die Perle
pearl
A small, hard, often round and shiny piece of jewelry that grows inside certain shells.
EXAMPLE
Zum Geburtstag bekam sie eine Kette mit echten Perlen.
For her birthday, she received a necklace with real pearls.
die Perle
pearl
die Perle, die Perlen
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Meanings
die Perle
gem
A person or thing regarded as especially valuable, reliable, or excellent.
EXAMPLE
Unsere neue Mitarbeiterin ist eine echte Perle, sie erledigt alles perfekt.
Our new employee is a real gem; she does everything perfectly.
die Perle
bead / drop
A small, round drop of liquid, for example sweat or dew.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Joggen standen ihm Schweißperlen auf der Stirn.
After jogging, beads of sweat stood on his forehead.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Perle, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Perlen |
| genitive | der Perle |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Perle | die Perlen |
| accusative | die Perle | die Perlen |
| dative | der Perle | den Perlen |
| genitive | der Perle | der Perlen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Fixed idiom
The idiom 'Perlen vor die Säue werfen' (to cast pearls before swine) means to give or show something valuable to someone who cannot recognize or appreciate its value.
EXAMPLE
Ihm dieses teure Buch zu schenken, heißt Perlen vor die Säue werfen – er liest doch nie.
Giving him this expensive book is casting pearls before swine — he never reads anyway.
A valuable person
In a figurative sense, 'Perle' (pearl/gem) refers to a particularly valuable, capable, and reliable person. This is a strong compliment, often used for employees or domestic helpers.
EXAMPLE
Unsere Babysitterin ist eine echte Perle, die Kinder lieben sie.
Our babysitter is a real gem; the children love her.
Drops of liquid
In this figurative meaning, 'Perle' (bead/drop) is almost always combined with a liquid to describe small, round drops. Typical combinations are 'Schweißperlen' (beads of sweat) or 'Tauperlen' (drops of dew).
EXAMPLE
Am Morgen glitzerten die Tauperlen auf den Spinnennetzen.
In the morning, drops of dew glittered on the spiderwebs.
Jewelry compounds
'Perle' (pearl) is often the base word in compounds for pieces of jewelry. The best-known examples are 'die Perlenkette' (pearl necklace) and 'die Perlenohrringe' (pearl earrings).
EXAMPLE
Sie hat zur Hochzeit wunderschöne Perlenohrringe getragen.
She wore beautiful pearl earrings to the wedding.
Compare with
Perle vs Schatz
darling / treasure
Schatz and Perle can both refer to a particularly valuable person or thing. Perle tends to emphasize that someone is reliable or outstanding, while Schatz can additionally express personal or emotional appreciation. Use Perle for an outstanding achievement or person, and Schatz for an affectionate evaluation.
Perle
Unsere Nachbarin ist eine Perle, weil sie uns immer zuverlässig hilft.
Our neighbor is a gem because she always helps us reliably.
Schatz
Unsere Nachbarin ist ein Schatz, weil sie uns immer freundlich hilft.
Our neighbor is a treasure because she always helps us kindly.
In real life
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