die Gießkanne
watering can
A container with a long spout used to water plants.
EXAMPLE
Sie füllte die Gießkanne am Wasserhahn und goss die Blumen.
She filled the watering can at the faucet and watered the flowers.
die Gießkanne
watering can
die Gießkanne, die Gießkannen
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Meanings
mit der Gießkanne
indiscriminately
Spread broadly and distributed without making a precise selection or distinguishing between the recipients.
EXAMPLE
Die staatliche Unterstützung wurde mit der Gießkanne über alle Unternehmen verteilt.
The government support was distributed indiscriminately among all the companies.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Gießkanne, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Gießkannen |
| genitive | der Gießkanne |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Gießkanne | die Gießkannen |
| accusative | die Gießkanne | die Gießkannen |
| dative | der Gießkanne | den Gießkannen |
| genitive | der Gießkanne | der Gießkannen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Compound word
'Gießkanne' (watering can) is made up of 'gießen' (to pour / water) and 'Kanne' (can / jug). The base word 'Kanne' refers to a container, while 'gießen' explains what it is used for.
EXAMPLE
Die Gießkanne steht neben dem Beet.
The watering can is next to the garden bed.
Typical collocations
You fill a watering can with water; you use it to water plants, flowers, or garden beds. Common collocations include 'die Gießkanne füllen' (to fill the watering can), 'mit der Gießkanne gießen' (to water with a watering can), and 'die Gießkanne abstellen' (to put the watering can down).
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Gießen stellte er die Gießkanne wieder neben das Gewächshaus.
After watering the plants, he put the watering can back next to the greenhouse.
Figurative meaning
The figurative use often appears in political or economic texts. 'Mit der Gießkanne' (literally 'with the watering can', i.e. indiscriminately) describes a distribution in which many recipients are treated roughly equally, without carefully examining their different needs.
EXAMPLE
Die Opposition wirft der Regierung vor, das Geld mit der Gießkanne zu verteilen.
The opposition accuses the government of handing out the money indiscriminately.
In real life
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