egg
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egg
The reproductive product with a shell laid by female birds, reptiles, or insects, especially a chicken egg as food.
Zum Frühstück esse ich am liebsten ein weich gekochtes Ei.
For breakfast, I like eating a soft-boiled egg best.
The idiom 'sich gleichen wie ein Ei dem anderen' (to be as alike as one egg to another) is used to express that two people or things look almost identical. The structure of the sentence is fixed.
Die neuen Häuser in der Straße gleichen sich wie ein Ei dem anderen.
The new houses on the street look exactly alike.
In connection with food, 'Ei' is often combined with specific preparation verbs: you can 'kochen' (boil), 'braten' (fry), 'aufschlagen' (crack open), or 'pellen' (peel / remove the shell) an egg.
Für den Kuchen müssen wir drei Eier aufschlagen.
For the cake, we need to crack three eggs.
The word 'Ei' (egg) is the basis for many other nouns related to food. Examples are 'das Spiegelei' (fried egg), 'das Rührei' (scrambled eggs), 'der Eiersalat' (egg salad), or 'der Eierbecher' (egg cup).
Am Sonntagmorgen gibt es bei uns oft ein Spiegelei zum Frühstück.
On Sunday mornings, we often have a fried egg for breakfast.
egg cell
'das Ei' and 'die Eizelle' can both have to do with reproduction. However, 'Ei' is a more general word: in everyday life, it usually means a chicken egg or an egg with a shell that can be eaten or that an animal lays. In biology, 'Ei' can also be used as a short form for the female germ cell. 'Eizelle' is the more precise technical term for this, especially with humans and animals. Learners may confuse the words because 'Ei' is sometimes meant biologically. When talking about food or a laid egg, you say 'Ei'. When referring specifically to the reproductive cell, 'Eizelle' is more natural and more precise.
Zum Frühstück kocht Anna ein Ei und isst dazu ein Stück Brot.
For breakfast, Anna boils an egg and eats a piece of bread with it.
Im Biologieunterricht erklärt die Lehrerin, wie eine Eizelle befruchtet wird.
In biology class, the teacher explains how an egg cell is fertilized.