hockey
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hockey
A team sport in which players try to hit a ball into the opposing goal with a stick. In Germany, this usually means field hockey, which is played on grass.
Unsere Tochter spielt seit drei Jahren Hockey im Verein.
Our daughter has been playing hockey at a club for three years.
When people in Germany talk about 'Hockey' without further context, they almost always mean field hockey, which is played on grass. This is an important difference from usage in North America.
Meine Nichte hat am Wochenende ein wichtiges Hockeyspiel.
My niece has an important hockey game this weekend.
To avoid misunderstandings, the compound words 'Feldhockey' (field hockey, on grass) and 'Eishockey' (ice hockey, on ice) are often used. These terms are unambiguous.
Deutschland ist im Feldhockey sehr erfolgreich.
Germany is very successful in field hockey.
The verb used with this sport is always 'spielen' (to play). You can also say that you are 'im Hockeyverein' (in a hockey club).
Lass uns am Nachmittag im Park ein bisschen Hockey spielen.
Let's play a little hockey in the park this afternoon.
ice hockey
'das Eishockey' and 'das Hockey' are related sports with sticks and goals. 'das Eishockey' is played on ice with skates and a puck. In Germany, 'das Hockey' usually means field hockey on grass with a ball. In some international or winter-sports contexts, however, 'Hockey' can also mean ice hockey. That is why the words can be confusing. If you want to talk clearly about the sport on ice, 'Eishockey' is more precise. If you simply say 'Hockey' in Germany, many people will first think of field hockey.
Sofia spielt Hockey im Verein und trainiert zweimal pro Woche auf dem Rasenplatz.
Sofia plays hockey at a club and trains twice a week on the grass pitch.
Nach der Arbeit schaut Paul mit einem Freund ein Eishockeyspiel im Fernsehen.
After work, Paul watches an ice hockey game on TV with a friend.