gondola
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gondola / cabin
The cabin of a cable car, ski lift, or Ferris wheel in which people or goods are transported.
Wir fuhren mit der Gondel auf den Gipfel des Berges, um die Aussicht zu genießen.
We took the gondola up to the mountain peak to enjoy the view.
You can recognize the meaning of 'Gondel' (gondola) from the context: words like 'Berg' (mountain) or 'Seilbahn' (cable car) point to a cabin. 'Venedig' (Venice) or 'Kanal' (canal) point to the boat. 'Heißluftballon' (hot-air balloon) refers to the basket.
In Venedig wollten wir unbedingt mit einer Gondel fahren.
In Venice, we absolutely wanted to ride in a gondola.
Pay attention to the case after the preposition 'in': movement is expressed with the accusative ('in die Gondel steigen' — to climb into the gondola), while a state or location is expressed with the dative ('in der Gondel sitzen' — to sit in the gondola).
Wir steigen jetzt in die Gondel ein.
We are getting into the gondola now.
In the context of a cable car, the phrase 'mit der Gondel auf einen Berg fahren' (to take the gondola up a mountain) is often used.
Im Winter fahren viele Skifahrer mit der Gondel auf den Berg.
In winter, many skiers take the gondola up the mountain.
In connection with Venice, the phrase 'eine Gondelfahrt machen' (to take a gondola ride) is very typical.
Das Paar machte eine romantische Gondelfahrt bei Sonnenuntergang.
The couple took a romantic gondola ride at sunset.
boat
'das Boot' and 'die Gondel' can both refer to a watercraft. 'Boot' is the general term for a smaller vehicle on the water. It can have many forms, for example a rowboat, sailboat, or motorboat. In this context, 'Gondel' is a specific long, narrow boat that is mainly associated with the canals in Venice. Learners may confuse the words because a gondola is also a boat. But not every boat is a gondola. Also, 'Gondel' can mean something else too, for example the cabin of a cable car.
In Venedig fahren viele Touristen mit einer Gondel durch die engen Kanäle.
In Venice, many tourists ride through the narrow canals in a gondola.
Vor der Reise mietet mein Kollege ein kleines Boot für den See.
Before the trip, my colleague rents a small boat for the lake.