01
die Leiche
corpse
The dead body of a human being.
example
Nach dem Unfall wurde die Leiche zur Identifizierung abtransportiert.
After the accident, the corpse was transported away for identification.
die Leiche
corpse
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Context clue
The three meanings are easy to distinguish in a sentence. The literal meaning usually stands on its own, while the colloquial meanings are fixed expressions: 'eine Leiche sein' (to be dead tired) and 'eine Leiche im Keller haben' (to have a skeleton in the closet).
EXAMPLE
Die Polizei fand eine Leiche im Wald.
The police found a corpse in the forest.
Register and style
The expression 'eine Leiche sein' (to be dead tired) is very colloquial. It is used only among friends or in informal situations to express extreme tiredness.
EXAMPLE
Ich gehe heute nicht mehr aus, ich bin eine absolute Leiche.
I'm not going out anymore today; I'm absolutely dead tired.
Fixed expression
The expression 'eine Leiche im Keller haben' (to have a skeleton in the closet) is a fixed idiom. It means that someone is hiding a serious secret from their past. The structure is fixed and is not changed.
EXAMPLE
Jeder Mensch hat doch irgendwo eine kleine Leiche im Keller.
Everyone has some little skeleton in the closet somewhere, don't they?
Typical collocations
In the literal meaning, 'Leiche' (corpse) is often used in reports by the police or emergency services. Typical verbs are 'eine Leiche finden' (to find a corpse), 'eine Leiche bergen' (to recover a corpse), or 'eine Leiche identifizieren' (to identify a corpse).
EXAMPLE
Die Feuerwehr konnte die Leiche aus dem Autowrack bergen.
The fire department was able to recover the corpse from the car wreck.
Compare with
Leiche vs Tote
dead person
'der Tote' and 'die Leiche' both have to do with a person who has died. 'Der Tote' focuses more on the person who died. It is used, for example, in news or reports when talking about victims. 'Die Leiche' means the dead body. The word sounds more direct and is often used in police, medical, or crime-story contexts. Learners may confuse the words because both cases involve a deceased person. As a guide: if the person is the focus, 'der Tote' fits better; if the body is meant, 'die Leiche' fits better.
Leiche
Die Ermittler fanden die Leiche am frühen Morgen in einem verlassenen Haus.
The investigators found the corpse early in the morning in an abandoned house.
Tote
Nach dem Unfall sprach die Polizei von einem Toten und zwei Verletzten.
After the accident, the police reported one dead person and two injured people.
In real life
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