die Karre
car
A colloquial, often derogatory term for a car, especially an old or bad vehicle.
EXAMPLE
Meine alte Karre hat den Geist aufgegeben, ich brauche ein neues Auto.
My old car has given up the ghost; I need a new car.
die Karre
car / cart
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Meanings
die Karre
cart
A simple, usually two-wheeled vehicle for transporting loads, pushed or pulled by hand. Often used as part of compounds such as wheelbarrow or handcart.
EXAMPLE
Er lud die Ziegelsteine auf die Karre und schob sie zur Baustelle.
He loaded the bricks onto the cart and pushed it to the construction site.
jemandem an die Karre fahren
to go after someone
A fixed expression meaning to attack or criticize someone sharply, or to deliberately harm them.
EXAMPLE
Im Meeting hat der Chef ihm wegen des verpatzten Projekts ordentlich an die Karre gefahren.
In the meeting, the boss really went after him because of the botched project.
Usage tips
Context clue
The meaning of 'Karre' (car/cart) depends heavily on the context. In connection with traffic, driving, or repair shops, it usually means a car. In contexts such as gardening, construction, or transport by hand, it means a simple cart or a wheelbarrow.
EXAMPLE
Hilf mir mal, die Karre mit dem Sand zu schieben.
Help me push the cart with the sand.
Register: colloquial language
Using 'Karre' for a car is very colloquial. It is often used slightly disparagingly for an old, bad car, or ironically for one's own vehicle.
EXAMPLE
Ich muss meine alte Karre endlich mal zur Reparatur bringen.
I really need to finally take my old car in for repairs.
Word structure
The word 'Karre' (cart) is the base for useful compound words such as 'die Schubkarre' (wheelbarrow; pushed) or 'die Handkarre' (handcart; pulled by hand).
EXAMPLE
Für die Gartenarbeit brauchen wir eine neue Schubkarre.
We need a new wheelbarrow for the gardening.
Sentence structure of the expression
The fixed expression 'jemandem an die Karre fahren' (to go after someone) always requires a person in the dative. This person is the target of the attack or criticism.
EXAMPLE
Sei vorsichtig, der neue Kollege versucht, dir an die Karre zu fahren.
Be careful, the new colleague is trying to go after you.
Compare with
Karre vs Kahn
punt / old tub
Kahn and Karre can colloquially refer to an old, bad car. Kahn particularly emphasizes that the vehicle appears large and sluggish. Karre is the more general derogatory term for an old, rickety, or poorly functioning car.
Karre
Diese alte Karre springt schon wieder nicht an.
This old car won't start again.
Kahn
Dieser riesige, schwerfällige Kahn passt kaum in die enge Parklücke.
This huge, sluggish old car barely fits into the narrow parking space.
In real life
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