elephant
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elephant
A very large, gray mammal with a trunk, tusks, and large ears that lives in Africa and Asia.
Im Nationalpark konnten wir eine Herde Elefanten beobachten.
In the national park, we were able to observe a herd of elephants.
bull in a china shop
An idiom for a person who behaves very clumsily, tactlessly, or roughly in a delicate situation.
Mit seiner direkten und unsensiblen Kritik benahm er sich wie der Elefant im Porzellanladen.
With his direct and insensitive criticism, he behaved like a bull in a china shop.
'Elefant' (elephant) is a masculine noun of the N-declension. This means it takes the ending '-en' in all cases except the nominative singular.
Der Wärter füttert den Elefanten.
The keeper feeds the elephant.
The expression 'ein Gedächtnis wie ein Elefant haben' (to have a memory like an elephant) means that someone has a very good memory and forgets nothing.
Meine Großmutter ist 90 Jahre alt, aber sie hat ein Gedächtnis wie ein Elefant.
My grandmother is 90 years old, but she has a memory like an elephant.
The expression 'sich wie ein Elefant im Porzellanladen benehmen' (to behave like a bull in a china shop) is often used with the verb 'sich benehmen' (to behave). It describes a person who behaves very clumsily or tactlessly in a sensitive situation.
Er hat bei dem Meeting seine Kollegen kritisiert und sich wie ein Elefant im Porzellanladen benommen.
He criticized his colleagues during the meeting and behaved like a bull in a china shop.
