balloon
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balloon
A small, stretchable casing made of rubber or plastic that is filled with air or a light gas and used as a toy or decoration. Usually referred to as 'Luftballon' (balloon).
Die Kinder ließen die bunten Ballons in den Himmel steigen.
The children let the colorful balloons rise into the sky.
The meaning of 'Ballon' (balloon) is easy to recognize from context. Words like 'aufblasen' (to inflate), 'Party' (party), or 'Kind' (child) point to a toy balloon, while 'fahren' (to ride/travel), 'Himmel' (sky), or 'Korb' (basket) refer to a hot-air balloon.
Zum Geburtstag haben wir das ganze Zimmer mit Ballons dekoriert.
For the birthday, we decorated the whole room with balloons.
In connection with a toy balloon, the verbs 'aufblasen' (or 'aufpusten') (to inflate), 'platzen' (to burst), and 'steigen lassen' (to let rise/release) are especially typical.
Pass auf, dass der Ballon nicht platzt!
Be careful that the balloon doesn't burst!
A special feature with hot-air balloons is the verb: in German, you 'fährt' (ride/travel) with a balloon, not 'fliegt' (fly). This is due to the historical development of aviation.
Letztes Jahr sind wir zum ersten Mal mit einem Heißluftballon gefahren.
Last year we rode in a hot-air balloon for the first time.
In the meaning 'Sprechblase' (speech bubble), 'Ballon' (balloon) is used exclusively in the context of comics, cartoons, or graphic representations. It is a technical term from this field.
Der Text im Ballon war kaum zu lesen.
The text in the speech bubble was barely readable.
balloon
'Ballon' and 'Luftballon' can both mean the small inflatable thing made of rubber or plastic that you use at parties or as a toy. In this sense, they are very similar. However, 'Luftballon' is more precise and often clearer in everyday language when you mean the small decoration. 'Ballon' is more general and can also mean other things, for example a hot-air balloon, a speech bubble in a comic, or a glass vessel. This can lead to confusion. If you definitely mean the small party balloon, 'Luftballon' is especially clear.
Der rote Ballon hängt über dem Tisch und passt gut zur Dekoration.
The red balloon is hanging above the table and goes well with the decorations.
Zum Geburtstag bekommt jedes Kind einen bunten Luftballon.
For the birthday party, each child gets a colorful balloon.