shovel / blade / spade
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shovel
A tool with a flat, wide blade and a handle, used for digging or moving loose material such as soil, sand, or snow.
Mit der Schaufel lud er den Sand auf die Schubkarre.
He used the shovel to load the sand onto the wheelbarrow.
blade
The shovel-shaped component of a turbine, propeller, or water wheel that absorbs the flow energy of water or air.
Eine der Schaufeln des Windrads war durch den Sturm beschädigt worden.
One of the wind turbine's blades had been damaged by the storm.
spade
One of the four suits in a French or German deck of cards, also known as spades. The name comes from the shape of the symbol.
Beim Skat ist die Schaufel eine der Farben, die als Trumpf dienen kann.
In Skat, spades is one of the suits that can serve as trump.
'Die Schaufel' (the shovel) is the noun related to the verb 'schaufeln' (to shovel). Both words refer to the activity of moving material with a shovel.
Wir müssen den ganzen Schnee vom Gehweg schaufeln.
We have to shovel all the snow off the sidewalk.
You can easily recognize which meaning is intended from the context. In the garden or on a construction site, it means the tool. In a technical context (turbine, wind turbine), it means a component. In card games, it is a suit.
Kannst du mir die Schaufel aus dem Schuppen holen?
Can you get me the shovel from the shed?
In connection with the tool, typical verbs are 'graben' (to dig), 'nehmen' (to take), or 'laden' (to load). It is also often mentioned together with other tools such as 'Spaten' (spade) or 'Rechen' (rake).
Er nahm den Kies mit der Schaufel auf.
He picked up the gravel with the shovel.
The meaning as a component of a turbine or wheel is technical jargon. It is used almost exclusively in contexts such as mechanical engineering, aviation, or energy technology.
Der Ingenieur überprüft den Zustand der Turbinenschaufeln.
The engineer checks the condition of the turbine blades.
spade
Both a Schaufel and a Spaten are used for working with soil. A Spaten is mainly used to cut into and loosen hard ground, while a Schaufel is more often used to pick up and move soil that has already been loosened. When digging a planting hole, both tools may therefore be used one after the other.
Mit der Schaufel hebt Jana die lockere Erde aus dem Pflanzloch.
Jana uses the shovel to remove the loose soil from the planting hole.
Mit dem Spaten sticht Jana zuerst den festen Boden für das Pflanzloch ab.
Jana first uses the spade to break up the hard ground for the planting hole.
