die Tinte
ink
A colored liquid used for writing or drawing with a fountain pen, a pen, or in a printer.
EXAMPLE
Mein Füller ist leer, ich muss neue Tinte nachfüllen.
My fountain pen is empty; I need to refill it with new ink.
die Tinte
ink
die Tinte, die Tinten
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Meanings
in der Tinte sitzen
to be in trouble
An idiom meaning that you are in serious trouble or have a serious problem.
EXAMPLE
Nachdem er das Firmengeld verloren hatte, saß er tief in der Tinte.
After he lost the company money, he was deep in trouble.
die Tinte
ink
The dark secretion released by squid and other cephalopods for defense.
EXAMPLE
Der Oktopus stieß eine Wolke aus Tinte aus, um zu entkommen.
The octopus released a cloud of ink in order to escape.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Tinte, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Tinten |
| genitive | der Tinte |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Tinte | die Tinten |
| accusative | die Tinte | die Tinten |
| dative | der Tinte | den Tinten |
| genitive | der Tinte | der Tinten |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Fixed expression
The expression 'Die Tinte ist trocken' (the ink is dry) means that a contract or agreement has been finalized and signed. It is often used in business or political contexts.
EXAMPLE
Nach monatelangen Verhandlungen ist die Tinte unter dem Vertrag endlich trocken.
After months of negotiations, the ink on the contract is finally dry.
Typical collocations
In the context of writing and printing, 'Tinte' (ink) is often used with verbs like 'nachfüllen' (to refill), 'eintauchen' (to dip), or 'verschmieren' (to smudge). Common nouns in this context are 'Füller' (fountain pen), 'Feder' (pen/nib), and 'Druckerpatrone' (printer cartridge).
EXAMPLE
Pass auf, die Tinte auf dem Brief ist noch nicht ganz trocken und könnte verschmieren.
Be careful, the ink on the letter is not completely dry yet and could smudge.
Using the idiom
The expression 'in der Tinte sitzen' (to be in trouble) is colloquial. You can intensify the degree of trouble with adverbs like 'tief' (deeply) or 'richtig' (really).
EXAMPLE
Wegen seiner Schulden sitzt er jetzt richtig tief in der Tinte.
Because of his debts, he is really deep in trouble now.
Context clue
You can recognize animal ink from cephalopods by the context. It is usually mentioned in biological contexts or in cooking, for example in pasta recipes.
EXAMPLE
In Italien habe ich Nudeln mit der Tinte vom Tintenfisch gegessen.
In Italy, I ate pasta with squid ink.
In real life
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