spade
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spade
A gardening tool with a flat, often rectangular metal blade and a long handle, used for digging and turning over soil.
Mit dem Spaten grub er ein Loch für den neuen Apfelbaum.
He dug a hole for the new apple tree with the spade.
groundbreaking
The ceremonial start of a construction project, in which the first excavation is symbolically made with a spade.
Die Bürgermeisterin vollzog feierlich den ersten Spatenstich für die neue Schule.
The mayor ceremonially performed the groundbreaking for the new school.
As a tool, 'der Spaten' (the spade) is often combined with verbs related to digging. Typical phrases are 'mit dem Spaten ein Loch graben' (to dig a hole with a spade) or 'die Erde umgraben' (to turn over the soil).
Für die neuen Blumenbeete musste er den ganzen Garten mit dem Spaten umgraben.
For the new flower beds, he had to turn over the whole garden with the spade.
The expression 'der erste Spatenstich' (the first groundbreaking) refers to the symbolic start of a construction project. The word 'Stich' (stab/thrust) here refers to the spade being pushed into the ground.
Viele Politiker waren beim ersten Spatenstich für die neue Autobahn anwesend.
Many politicians were present at the groundbreaking for the new highway.
You can recognize the ceremonial meaning of 'Spatenstich' (groundbreaking) from signal words such as 'feierlich' (ceremonial), 'Bauprojekt' (construction project), 'Bürgermeister' (mayor), or 'symbolisch' (symbolic). It is not about gardening, but about the official start of construction.
Die Presse berichtete ausführlich über den Spatenstich für das neue Museum.
The press reported in detail on the groundbreaking for the new museum.
shovel / blade / 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 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.
Mit der Schaufel hebt Jana die lockere Erde aus dem Pflanzloch.
Jana uses the shovel to remove the loose soil from the planting hole.
