giessen
to water
To provide plants with water.
EXAMPLE
Im Sommer muss ich meine Balkonblumen jeden Tag gießen.
In summer, I have to water my balcony flowers every day.
giessen
to water / pour
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Meanings
giessen
to pour
To pour a liquid from one container into another.
EXAMPLE
Kannst du mir bitte noch etwas Tee in die Tasse gießen?
Could you please pour me a little more tea into the cup?
es giesst
it is pouring
To rain very heavily. Often used in the expression 'es gießt in Strömen' (it is pouring with rain).
EXAMPLE
Wir können jetzt nicht rausgehen, es gießt wie aus Eimern.
We can't go out now; it's pouring buckets.
giessen
to cast
To fill a mold with molten material, usually metal, in order to make an object.
EXAMPLE
Die Figur wurde aus flüssiger Bronze in eine Sandform gegossen.
The figure was cast from liquid bronze in a sand mold.
Usage tips
Regional variant
The spelling 'giessen' with 'ss' is common in Switzerland. In Germany and Austria, this word is written 'gießen' with 'ß'.
EXAMPLE
Vergiss bitte nicht, die Blumen zu gießen.
Please don't forget to water the flowers.
Context clue
The meaning of 'gießen' (to water / pour) is easy to recognize from context: Does it refer to plants, drinks, the weather, or the production of objects made of metal?
EXAMPLE
Der Gärtner goss die jungen Bäume.
The gardener watered the young trees.
Typical collocations
When it is about plants, the most common objects are 'Blumen' (flowers), 'Pflanzen' (plants), 'den Rasen' (the lawn), or 'den Garten' (the garden).
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Urlaub mussten wir als Erstes den Garten gießen.
After the vacation, the first thing we had to do was water the garden.
Sentence structure and usage
When pouring liquids, a prepositional phrase with 'in' and the accusative often follows to indicate the destination. For example: 'etwas in die Tasse gießen' (to pour something into the cup).
EXAMPLE
Sie goss die heiße Suppe in die Teller.
She poured the hot soup into the bowls.
Fixed expression
To describe heavy rain, the impersonal form 'es gießt' (it is pouring) is used. This is often intensified with 'in Strömen' (in streams / heavily) or 'wie aus Eimern' (as if from buckets).
EXAMPLE
Nimm einen Schirm mit, es gießt in Strömen!
Take an umbrella with you; it's pouring with rain!
Technical context
This meaning belongs to the technical language of metalworking or art. Typical objects are 'Glocken' (bells), 'Figuren' (figures), or 'Statuen' (statues).
EXAMPLE
In dieser Werkstatt werden traditionell Glocken aus Bronze gegossen.
In this workshop, bells are traditionally cast from bronze.
Compare with
giessen vs füllen
to fill
Füllen focuses on the container and on making it full. Giessen, by contrast, refers to liquid moving from one container into another; the destination does not have to become full. Füllen fits the result, while giessen fits the process.
giessen
Mara gießt etwas Wasser aus dem Krug in das Glas.
Mara pours some water from the pitcher into the glass.
füllen
Mara füllt das Glas bis zum Rand mit Wasser.
Mara fills the glass to the brim with water.
In real life
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