die Schneeflocke
snowflake
A single ice crystal or a cluster of ice crystals that falls from the sky as snow.
EXAMPLE
Die erste Schneeflocke landete sanft auf meiner Hand.
The first snowflake landed gently on my hand.
die Schneeflocke
snowflake
die Schneeflocke, die Schneeflocken
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Schneeflocke, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Schneeflocken |
| genitive | der Schneeflocke |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Schneeflocke | die Schneeflocken |
| accusative | die Schneeflocke | die Schneeflocken |
| dative | der Schneeflocke | den Schneeflocken |
| genitive | der Schneeflocke | der Schneeflocken |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Compound word
The word 'Schneeflocke' (snowflake) is made up of 'der Schnee' (snow) and 'die Flocke' (flake). A 'Flocke' is a small, light piece of something, as also in 'Haferflocken' (oats/oat flakes).
EXAMPLE
Zum Frühstück esse ich gerne Joghurt mit Haferflocken.
For breakfast, I like to eat yogurt with oats.
Typical verbs
The movement of snowflakes is often described with poetic verbs that emphasize their lightness. Common verbs are 'tanzen' (to dance), 'schweben' (to float), 'vom Himmel fallen' (to fall from the sky), or 'leise rieseln' (to fall softly).
EXAMPLE
Die großen Schneeflocken tanzten langsam zu Boden.
The large snowflakes slowly danced down to the ground.
Cultural context
A well-known idea is that every snowflake has a unique shape. The sentence 'Jede Schneeflocke ist einzigartig' (Every snowflake is unique) is a common saying.
EXAMPLE
Unter dem Mikroskop kann man sehen, dass jede Schneeflocke wirklich einzigartig ist.
Under the microscope, you can see that every snowflake really is unique.
In real life
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