German word

rutschen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈʁʊt͡ʃən/

Meaning

  • verbslip

Example

Die Brille rutscht ihm von der Nase.

The glasses are slipping off his nose.

Illustration for rutschen (slip)

More examples

Das Glas rutschte ihm aus der Hand.

The glass slipped out of his hand.

Core concept

A person or object moves smoothly and often unintentionally along a surface or out of its position.

Common phrases

  • von der Nase rutschen

    slip off one's nose

  • aus der Hand rutschen

    slip out of one's hand

  • vom Stuhl rutschen

    slip off the chair

Similar words

ausrutschen: Slip on a floor or icy surface and lose balance.
gleiten: Glide quietly and smoothly from one place to another.
schlittern: Skid on a surface while losing control of speed or direction.

Definition in German

ohne großen Kraftaufwand an einer glatten Fläche von einer Stelle weggleiten oder von etwas abfallen

Word origin

German rutschen continues Middle High German rutschen, and the same stem appears in the related noun Rutsch and adjective rutschig.

Usage tips

  • Rutschen is usually intransitive, with the affected person in the dative and the starting surface introduced by von or aus, as in Die Brille rutscht ihm von der Nase.

Other meanings

  • slide downverb
  • shiftverb

Opposites

Related words

  • die Rutscheslidenoun
  • rutschigslipperyadjective
  • das Rutschenslippingnoun

Word lists with this word