drill
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drill
A tool or machine used to drill holes in materials such as wood, metal, or stone. Usually, this refers to the entire drilling machine.
Ich brauche einen Bohrer, um das Regal an der Wand zu befestigen.
I need a drill to attach the shelf to the wall.
The word 'Bohrer' (drill/drill bit) is derived from the verb 'bohren' (to drill). The ending '-er' here refers to the tool that performs the action — a typical word-formation pattern in German for tools and devices.
Wer bohrt denn am Sonntag so laut?
Who is drilling so loudly on a Sunday?
Whether the whole machine or only the attachment is meant is often revealed by the verb. Verbs like 'einsetzen' (to insert), 'wechseln' (to change), or 'auswählen' (to choose) refer to the attachment. Verbs like 'kaufen' (to buy), 'ausleihen' (to borrow), or 'halten' (to hold) usually refer to the whole machine.
Kannst du mir mal den Bohrer reichen? Ich muss ein Loch in die Wand machen.
Can you pass me the drill? I need to make a hole in the wall.
When the replaceable attachment is meant, 'Bohrer' (drill bit) is often used with verbs such as 'einsetzen' (to insert), 'wechseln' (to change), or 'wählen' (to choose).
Warte, ich muss erst einen kleineren Bohrer einsetzen.
Wait, I first need to insert a smaller drill bit.
bit
Learners may confuse 'das Bit' and 'der Bohrer' because similar words appear in technical contexts. However, 'das Bit' belongs to computer science and means a unit of digital information. 'der Bohrer' is a tool part used to drill holes. You should be especially careful with tools: for the replaceable part of a drill, German uses 'Bohrer' or 'Bohraufsatz' (drill bit), not 'Bit' in the sense of the digital unit.
Für das Loch in der Wand nimmt mein Nachbar einen dünnen Bohrer.
For the hole in the wall, my neighbor uses a thin drill bit.
In dieser Datei wird jedes Zeichen durch mehrere Bits gespeichert.
In this file, each character is stored using several bits.