clique
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clique
A small, often exclusive group of friends or acquaintances who spend a lot of time together and sometimes set themselves apart from others.
In der Schule hatte sie ihre feste Clique, mit der sie jede Pause verbrachte.
At school, she had her regular clique, with whom she spent every break.
The word 'Clique' (clique) comes from French. This explains the spelling, which is unusual for German, and the pronunciation, in which the '-ue' at the end is silent.
Die Jugendlichen im Park treffen sich immer in der gleichen Clique.
The teenagers in the park always meet in the same clique.
The term 'Clique' (clique) often has a slightly negative undertone. It describes not just a group of friends, but suggests that this group is very exclusive and excludes others.
Es war schwer, in der neuen Klasse Anschluss zu finden, weil es dort schon feste Cliquen gab.
It was hard to make friends in the new class because there were already established cliques there.
Common phrases are 'in einer Clique sein' (to be in a clique), 'eine feste Clique haben' (to have a regular clique), or 'zu einer Clique gehören' (to belong to a clique).
Seit der Grundschule ist er in derselben Clique.
He has been in the same clique since elementary school.
group
'die Gruppe' and 'die Clique' both mean several people who belong together. 'die Gruppe' is neutral and very general. It can consist of colleagues, travelers, students, or things. 'die Clique' means a small, fixed group of friends or acquaintances who do a lot together. The word can sometimes sound slightly negative if the people exclude others. Learners may confuse the words because a clique is also a group. But not every group is a clique: for neutral or official situations, 'Gruppe' fits better.
Nach der Schule trifft er sich fast jeden Tag mit seiner Clique.
After school, he meets up with his clique almost every day.
Wir warten im Garten auf die Gruppe aus dem Sprachkurs.
We are waiting in the garden for the group from the language course.