der Klacks
dab
A small amount of a usually thick or mushy substance that is spread or ends up somewhere.
EXAMPLE
Gib noch einen Klacks Sahne auf den Kuchen.
Add another dab of whipped cream to the cake.
der Klacks
dab / piece of cake
der Klacks, die Klackse
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Meanings
ein Klacks sein
to be a piece of cake
To be very easy to manage or accomplish.
EXAMPLE
Die kurze Reparatur war für ihn ein Klacks.
The short repair was a piece of cake for him.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Klacks, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Klackse |
| genitive | des Klackses |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Klacks | die Klackse |
| accusative | den Klacks | die Klackse |
| dative | dem Klacks | den Klacksen |
| genitive | des Klackses | der Klackse |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Colloquial expression
'Klacks' is used mainly in spoken, fairly informal everyday language. The word sounds especially natural when referring to small amounts or making a casual assessment of how much effort something requires.
EXAMPLE
Für die Soße reicht ein kleiner Klacks Butter.
A small dab of butter is enough for the sauce.
Die zusätzlichen fünf Minuten sind für sie ein Klacks.
The additional five minutes are a piece of cake for her.
Typical collocations
In this meaning, 'Klacks' is often used with food or other thick substances. Typical collocations include 'ein Klacks Sahne' (a dab of whipped cream), 'ein Klacks Senf' (a dab of mustard), and 'ein Klacks Farbe' (a dab of paint); an indication with 'auf' (onto) or 'in' (into) often follows to specify the destination.
EXAMPLE
Er gab einen Klacks Senf auf sein Brot.
He put a dab of mustard on his bread.
Fixed construction
The expression 'ein Klacks sein' (to be a piece of cake) is usually used with an addition referring to the person concerned: 'für jemanden ein Klacks sein' (to be a piece of cake for someone). The predicative 'ein Klacks' often comes after 'sein' (to be).
EXAMPLE
Die Prüfung war für meine Schwester ein Klacks.
The exam was a piece of cake for my sister.
In real life
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