der Drachen
kite
An object made of paper, fabric, or plastic that flies in the wind on a string.
EXAMPLE
Am Strand ließ das Kind einen bunten Drachen steigen.
The child flew a colorful kite on the beach.
der Drachen
kite / dragon
der Drachen, die Drachen
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Meanings
der Drachen
dragon
A colloquial term for an unpleasant, domineering, or quarrelsome woman.
EXAMPLE
Seine Nachbarin ist ein richtiger Drachen.
His neighbor is a real dragon.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Drachen, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Drachen |
| genitive | des Drachens |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Drachen | die Drachen |
| accusative | den Drachen | die Drachen |
| dative | dem Drachen | den Drachen |
| genitive | des Drachens | der Drachen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Fixed expression
For this leisure activity, use the expression 'einen Drachen steigen lassen' (to fly a kite). After 'lassen' (to let), 'steigen' (to rise) is used without 'zu'.
EXAMPLE
Bei gutem Wind lassen wir auf der Wiese einen Drachen steigen.
When the wind is right, we fly a kite in the meadow.
Typical collocations
If you make a kite yourself, you can say 'einen Drachen bauen' (to build a kite) or 'einen Drachen basteln' (to craft a kite). The material is often introduced with 'aus' (out of) followed by the dative case.
EXAMPLE
Die Kinder basteln einen Drachen aus buntem Papier.
The children are making a kite out of colorful paper.
Derogatory use
When used to describe a woman, 'Drachen' (dragon) is clearly derogatory and can be offensive. This use is colloquial and unsuitable for a polite description.
EXAMPLE
Er bezeichnete seine Chefin als Drachen und entschuldigte sich später dafür.
He called his boss a dragon and later apologized for it.
In real life
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