rein
clean
Clean, without dirt or stains.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Putzen war die ganze Wohnung wieder rein.
After cleaning, the whole apartment was clean again.
rein
pure / in
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Meanings
rein
pure
Unmixed, without foreign components; pure.
EXAMPLE
Dieser Schal ist aus reiner Wolle.
This scarf is made of pure wool.
rein
purely / mere
Used as an adverb to emphasize something; means 'only', 'merely', or 'exclusively'.
EXAMPLE
Dass wir uns getroffen haben, war reiner Zufall.
The fact that we met was pure coincidence.
rein
in
Colloquial short form for 'herein' (in here) or 'hinein' (into); expresses movement into a room or place.
EXAMPLE
Komm schnell rein, es fängt an zu regnen!
Come in quickly, it's starting to rain!
ins Reine schreiben
to write up neatly
To write out a text that previously existed only as a draft or with corrections in a clean and final form.
EXAMPLE
Ich muss meine Notizen vom Meeting noch ins Reine schreiben.
I still have to write up my notes from the meeting neatly.
Usage tips
Different functions
The word 'rein' is very versatile. It can be an adjective ('reine Wäsche' = clean laundry), an emphasizing adverb ('reiner Zufall' = pure coincidence), or a colloquial particle for movement inward ('komm rein!' = come in!). You can recognize its function from the word order and the context.
EXAMPLE
Das ist reines Gold.
That is pure gold.
Register and use
As a short form for 'herein' (in here) or 'hinein' (into), 'rein' is very common in spoken language. It behaves like a separable prefix and appears at the end of the sentence or alone as a command.
EXAMPLE
Darf ich kurz reinkommen?
May I come in for a moment?
Adverbial use
As an adverb, 'rein' means something like 'only' or 'exclusively' and emphasizes a noun. It stands directly before the noun it intensifies. Typical expressions are 'reiner Zufall' (pure coincidence), 'reine Zeitverschwendung' (a complete waste of time), or 'aus reiner Freundlichkeit' (out of pure kindness).
EXAMPLE
Dass wir uns im Urlaub getroffen haben, war reiner Zufall.
The fact that we met on vacation was pure coincidence.
Typical collocations
In the meaning 'unmixed' or 'pure', 'rein' often describes materials. Common combinations are 'reine Baumwolle' (pure cotton), 'reines Gold' (pure gold), or 'reiner Alkohol' (pure alcohol).
EXAMPLE
Der Pullover ist aus reiner Schurwolle.
The sweater is made of pure new wool.
Fixed expression
The fixed expression 'etwas ins Reine schreiben' means to create a clean, error-free final version of a text. The object stands between 'ins' and 'Reine'.
EXAMPLE
Bis morgen muss ich meinen Aufsatz ins Reine schreiben.
I have to write up my essay neatly by tomorrow.
Compare with
rein vs nur
only
Nur can generally distinguish people, quantities, things, or reasons from other possibilities. Rein also means exclusively, but typically limits the statement to its basis or underlying reason. When there is just one reason, both are possible; rein places more emphasis on that basis.
rein
Sie entschied sich rein aus praktischen Gründen für das kleinere Auto.
She chose the smaller car purely for practical reasons.
nur
Sie entschied sich nur aus praktischen Gründen für das kleinere Auto.
She chose the smaller car only for practical reasons.
In real life
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