die Echse
lizard
A crawling animal with four legs, a long tail, and usually dry, scaly skin. Lizards are reptiles.
EXAMPLE
Die Echse sonnte sich auf einem warmen Stein.
The lizard basked in the sun on a warm stone.
die Echse
lizard
die Echse, die Echsen
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Echse, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Echsen |
| genitive | der Echse |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Echse | die Echsen |
| accusative | die Echse | die Echsen |
| dative | der Echse | den Echsen |
| genitive | der Echse | der Echsen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Typical verbs
The word 'Echse' (lizard) is often used with verbs that express slow movement or observation, such as 'kriechen' (to crawl), 'sich sonnen' (to bask in the sun), 'sich verstecken' (to hide), and 'beobachten' (to observe).
EXAMPLE
Die Echse versteckte sich unter einem flachen Stein.
The lizard hid under a flat stone.
Typical collocations
Common collocations include 'eine Echse im Terrarium halten' (to keep a lizard in a terrarium), 'eine Echse beobachten' (to observe a lizard), and 'eine Echse fotografieren' (to photograph a lizard). These expressions are especially common in texts about keeping animals and observing nature.
EXAMPLE
Die Kinder beobachteten eine Echse im Terrarium.
The children observed a lizard in the terrarium.
Heat and habitat
In the context of 'Echse' (lizard), words for warm, dry places and sources of heat often appear, such as 'Sonnenplatz' (sunbathing spot), 'Felsen' (rocks), 'Terrarium' (terrarium), or 'Wüstenlandschaft' (desert landscape). These words help you quickly identify the animal in a sentence.
EXAMPLE
Im Terrarium braucht die Echse einen warmen Sonnenplatz unter einer Lampe.
In the terrarium, the lizard needs a warm sunbathing spot under a lamp.
In real life
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