dense / tight
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dense
Describes something whose parts or elements are very close together, so that there is little or no space between them. Examples include dense forest, dense fog, or heavy traffic.
Wegen des dichten Nebels konnte man kaum zehn Meter weit sehen.
Because of the dense fog, you could hardly see ten meters ahead.
sealed / leakproof
Made in such a way that no liquid or air can pass through; impermeable, sealed, or leakproof.
Prüfe bitte, ob das Fenster richtig dicht ist, es zieht.
Please check whether the window is properly sealed; there's a draft.
close to
Expresses a very small spatial distance from something or someone; very close.
Die Kinder saßen dicht aneinander gedrängt auf dem Sofa.
The children sat pressed close together on the sofa.
drunk
A colloquial expression for being very drunk.
Nach der Feier waren einige Gäste ziemlich dicht.
After the party, some guests were pretty drunk.
not all there
A colloquial idiom meaning that someone is crazy, out of their mind, or acting very unreasonably.
Du willst bei dem Gewitter draußen zelten? Du bist wohl nicht ganz dicht!
You want to camp outside in that thunderstorm? You must not be all there!
to close down
Colloquial for the permanent closing of a shop, factory, or institution.
Der kleine Buchladen an der Ecke musste letztes Jahr leider dicht machen.
The small bookshop on the corner unfortunately had to close down last year.
In the meaning of 'dicht' (dense) in the sense of 'close together', the adjective is often combined with nouns that describe a concentration or accumulation. Typical examples are 'dichter Nebel' (dense fog), 'dichter Wald' (dense forest), 'dichter Verkehr' (heavy traffic), or 'dichtes Gedränge' (dense crowd).
Wir kamen im dichten Berufsverkehr nur langsam voran.
We made only slow progress in heavy rush-hour traffic.
The meaning 'sealed' or 'impermeable' is directly related to the verb 'abdichten' (to seal). If something is not 'dicht' (sealed/leakproof), you have to 'abdichten' it (seal it), for example a window, a pipe, or a roof.
Der Handwerker muss das undichte Dach schnell abdichten.
The tradesperson has to seal the leaky roof quickly.
To express that something is very close to something else, you use the combination 'dicht an' or 'dicht bei' (close to), followed by a noun in the dative.
Unser Haus steht dicht am Waldrand.
Our house stands close to the edge of the forest.
In informal spoken language, 'dicht sein' (to be drunk) is a common expression for being very drunk. This use should be avoided in formal situations.
Er hat zu viel getrunken und war am Ende des Abends total dicht.
He drank too much and was completely drunk by the end of the evening.
The idiom 'nicht ganz dicht sein' (not to be all there) is a fixed colloquial expression. It means that someone is crazy or acting very unreasonably.
Du willst ohne Jacke bei Minusgraden rausgehen? Du bist wohl nicht ganz dicht!
You want to go out without a jacket in freezing temperatures? You must not be all there!
The colloquial expression 'dicht machen' (to close down) means to permanently close a shop, company, or institution. It implies that the closure is final.
Viele kleine Läden in der Innenstadt mussten in den letzten Jahren dicht machen.
Many small shops in the city center have had to close down in recent years.
to / too / closed
For a door or container, zu only means that the opening is closed. Dicht additionally means that no air or liquid can pass through. So something can be zu without being completely dicht.
Die Flasche ist dicht, sodass kein Wasser am Deckel herausläuft.
The bottle is sealed, so no water is leaking out around the cap.
Die Flasche ist zu, aber am lockeren Deckel läuft Wasser heraus.
The bottle is closed, but water is leaking out around the loose cap.
