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
Schirm can generally refer to a fold-out object used for protection from rain or sun. In the context of parachuting, Schirm is sometimes used as a shortened form when it is clear what is meant; Fallschirm, on the other hand, clearly identifies the device. Without this context, Schirm can easily be misunderstood.
Nach dem Sprung öffnete sich der Fallschirm über dem Fallschirmspringer.
After the jump, the parachute opened above the skydiver.
Nach dem Sprung öffnete sich der Schirm über dem Fallschirmspringer.
After the jump, the parachute opened above the skydiver.
