01
die Unterhose
underpants
A piece of clothing worn as part of underwear directly on the skin on the lower body.
example
Er hat sich eine neue Packung Unterhosen gekauft.
He bought himself a new pack of underpants.
die Unterhose
underpants
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
Usage tips
Compound word
The word is a clear compound made up of 'unter' (under) and 'Hose' (pants/trousers). It literally describes pants that you wear under your normal clothing.
EXAMPLE
Kinder lernen oft im Kindergarten, ihre Unterhose selbst anzuziehen.
Children often learn in kindergarten to put on their underpants by themselves.
Word family: 'Unterwäsche'
The prefix 'Unter-' often marks clothing that is worn directly on the skin. 'Die Unterhose' (underpants) belongs together with 'dem Unterhemd' (undershirt) to the broader category 'die Unterwäsche' (underwear).
EXAMPLE
Für die Reise packte er nur Unterwäsche und ein paar T-Shirts ein.
For the trip, he packed only underwear and a few T-shirts.
Typical verbs
In everyday language, 'Unterhose' (underpants) is often used with the verbs 'anziehen' (to put on), 'ausziehen' (to take off), or 'wechseln' (to change).
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Sport sollte man eine saubere Unterhose anziehen.
After exercising, you should put on a clean pair of underpants.
Compare with
Unterhose vs Hose
pants / trousers
'die Hose' and 'die Unterhose' both belong to clothing for the lower body, but they are not the same thing. You normally wear pants visibly over your underwear. Underpants are underwear and are worn directly against the skin. Learners may confuse the words because both contain the word 'Hose'. The important part is 'unter-': it shows that 'die Unterhose' is worn under other clothing. In normal situations, you say 'Hose' when you mean the outer item of clothing.
Unterhose
Nach dem Duschen legt Paul eine frische Unterhose bereit.
After showering, Paul lays out a fresh pair of underpants.
Hose
Heute ist ihre Hose zu kurz, weil sie gewachsen ist.
Today her pants are too short because she has grown.
In real life
Loading video examples...