zoo / animal park
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zoo / animal park
A large, park-like facility where various, often exotic animals are kept and displayed. A synonym is zoo.
Am Sonntag gehen wir mit den Kindern in den Tiergarten, um die Löwen und Elefanten zu sehen.
On Sunday we're going to the zoo with the children to see the lions and elephants.
The word 'Tiergarten' (zoo/animal park) is made up of 'Tier' (animal) and 'Garten' (garden). So it literally describes a garden for animals. The 's' in the middle is a linking s, which connects the two parts of the word.
Der Tiergarten beherbergt viele seltene Tierarten.
The zoo is home to many rare animal species.
Pay attention to the preposition 'in' and the corresponding case. Movement to a place is expressed with 'in den Tiergarten' (accusative), while being at that place requires 'im Tiergarten' (dative).
Fahren wir morgen in den Tiergarten?
Shall we go to the zoo tomorrow?
Common expressions in connection with a zoo are 'in den Tiergarten gehen' (to go to the zoo), 'einen Ausflug in den Tiergarten machen' (to take a trip to the zoo), and 'Tiere beobachten' (to watch animals) or 'Tiere füttern' (to feed animals).
Für den Geburtstag meines Sohnes planen wir einen Ausflug in den Tiergarten.
For my son's birthday, we're planning a trip to the zoo.
You can usually recognize the historical meaning of a hunting area from the context. It is often a proper name of parks or forests, such as the 'Großer Tiergarten' in Berlin.
Der große Park im Stadtzentrum war früher der private Tiergarten des Königs.
The large park in the city center used to be the king's private game park.
zoo
'der Zoo' and 'der Tiergarten' can be used in very similar ways: both refer to a facility where people can look at animals. 'Zoo' is the more general and very typical everyday word. 'Tiergarten' often sounds a bit more park-like or is part of an official name, for example for certain facilities. In many situations, both mean practically the same thing, so they are easy to confuse. If you are unsure, 'Zoo' is usually the more natural choice; 'Tiergarten' is used especially when the place is actually called that or feels like a large park.
Meine Kollegin macht morgen mit ihrer Familie einen Ausflug in den Tiergarten.
My colleague is taking a trip to the animal park with her family tomorrow.
Mein Freund hat am Wochenende Karten für den Zoo gekauft.
My friend bought tickets for the zoo at the weekend.