind show the number.