das Seepferdchen
seahorse
A small marine fish with a horse-shaped head and an upright body.
EXAMPLE
Das Seepferdchen hält sich mit seinem Schwanz an Seegras fest.
The seahorse holds on to seagrass with its tail.
das Seepferdchen
seahorse
das Seepferdchen, die Seepferdchen
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Meanings
das Seepferdchen
seahorse badge
A German swimming badge for children that certifies basic swimming skills.
EXAMPLE
Meine Tochter hat gestern das Seepferdchen gemacht.
My daughter earned her seahorse badge yesterday.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Seepferdchen, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| plural | die Seepferdchen |
| genitive | des Seepferdchens |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Seepferdchen | die Seepferdchen |
| accusative | das Seepferdchen | die Seepferdchen |
| dative | dem Seepferdchen | den Seepferdchen |
| genitive | des Seepferdchens | der Seepferdchen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Word formation
'Seepferdchen' (seahorse) is made up of 'See' (sea) and 'Pferdchen' (little horse). The '-chen' turns 'Pferd' (horse) into a diminutive and here refers to the small animal with a horse-like head.
EXAMPLE
Im Aquarium beobachteten die Kinder ein gelbes Seepferdchen.
At the aquarium, the children watched a yellow seahorse.
Context clue
With 'Seepferdchen' (seahorse), the context indicates the meaning: words like 'Meer' (sea), 'Aquarium' (aquarium), or 'Seegras' (seagrass) point to the animal, while words like 'Schwimmkurs' (swimming course), 'Kinder' (children), or 'Abzeichen' (badge) point to the swimming test.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Schwimmkurs zeigte Ben stolz sein Seepferdchen.
After the swimming course, Ben proudly showed his seahorse badge.
Typical collocations
For the swimming badge, common phrases include 'das Seepferdchen machen' (to earn the seahorse badge), 'das Seepferdchen bekommen' (to receive the seahorse badge), and 'für das Seepferdchen üben' (to practice for the seahorse badge).
EXAMPLE
Lina übt fleißig, damit sie bald das Seepferdchen bekommt.
Lina is practicing diligently so that she can earn her seahorse badge soon.
In real life
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