capsule
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capsule
A small, usually elongated shell made of gelatin or a similar material that contains a dose of medicine in powder or liquid form.
Der Arzt hat mir Schmerzmittel in Form von Kapseln verschrieben.
The doctor prescribed me painkillers in the form of capsules.
'Kapsel' (capsule) is often the second part of a compound word that describes more precisely what kind of capsule it is. This way, you immediately know what is meant.
Bitte wirf die leere Kaffeekapsel in den Müll.
Please throw the empty coffee pod in the trash.
You can almost always recognize the exact meaning of 'Kapsel' (capsule) from the topic of the conversation. If it is about health, it means a pill or capsule; if it is about the kitchen, probably coffee; if it is about technology, a space capsule.
Ich nehme jeden Morgen eine Vitamin-Kapsel.
I take a vitamin capsule every morning.
In a medical context, capsules are typically used with the verbs 'einnehmen' (to take) or 'schlucken' (to swallow).
Du musst die Kapsel unzerkaut mit viel Wasser schlucken.
You have to swallow the capsule whole with plenty of water.
In connection with coffee, the verb 'einlegen' (to insert) is often used to describe the action of putting a capsule into the coffee machine.
Kannst du bitte eine neue Kapsel in die Maschine einlegen?
Could you please insert a new pod into the machine?
tablet
'Tablette' and 'Kapsel' are both forms of medication that you can swallow. A 'Tablette' is usually solid and compressed. A 'Kapsel' has a small shell that contains powder or liquid. In everyday language, people sometimes use 'Tablette' imprecisely for different kinds of medication, which is why the words can be confused. When the form is important, 'Kapsel' is more precise for a medication with a shell, and 'Tablette' is more precise for a compressed medication without such a shell.
In der Pause hat du die Kapsel mit viel Wasser geschluckt.
During the break, you swallowed the capsule with plenty of water.
Am Wochenende habe ich in der Apotheke neue Tabletten gekauft.
At the weekend, I bought new tablets at the pharmacy.