vocabulary
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vocabulary
The entire set of words that a person knows and uses, or the vocabulary of a language.
Um eine neue Sprache zu lernen, muss man sich ein großes Vokabular aneignen.
To learn a new language, you have to acquire a large vocabulary.
The word 'Vokabular' (vocabulary) is often used in contexts such as language teaching, linguistics, or when describing specialized language. It is a standard term when talking about vocabulary as something to be learned.
Im Deutschkurs konzentrieren wir uns diese Woche auf das Vokabular zum Thema Reisen.
In the German course, we are focusing this week on vocabulary related to travel.
When it comes to learning words, 'Vokabular' (vocabulary) is often combined with verbs that describe acquiring or expanding knowledge. Typical verbs are 'erweitern' (to expand), 'aneignen' (to acquire), and 'beherrschen' (to master).
Ich lese viel, um mein deutsches Vokabular zu erweitern.
I read a lot in order to expand my German vocabulary.
To describe the size or scope of a vocabulary, 'Vokabular' (vocabulary) is often combined with adjectives such as 'groß' (large), 'klein' (small), 'umfangreich' (extensive), or 'begrenzt' (limited).
Er hat ein sehr umfangreiches Vokabular, weil er jeden Tag liest.
He has a very extensive vocabulary because he reads every day.
When specialized terms are involved, 'Vokabular' (vocabulary) is often made more precise by an adjective that names the field. Watch for phrases such as 'medizinisches Vokabular' (medical vocabulary) or 'technisches Vokabular' (technical vocabulary).
Als Programmierer muss man das spezifische Vokabular der jeweiligen Programmiersprache kennen.
As a programmer, you have to know the specific vocabulary of the programming language in question.
dictionary
'Wörterbuch' and 'Vokabular' both have to do with words, but they have different roles. A 'Wörterbuch' is a book or digital tool for looking things up. 'Vokabular' means the words someone knows and uses, or the specialized words in a subject area. You can use a dictionary to learn new vocabulary. The words are especially easy to confuse when learning languages. Remember: the dictionary is in front of you; the vocabulary is in your head or is what you need for a topic.
Für den neuen Job muss Maria noch das technische Vokabular lernen.
For the new job, Maria still has to learn the technical vocabulary.
Er hat im Wörterbuch nachgesehen, weil er das Wort im Gespräch nicht kannte.
He looked it up in the dictionary because he did not know the word in the conversation.