hourglass
die Sanduhr, die Sanduhren
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hourglass
A device for measuring a specific period of time. It consists of two connected glass chambers, with fine sand trickling through a narrow opening from the upper chamber into the lower one.
Dreh die Sanduhr um; wenn der ganze Sand unten ist, sind drei Minuten vergangen.
Turn the hourglass over; when all the sand is at the bottom, three minutes will have passed.
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Sanduhren |
| genitive | der Sanduhr |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Sanduhr | die Sanduhren |
| accusative | die Sanduhr | die Sanduhren |
| dative | der Sanduhr | den Sanduhren |
| genitive | der Sanduhr | der Sanduhren |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
'Sanduhr' (hourglass) is made up of 'Sand' (sand) and 'Uhr' (clock). The word therefore refers to a clock in which sand makes the passage of time visible.
Auf dem Tisch steht eine kleine Sanduhr aus Glas.
There is a small glass hourglass on the table.
'Sanduhr' (hourglass) is particularly common with the verbs 'umdrehen' (to turn over), 'aufstellen' (to set up), and 'laufen lassen' (to let run). The phrase 'mit einer Sanduhr messen' (to measure with an hourglass) is also common.
Für die Übung lassen wir eine Sanduhr laufen.
For the exercise, we let an hourglass run.
When an hourglass is used to measure time, it often appears with 'mit' (with): you measure a short period of time 'mit einer Sanduhr' (with an hourglass).
Die Kinder messen mit einer Sanduhr, wie lange sie die Luft anhalten können.
The children use an hourglass to measure how long they can hold their breath.
