candle
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candle
A source of light made of wax or a similar material with a wick in the middle, which gives off light and heat when lit.
Zum Geburtstag haben wir eine Torte mit Kerzen darauf bekommen.
For our birthday, we got a cake with candles on it.
shoulder stand
A gymnastics exercise or yoga position in which you lie on your back and stretch your legs and torso vertically upward, supported by your hands on your lower back.
Im Sportunterricht mussten wir lernen, eine Kerze zu machen.
In PE class, we had to learn how to do a shoulder stand.
spark plug
Short form of Zündkerze (spark plug); a component in a combustion engine that creates the spark to ignite the fuel-air mixture.
Der Motor stottert, vielleicht müssen wir die Kerzen wechseln.
The engine is sputtering; maybe we need to replace the spark plugs.
You can easily recognize the meaning of 'Kerze' (candle) from the context. If it is about light, birthdays, or romance, it means a wax candle. In a sports context, it is a gymnastics exercise. In connection with cars and engines, it means a spark plug.
Mach bitte die Kerzen auf dem Kuchen an.
Please light the candles on the cake.
There are fixed verbs for a wax candle. You can 'eine Kerze anzünden' (light a candle, to make it burn) or 'auspusten' (blow it out, to extinguish it). When it is giving light, 'die Kerze brennt' (the candle is burning).
Vergiss nicht, die Kerzen auszupusten, bevor du schlafen gehst.
Don't forget to blow out the candles before you go to sleep.
The gymnastics exercise is almost always combined with the verb 'machen' (to do/make). The fixed expression is 'eine Kerze machen' (to do a shoulder stand).
Kannst du eine Kerze machen, ohne mit den Beinen zu wackeln?
Can you do a shoulder stand without wobbling your legs?
When 'Kerze' (candle) means a spark plug, it is often used in the plural. Typical verbs are 'wechseln' (to replace) or 'prüfen' (to check), and the topic is usually a car or an engine.
Die Werkstatt hat bei meinem Auto die Kerzen gewechselt.
The repair shop replaced the spark plugs in my car.
