01
das Eis
ice
Frozen water in its solid state.
example
Vorsicht, auf der Straße ist Glatteis!
Careful, there is black ice on the road!
das Eis
ice / ice cream
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Context clue
You can tell from the context whether frozen water or a sweet food is meant. Words like 'glatt' (slippery/smooth), 'Winter' (winter), or 'schmelzen' (to melt) point to frozen water, while 'essen' (to eat), 'Kugel' (scoop), or 'Schokolade' (chocolate) point to ice cream.
EXAMPLE
Im Winter bildet sich auf dem See eine dicke Schicht Eis.
In winter, a thick layer of ice forms on the lake.
Typical collocations
When you mean ice cream, it is often combined with verbs like 'essen' (to eat) or 'bestellen' (to order). Quantities are often described with 'eine Kugel Eis' (a scoop of ice cream) or 'ein Eis am Stiel' (an ice pop/popsicle).
EXAMPLE
Möchtest du auch eine Kugel Eis?
Would you like a scoop of ice cream too?
Sentence structure of the expression
In the fixed expression 'das Eis brechen' (to break the ice), 'das Eis' is the accusative object. The subject of the sentence is the person or action that creates a relaxed atmosphere.
EXAMPLE
Seine freundliche Frage half, das Eis zu brechen.
His friendly question helped break the ice.
Compare with
Eis vs Schnee
snow
'das Eis' and 'der Schnee' both have to do with cold and frozen water. 'Eis' is solid frozen water, for example on a lake, on the road, or in a glass. 'Schnee' falls from the sky as white precipitation and often lies on the ground as a soft layer. Learners may confuse the words because snow consists of small ice crystals. A practical tip: on paths and lakes, you often find Eis; from the sky falls Schnee.
Eis
Auf dem Gehweg ist Eis, deshalb geht Lisa sehr vorsichtig.
There is ice on the sidewalk, so Lisa is walking very carefully.
Schnee
Der Schnee bleibt heute auf den Dächern liegen.
The snow is staying on the roofs today.
In real life
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