01
das Leder
leather
A material made by tanning animal hides and used for clothing, shoes, furniture, and other products.
example
Meine neuen Schuhe sind aus weichem Leder.
My new shoes are made of soft leather.
das Leder
leather
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word formation
'Leder' (leather) is a base word for many useful compound nouns. When you see 'Leder', you know it has to do with the material: Lederjacke (leather jacket), Lederschuhe (leather shoes), Ledertasche (leather bag), Ledergürtel (leather belt).
EXAMPLE
Er hat sich eine teure Lederjacke gekauft.
He bought himself an expensive leather jacket.
Correct preposition
If you want to say what something is made of, you use 'Leder' with the preposition 'aus' (made of/from). The question for this is: 'Woraus ist die Jacke?' (What is the jacket made of?)
EXAMPLE
Der Gürtel ist aus echtem Leder.
The belt is made of genuine leather.
Context clue
The meaning 'ball' is found almost exclusively in sports jargon, especially in reports about soccer. When you hear 'dem runden Leder' (the round leather), it always means the soccer ball.
EXAMPLE
Der Spieler schoss das Leder mit voller Kraft ins Tor.
The player shot the ball into the goal with full force.
Fixed expression
The idiom is 'über jemanden/etwas vom Leder ziehen' (to lay into someone/something). The preposition 'über' (+ accusative) indicates who or what is being criticized. The verb 'ziehen' is conjugated.
EXAMPLE
Der Trainer zog nach dem Spiel ordentlich über den Schiedsrichter vom Leder.
After the game, the coach really laid into the referee.
Compare with
Leder vs Fußball
soccer / football
'der Fußball' and 'das Leder' can both mean the ball used to play soccer. 'Fußball' is the normal and clear everyday word. In this meaning, 'Leder' is more colloquial and typical of sports reports or commentary. It often sounds a bit more lively or sporty. The words can be confusing because 'Leder' actually also means a material, leather. If you are simply talking about the ball, 'Fußball' usually fits better. 'Das Leder' is understood as the ball mainly in a soccer context.
Leder
Nach dem Pass rollt das Leder direkt vor das Tor.
After the pass, the ball rolls straight in front of the goal.
Fußball
Der Fußball liegt noch im Garten, obwohl das Training schon vorbei ist.
The soccer ball is still in the garden, even though training is already over.
In real life
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