01
der Finger
finger
One of the movable parts at the end of a human hand.
example
Ich habe mich beim Kochen in den Finger geschnitten.
I cut my finger while cooking.
der Finger
finger
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word family
'Finger' (finger) is the basis for many useful words. These include body parts like 'Zeigefinger' (index finger) or 'Fingerspitze' (fingertip), but also abstract terms like 'Fingerspitzengefühl' (intuition/tact).
EXAMPLE
Für diese heikle Aufgabe braucht man viel Fingerspitzengefühl.
For this delicate task, you need a lot of tact.
Typical verbs
In the literal sense, 'Finger' (finger) is often combined with certain verbs. Typical phrases are 'mit dem Finger auf jemanden zeigen' (to point at someone with one's finger), 'sich in den Finger schneiden' (to cut one's finger), or 'sich die Finger verbrennen' (to burn one's fingers).
EXAMPLE
Es ist unhöflich, mit dem Finger auf andere Leute zu zeigen.
It's impolite to point at other people with your finger.
Sentence structure
The idiom 'keinen Finger krumm machen' (not to lift a finger) is grammatically fixed. The verb is 'krumm machen' and it is almost always used in this negated form to express inactivity.
EXAMPLE
Er hat den ganzen Tag nur auf dem Sofa gelegen und keinen Finger krumm gemacht.
He just lay on the sofa all day and didn't lift a finger.
Sentence structure
In the expression 'jemanden um den Finger wickeln' (to wrap someone around one's finger), the person being manipulated is always in the accusative. The person doing the action is the subject of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Der kleine Junge kann seine Großmutter mit einem Lächeln um den Finger wickeln.
The little boy can wrap his grandmother around his finger with a smile.
Sentence structure
The idiom 'sich etwas aus den Fingern saugen' (to make something up) is reflexive. The person inventing something often appears with a dative reflexive pronoun: 'Ich sauge mir eine Ausrede aus den Fingern.' (I'm making up an excuse.)
EXAMPLE
Die Journalistin hat sich die Fakten für ihren Artikel nicht nur aus den Fingern gesogen.
The journalist didn't just make up the facts for her article.
Compare with
Finger vs Daumen
thumb
'der Finger' and 'der Daumen' both belong to the hand. The difference is: 'Finger' usually means one of the movable parts of the hand, not including the thumb, for example the index finger or middle finger. 'Der Daumen' is the short, strong finger on the side of the hand. In a general sense, you can also see the thumb as a finger, but in everyday language it is almost always called 'Daumen' separately. Learners may confuse the words because the thumb anatomically belongs to the hand like the fingers. If you want to be precise, use 'Daumen' for this part of the hand.
Finger
Beim Schneiden habe ich mir in den Finger geschnitten.
I cut my finger while chopping.
Daumen
Max hebt den Daumen, weil ihm die Idee gefällt.
Max gives a thumbs-up because he likes the idea.
In real life
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