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Vocab: Clothing — A2 (2)
Clothing vocabulary at A2 level.
Maskulin Feminin Neutrum Plural
die Umkleide — changing room, changing rooms
Die Umkleide is commonly used for a changing room in a sports centre, swimming pool, or shop. Its plural is die Umkleiden; do not confuse the noun with the verb umkleiden, to change someone’s clothes.
Die Umkleide ist neben der Sporthalle.
The changing room is next to the sports hall.
neben der Sporthalle means next to the sports hall; Sporthalle is a sports hall. Die Umkleide is nominative because it is the subject, while neben takes the dative for a location.
Ich suche die Umkleide.
I am looking for the changing room.
suchen means to look for or search for. Die Umkleide is accusative because it is the direct object of suche; the finite verb is in position two.
Wir treffen uns vor der Umkleide.
We are meeting in front of the changing room.
treffen uns means meet each other, and vor means in front of. Vor takes the dative for location, so the feminine article is der.
Die Tür der Umkleide ist offen.
The changing-room door is open.
die Tür is the door and offen means open. Der Umkleide is genitive because it identifies whose door it is; with a feminine noun, the noun has no ending change and the article carries the case.
Die Umkleiden schließen um acht Uhr.
The changing rooms close at eight o’clock.
schließen means close, and um acht Uhr means at eight o’clock. Umkleiden is plural and therefore takes the plural verb schließen, not the singular schließt.
umziehen — to move house; to change clothes
For moving house, the perfect takes sein: ist umgezogen. For changing clothes, the verb is commonly reflexive, sich umziehen, and takes haben in the perfect: hat sich umgezogen.
Wir ziehen im Mai um.
We are moving house in May.
im Mai means in May, and umziehen means move house. In a main clause, the finite part ziehen stands in position two and the prefix um goes to the end; there is no object case here.
Wir sind letztes Jahr umgezogen.
We moved house last year.
letztes Jahr means last year. The perfect uses sind and umgezogen because moving house expresses a change of location; sind is in position two and the Partizip II goes to the end.
Meine Schwester zog nach Berlin um.
My sister moved to Berlin.
Meine Schwester means my sister, and nach Berlin means to Berlin. The strong-verb past form zog is in position two, while the separable prefix um stands at the end; nach Berlin expresses the destination.
Zieh bitte bald um!
Please move house soon!
bitte means please, and bald means soon. This is the du imperative, so the pronoun is omitted; the prefix um remains separate at the end.
Ich würde gern näher ins Zentrum umziehen.
I would like to move closer to the city centre.
gern means gladly or would like to, and näher ins Zentrum means closer to the city centre. Würde is the Konjunktiv II form of werden; the infinitive umziehen stays whole at the end, so the prefix is not separated.
Nächstes Jahr werden wir nach Köln umziehen.
Next year we will move to Cologne.
Nächstes Jahr means next year, and nach Köln means to Cologne. Future I uses werden in position two and the whole infinitive umziehen at the end; the destination is expressed with nach.
Ich muss mich noch umziehen.
I still have to change my clothes.
noch means still, and mich means myself here. Umziehen is reflexive in this meaning; after the modal muss, the whole infinitive goes to the end, and mich is accusative because it is the reflexive object.
Nach dem Sport hat er sich schnell umgezogen.
He quickly changed after doing sport.
Nach dem Sport means after sport, and schnell means quickly. This meaning uses haben in the perfect, with the reflexive pronoun sich; umgezogen stands at the end of the clause.
die Uniform — uniform
The feminine noun has the regular plural Uniformen. In Uniform usually means wearing a uniform, without an article.
Die Uniform ist blau.
The uniform is blue.
blau means blue. Die Uniform is nominative because it is the subject, and the finite verb ist is in position two.
Ich sehe die Uniform.
I can see the uniform.
sehen means to see. Die Uniform is accusative because sehen takes a direct object, and sehe stands in position two.
Er arbeitet in der Uniform.
