video rental store
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video rental store
A shop where people used to be able to rent films on videocassettes, DVDs, or Blu-rays for a limited period of time.
Ich kann mich noch erinnern, wie wir als Kinder am Wochenende immer in die Videothek gegangen sind.
I can still remember how, as children, we always went to the video rental store on weekends.
The suffix '-thek' comes from Greek and refers to a place of collection or storage. If you know this ending, you can also understand other words like 'Bibliothek' (library; book collection) or 'Diskothek' (discotheque; record collection).
Die Universitätsbibliothek hat eine riesige Sammlung alter Manuskripte.
The university library has a huge collection of old manuscripts.
Video rental stores have almost completely disappeared in Germany today. They were very popular before the age of streaming services, but by now they are a symbol of the past (the 1980s to the 2000s).
Mein Vater erzählt oft Geschichten von den Abenden, die er in der Videothek verbracht hat.
My father often tells stories about the evenings he spent in the video rental store.
Typical verbs used in connection with a video rental store are '(sich) einen Film ausleihen' (to rent a film), 'eine DVD zurückbringen' (to return a DVD), or 'eine Mitgliedskarte haben' (to have a membership card).
Hast du den Film schon in die Videothek zurückgebracht?
Have you already returned the film to the video rental store?
media library
'die Mediathek' and 'die Videothek' both have to do with media such as films or programs. Today, a 'Mediathek' is often an online service from broadcasters where you can watch or listen to programs later. It can also be a public institution that lends out different kinds of media. A 'Videothek', on the other hand, was a store where people rented films on videocassettes, DVDs, or Blu-rays. The words can be confusing because both refer to places or services for media. Today, 'Mediathek' is much more natural for online programs, while 'Videothek' fits more with older film rental stores.
Früher lieh Herr Neumann am Freitagabend Filme in der Videothek aus.
In the past, Mr. Neumann rented films from the video rental store on Friday evenings.
Ich sehe die verpasste Nachrichtensendung später in der Mediathek.
I watch the news program I missed later in the media library.