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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
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Meanings
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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 Gold
gold
'das Gold' and 'die Perle' can both refer to something valuable and beautiful. In jewelry, 'Gold' is a precious metal, while 'Perle' means a small, round piece of jewelry from a shell. Both words can also be used figuratively: something or someone can be very valuable. 'Gold' often fits when you emphasize high value or great help, for example in 'Gold wert' (worth its weight in gold). 'Perle' sounds more like special praise for a reliable person or an especially good thing.
Perle
Unsere Nachbarin ist eine echte Perle, weil sie immer hilft.
Our neighbor is a real gem because she always helps.
Gold
Deine Hilfe war heute Gold wert.
Your help was worth its weight in gold today.
In real life
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