He works in uniform.
arbeitet means works, and in means in here. Der Uniform is dative because in describes a location, not movement; the finite verb arbeitet is in position two.
Die Farbe der Uniform ist dunkelblau.
The colour of the uniform is dark blue.
die Farbe means the colour and dunkelblau means dark blue. Der Uniform is genitive because it shows whose colour it is; the verb ist stands in position two.
Die Uniformen hängen im Schrank.
The uniforms are hanging in the wardrobe.
hängen means are hanging and der Schrank means wardrobe. Uniformen is plural, so it takes die when used with an article; hängen is in position two.
der Wanderschuh — hiking shoe
A Wanderschuh is stronger and more supportive than an ordinary shoe. The plural Wanderschuhe is common because hikers normally talk about a pair.
Der Wanderschuh ist bequem.
The hiking shoe is comfortable.
bequem means comfortable. Der Wanderschuh is nominative because it is the subject, and the finite verb ist stands in position two.
Ich kaufe einen neuen Wanderschuh.
I am buying a new hiking shoe.
kaufen means to buy and neu means new. einen neuen Wanderschuh is accusative because kaufen takes an accusative object; the adjective has the ending -en after einen.
Mit dem Wanderschuh kann ich lange laufen.
With the hiking shoe, I can walk for a long time.
mit means with, lange means for a long time, and laufen means to walk. mit always takes the dative, so dem Wanderschuh is dative; the modal verb kann is in position two and laufen goes to the end.
Die Sohle des Wanderschuhs ist dick.
The sole of the hiking shoe is thick.
die Sohle means the sole, and dick means thick. des Wanderschuhs is genitive because it shows which shoe the sole belongs to; the finite verb ist is in position two.
Meine Wanderschuhe sind nass.
My hiking shoes are wet.
meine means my and nass means wet. Wanderschuhe is plural and is the nominative subject, so the verb is sind rather than singular ist.
der Wintermantel — winter coat
Wintermantel is a compound of der Winter (winter) and der Mantel (coat). Its plural has an umlaut and -e: Wintermäntel.
Der Wintermantel ist sehr warm.
The winter coat is very warm.
warm means warm, and sehr means very. Der Wintermantel is nominative because it is the subject, and ist stands in position two.
Ich kaufe einen Wintermantel.
I am buying a winter coat.
kaufen means to buy. Einen Wintermantel is accusative because kaufen takes a direct object; the masculine indefinite article changes from ein to einen.
Mit dem Wintermantel friere ich nicht.
With the winter coat, I do not feel cold.
mit means with, and frieren means to feel cold. Dem Wintermantel is dative because mit always takes the dative; the phrase comes first, so friere still follows in position two.
Die Farbe des Wintermantels gefällt mir.
I like the colour of the winter coat.
die Farbe means the colour and gefallen means to please or be liked. des Wintermantels is genitive because it means of the winter coat; mir is dative because gefallen expresses whose opinion or reaction something pleases.
Im Schaufenster hängen viele Wintermäntel.
Many winter coats are hanging in the shop window.
das Schaufenster means shop window, hängen means are hanging, and viele means many. Wintermäntel is plural, and viele has no ending because it already marks the plural.
die Wolle — wool
This is normally a mass noun and has no plural when it means wool as a material.
Die Wolle ist weich.
The wool is soft.
weich means soft. Die Wolle is nominative because it is the subject, and the finite verb ist stands in position two.
Meine Mutter kauft die Wolle.
My mother is buying the wool.
meine Mutter means my mother and kauft means buys. Die Wolle is accusative because kaufen takes a direct object; as a feminine noun, its article is still die.
Mit der Wolle strickt sie einen Schal.
She is knitting a scarf with the wool.
mit means with, strickt means knits, sie means she, and einen Schal is a scarf. Der Wolle is dative because mit always takes the dative; the finite verb strickt is in position two.
Die Farbe der Wolle ist natürlich.
The colour of the wool is natural.
die Farbe means the colour and natürlich means natural. Der Wolle is genitive because it shows which material the colour belongs to; feminine nouns use der in the genitive.