parachute
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parachute
A device made of fabric that slows the fall of a person or object from a great height. It is used mainly when jumping out of airplanes.
Der Fallschirm öffnete sich erst wenige hundert Meter über dem Boden.
The parachute opened only a few hundred meters above the ground.
The word is built very logically. It consists of 'Fall' (from 'fallen') and 'Schirm' (umbrella/screen). So a 'Fallschirm' is literally an umbrella-like device that protects you from falling or slows the fall.
Er prüft seinen Fallschirm vor jedem Sprung sehr genau.
He checks his parachute very carefully before every jump.
Typical verbs connected with 'Fallschirm' are 'sich öffnen' (to open), 'packen' (to pack), and 'ziehen' (to pull). These describe the most important actions in skydiving.
In Panik zog er zu früh am Griff für den Fallschirm.
In a panic, he pulled the handle for the parachute too early.
The activity itself is almost always expressed with the fixed phrase 'mit dem Fallschirm springen' (to skydive / to jump with a parachute). The preposition 'mit' is crucial here.
Zu ihrem 30. Geburtstag wollte sie unbedingt mit dem Fallschirm springen.
For her 30th birthday, she really wanted to go skydiving.
umbrella / shade
'der Schirm' and 'der Fallschirm' both have to do with stretched-out fabric, but they are used in completely different situations. In everyday life, 'Schirm' usually means an umbrella or parasol that protects against the weather. 'Fallschirm' is a special device that slows a fall from a great height, for example when jumping out of an airplane. The words can be confusing because 'Fallschirm' contains the word 'Schirm'. Still, you cannot simply call a parachute a 'Schirm' if you want to be precise. 'Schirm' fits rain and sun; 'Fallschirm' fits jumps from a height.
Vor dem Sprung prüft der Lehrer den Fallschirm noch einmal.
Before the jump, the instructor checks the parachute once more.
Am Bahnhof öffnet Maria ihren Schirm, weil es plötzlich regnet.
At the train station, Maria opens her umbrella because it suddenly starts raining.