der Müll
trash / garbage
Waste that is produced in the household or in industry and has to be disposed of.
EXAMPLE
Vergiss bitte nicht, den Müll rauszubringen, die Tonne ist voll.
Please don't forget to take out the trash; the bin is full.
der Müll
trash / garbage
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Meanings
der Müll
trash / garbage
Colloquial for something worthless, nonsensical, or of very poor quality.
EXAMPLE
Der Film war absoluter Müll, ich bin nach einer halben Stunde gegangen.
The film was absolute trash; I left after half an hour.
Usage tips
No plural
The word 'Müll' (trash/garbage) is an uncountable noun (singulare tantum). It is almost always used in the singular, even when talking about a large amount.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Festival lag überall Müll auf der Wiese.
After the festival, there was trash lying everywhere on the lawn.
Typical collocations
In everyday language, 'Müll' (trash/garbage) is often combined with certain verbs. The most common are 'den Müll rausbringen' (to take out the trash), 'Müll trennen' (to separate/sort trash), and 'etwas in den Müll werfen' (to throw something in the trash).
EXAMPLE
In Deutschland muss man den Müll sorgfältig trennen.
In Germany, you have to separate the trash carefully.
Register and style
The meaning 'Unsinn' (nonsense) or 'schlechte Qualität' (poor quality) is strongly colloquial. It is used to devalue something, for example a film, a product, or an idea.
EXAMPLE
Glaub nicht alles, was er erzählt, das ist doch alles nur Müll.
Don't believe everything he says; that's all just garbage.
Compare with
Müll vs Mist
crap / manure
Mist and Müll can both be used colloquially to describe something nonsensical or very bad. Mist can additionally emphasize annoyance about an unpleasant situation, while Müll works especially well when something is presented as worthless. In many statements, either word is possible, but the nuance is different.
Müll
Diese völlig wertlose Präsentation ist Müll und hilft dem Team überhaupt nicht.
This completely worthless presentation is garbage and does not help the team at all.
Mist
Diese schlecht vorbereitete Präsentation ist Mist und ärgert das ganze Team.
This poorly prepared presentation is crap and is annoying the whole team.
In real life
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