die Flocke
flake
A small, light piece or particle that is usually irregularly shaped and moves through the air or settles easily, such as snow, ash, or dust.
EXAMPLE
Dicke Flocken fielen vom Himmel.
Thick flakes fell from the sky.
die Flocke
flake
die Flocke, die Flocken
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Meanings
die Flocke
fluff
A small piece of soft, fibrous, or flaky material that comes loose from or consists of a larger material.
EXAMPLE
Auf dem schwarzen Pullover klebten weiße Flocken.
Bits of white fluff clung to the black sweater.
die Flocke
flake
A small piece of grain that has been flattened by rolling or a similar process and is used as food.
EXAMPLE
Zum Frühstück esse ich Haferflocken mit Joghurt.
For breakfast, I eat oat flakes with yogurt.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Flocke, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Flocken |
| genitive | der Flocke |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Flocke | die Flocken |
| accusative | die Flocke | die Flocken |
| dative | der Flocke | den Flocken |
| genitive | der Flocke | der Flocken |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Context clue
The context usually shows what kind of 'Flocke' (flake / fluff) is meant: with weather, verbs such as 'fallen' (to fall) or 'wirbeln' (to swirl) are common; with clothing, it refers to bits of fluff on fabric; and with food, the context involves breakfast or grains.
EXAMPLE
Dicke Flocken wirbelten durch die kalte Luft.
Thick flakes swirled through the cold air.
Auf dem Mantel lagen noch einige weiße Flocken.
There were still a few bits of white fluff on the coat.
Die Flocken schmecken mit Milch und Bananen besonders gut.
The flakes taste especially good with milk and bananas.
Typical collocations
With snow or other light particles, verbs such as 'fallen' (to fall), 'wirbeln' (to swirl), and 'liegen bleiben' (to settle) are often used with 'Flocke' (flake).
EXAMPLE
Die ersten Flocken fielen am frühen Morgen vom Himmel.
The first flakes fell from the sky early in the morning.
On clothing
In this meaning, 'Flocke' (fluff) often occurs with information about the material or location, for example 'auf dem Pullover' (on the sweater) or 'im Stoff' (in the fabric). This describes where the small particles are located.
EXAMPLE
Mit einer Bürste entfernte er die Flocken vom dunklen Pullover.
He used a brush to remove the fluff from the dark sweater.
Breakfast context
When referring to food, 'Flocke' (flake) is especially common in compounds involving grains. Typical collocations also mention milk, yogurt, or muesli as accompaniments.
EXAMPLE
Für das Müsli mische ich die Flocken mit Nüssen und Joghurt.
For the muesli, I mix the flakes with nuts and yogurt.
In real life
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