das Spielchen
little game
A small or rather simple game, often played to pass the time or without taking it too seriously.
EXAMPLE
Wie wäre es nach dem Essen mit einem Spielchen Skat?
How about a little game of skat after dinner?
das Spielchen
game
das Spielchen, die Spielchen
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Meanings
ein Spielchen treiben
to play games
To deliberately string someone along, deceive them, or manipulate their feelings and expectations. The expression is usually colloquial and derogatory.
EXAMPLE
Merkst du nicht, dass sie nur ein Spielchen mit dir treibt?
Don't you realize that she is only playing games with you?
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Spielchen, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| plural | die Spielchen |
| genitive | des Spielchens |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Spielchen | die Spielchen |
| accusative | das Spielchen | die Spielchen |
| dative | dem Spielchen | den Spielchen |
| genitive | des Spielchens | der Spielchen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Word formation
'Spielchen' is made up of 'Spiel' (game) and the ending '-chen'. The ending makes the word smaller and can also express that something is seen as not very serious or rather insignificant.
EXAMPLE
Die Kinder dachten sich für den Nachmittag ein neues Spielchen aus.
The children came up with a new little game for the afternoon.
Typical collocations
In the meaning of a small game, 'Spielchen' often appears with words such as 'klein' (small), 'harmlos' (harmless), or 'lustig' (fun). Typical verbs are 'machen' (to do/play), 'spielen' (to play), and 'sich ausdenken' (to think up).
EXAMPLE
Zum Aufwärmen machten die Sportler ein lustiges Spielchen.
The athletes played a fun little game to warm up.
Fixed expressions
In its figurative meaning, 'Spielchen' is especially common in the expressions 'Spielchen treiben' (to play games) and 'sich auf Spielchen einlassen' (to play along with such games). A person introduced with 'mit' (with) often appears in the sentence to indicate whom the behavior is directed at.
EXAMPLE
Er treibt schon seit Wochen Spielchen mit seinen Kollegen.
He has been playing games with his colleagues for weeks.
Sie lässt sich auf solche Spielchen mit ihrem Geschäftspartner nicht ein.
She refuses to play along with such games with her business partner.
In real life
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