das Schlaflied
lullaby
A soothing song usually sung to a child to help them fall asleep.
EXAMPLE
Die Mutter sang ihrem Baby ein Schlaflied vor.
The mother sang her baby a lullaby.
das Schlaflied
lullaby
das Schlaflied, die Schlaflieder
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Schlaflied, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| plural | die Schlaflieder |
| genitive | des Schlaflieds |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Schlaflied | die Schlaflieder |
| accusative | das Schlaflied | die Schlaflieder |
| dative | dem Schlaflied | den Schlafliedern |
| genitive | des Schlaflieds des Schlafliedes | der Schlaflieder |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Compound word
'Schlaflied' consists of 'Schlaf' (sleep) and 'Lied' (song). The first part indicates the purpose of the song: It is meant to help someone fall asleep.
EXAMPLE
Zum Einschlafen wünscht sich das Kind jeden Abend ein Schlaflied.
The child asks for a lullaby every evening before falling asleep.
Dative and accusative
A common sentence pattern is 'jemandem ein Schlaflied singen' (to sing someone a lullaby). The person is in the dative, and the lullaby is in the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Der Vater singt seinem kleinen Sohn ein Schlaflied.
The father sings his little son a lullaby.
Typical collocations
Typical collocations include 'ein Schlaflied anstimmen' (to start singing a lullaby) and 'ein Schlaflied summen' (to hum a lullaby), meaning to sing the melody with your mouth closed.
EXAMPLE
Beim Schaukeln des Kinderwagens summte sie leise ein Schlaflied.
She quietly hummed a lullaby while rocking the stroller.
In real life
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