German Conversation · Level 6
90 words
German word
Schlange
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈʃlaŋə/
Meaning
- feminine nounsnake
Example
Im Garten habe ich eine Schlange gesehen.
In the garden, I saw a snake.
More examples
Im Zoo durfte ich gestern eine Schlange halten.
Yesterday at the zoo, I was allowed to hold a snake.
Core concept
A snake-shaped chain stretches forward, whether it consists of scales and coils or of waiting people and objects.
Common phrases
eine Schlange halten
keep a snake
eine Schlange füttern
feed a snake
von einer Schlange gebissen werden
be bitten by a snake
Similar words
Warteschlange: A line of people or objects waiting their turn.
Anstehen: The act of waiting in line for one's turn.
Definition in German
Eine aneinandergereihte, meist geschwungene Reihe von Personen oder Dingen; zugleich die Bezeichnung für das Reptil.
Word origin
The noun is inherited from Germanic, with Old High German slango and Middle High German slange as earlier forms; the queue sense developed from the shape.
Usage tips
- For a queue, German commonly uses in der Schlange stehen, while an ordinary drawn or written line is usually eine Linie.
Other meanings
- linenoun
Related words
- Schlangenbisssnakebitenoun
- Schlangengiftsnake venomnoun
- Schlangenhautsnakeskinnoun