das Glöckchen
little bell
The diminutive form of 'Glocke' (bell); a very small bell that produces a high, delicate sound.
EXAMPLE
Die Katze trug ein kleines Glöckchen am Halsband.
The cat wore a little bell on its collar.
das Glöckchen
little bell
das Glöckchen, die Glöckchen
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Meanings
das Glöckchen
bell-shaped flower
The colloquial name for various plants whose flowers have a bell-like shape, such as the snowdrop.
EXAMPLE
Im Frühling blühen die ersten Schneeglöckchen im Garten.
In spring, the first snowdrops bloom in the garden.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Glöckchen, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| plural | die Glöckchen |
| genitive | des Glöckchens |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Glöckchen | die Glöckchen |
| accusative | das Glöckchen | die Glöckchen |
| dative | dem Glöckchen | den Glöckchen |
| genitive | des Glöckchens | der Glöckchen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Word structure: diminutive
'Glöckchen' is the diminutive form of 'die Glocke' (bell). The ending '-chen' makes the noun neuter (das) and often adds an umlaut (o → ö).
EXAMPLE
Aus dem kleinen Haus wurde durch den Anbau ein Häuschen.
With the extension, the small house became a little house.
Typical collocations
A small Glöckchen (little bell) is often used with the verb 'klingeln' (to ring) or 'bimmeln' (to jingle/ring). You often find it in phrases like 'ein Glöckchen am Halsband' (a little bell on the collar) or 'das Klingeln eines Glöckchens' (the ringing of a little bell).
EXAMPLE
Der Weihnachtsmann bimmelte mit seinem goldenen Glöckchen.
Santa Claus jingled his golden little bell.
Man hörte das leise Klingeln des Glöckchens an der Tür.
You could hear the soft ringing of the little bell at the door.
Context clue
You can recognize the meaning 'Pflanze' (plant) from the botanical context. The word often appears together with verbs like 'blühen' (to bloom) or location phrases like 'im Garten' (in the garden) or 'auf der Wiese' (in the meadow). Usually, it is part of a name like 'Schneeglöckchen' (snowdrop).
EXAMPLE
Die ersten Schneeglöckchen blühen schon im Februar.
The first snowdrops are already blooming in February.
Auf der Almwiese wachsen viele bunte Glöckchen.
Many colorful bell-shaped flowers grow in the alpine meadow.
In real life
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