souvenir
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souvenir
An object that you bring back or buy from a trip in order to remember the place you visited. It serves as a keepsake.
Ich habe mir in Paris einen kleinen Eiffelturm als Souvenir gekauft.
I bought myself a little Eiffel Tower in Paris as a souvenir.
'Souvenir' is a loanword from French. The French verb 'se souvenir' means 'to remember'. So a souvenir is literally an object that helps with remembering.
Dieses Armband ist ein schönes Souvenir an unseren gemeinsamen Urlaub.
This bracelet is a lovely souvenir of our vacation together.
Common verbs used with 'Souvenir' (souvenir) are 'kaufen' (to buy), 'mitbringen' (to bring back), and 'sammeln' (to collect). It is also often combined with prepositions such as 'aus' (from) or 'von' (from) to name the place of origin.
Meine Tante bringt mir von jeder Reise ein Souvenir mit.
My aunt brings me back a souvenir from every trip.
To emphasize an object's function as a keepsake, the preposition 'als' (as) is often used. The structure is then: 'etwas als Souvenir kaufen/mitbringen' (to buy/bring something as a souvenir).
Ich habe diese Muschel als Souvenir am Strand gefunden.
I found this shell on the beach as a souvenir.
memory / reminder
Both words can refer to an object that reminds someone of a place they visited. Souvenir mainly refers to the typical object that someone brings back or buys on a trip, while Erinnerung emphasizes its personal significance more strongly. Use Souvenir for the travel item and Erinnerung when the personal connection is the focus.
Auf dem Markt kaufte ich eine kleine Muschel als Souvenir von unserem Urlaub am Meer.
I bought a little shell at the market as a souvenir of our seaside vacation.
Diese kleine Muschel ist für mich eine schöne Erinnerung an unseren Urlaub am Meer.
This little shell is a lovely memento of our seaside vacation for me.
