das Geschirr
dishes
A collective term for plates, cups, bowls, and cutlery used for eating and serving food.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Abendessen müssen wir noch das Geschirr spülen.
After dinner, we still have to wash the dishes.
das Geschirr
dishes / harness
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Meanings
das Geschirr
harness
The complete set of straps and belts put on a draft animal, for example a horse, in order to pull a wagon or plow.
EXAMPLE
Der Bauer legte dem Pferd das Geschirr an, um das Feld zu pflügen.
The farmer put the harness on the horse in order to plow the field.
Usage tips
Word structure
The prefix 'Ge-' at the beginning and the ending '-e' at the end often indicate a collective word (collective noun). 'Das Geschirr' (the dishes) is therefore the collection of all plates, cups, and cutlery.
EXAMPLE
Das ganze Geschirr ist schmutzig.
All the dishes are dirty.
Context clue
Whether eating dishes or horse harness is meant can be recognized easily from the context. Words like 'spülen' (to wash dishes), 'Küche' (kitchen), or 'Tisch' (table) point to dishes, while 'Pferd' (horse), 'ziehen' (to pull), or 'Wagen' (wagon) refer to animal harness.
EXAMPLE
Bitte stell das saubere Geschirr in den Schrank.
Please put the clean dishes in the cupboard.
Use as a collective word
'Geschirr' (dishes) is almost always used in the singular in the sense of eating dishes, even when talking about many items. A plural form ('die Geschirre') is very rare and is used only when referring to different types of dish sets.
EXAMPLE
Für die Party brauchen wir noch mehr Geschirr.
We need more dishes for the party.
Typical collocations
In everyday life, 'Geschirr' (dishes) is often combined with certain verbs. Typical phrases are: 'das Geschirr spülen' (to wash the dishes), or 'abwaschen' (to wash up), 'das Geschirr abtrocknen' (to dry the dishes), and 'den Tisch mit Geschirr decken' (to set the table with dishes).
EXAMPLE
Wer trocknet heute das Geschirr ab?
Who is drying the dishes today?
Compare with
Geschirr vs Service
service
Geschirr is the general collective term for plates, cups, bowls, and cutlery. A Service, on the other hand, is a matching, coordinated set of dishes for a specific number of people or occasion. Geschirr is a good fit for individual or mixed pieces, while Service is appropriate for a coordinated set.
Geschirr
Für die Feier kaufen wir zusätzlich einige einzelne Teller und anderes Geschirr.
For the celebration, we are also buying a few individual plates and other dishes.
Service
Für die Feier kaufen wir ein passendes Service für zwölf Personen.
For the celebration, we are buying a matching dinnerware set for twelve people.
In real life
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