der Welpe
puppy
A young dog or the young of other canine predators such as wolves or foxes.
EXAMPLE
Unsere Hündin hat letzte Woche sechs süße Welpen zur Welt gebracht.
Our female dog gave birth to six cute puppies last week.
der Welpe
puppy
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Meanings
Usage tips
Grammar: N-declension
'Der Welpe' (the puppy) is a weak masculine noun (N-declension). This means that it takes the ending '-n' in all cases except the nominative singular: des Welpen, dem Welpen, den Welpen. The plural is 'die Welpen' (the puppies).
EXAMPLE
Ich spiele mit dem kleinen Welpen im Garten.
I am playing with the little puppy in the garden.
Specific use
The word 'Welpe' (puppy) is used specifically for the young of dogs and other canids such as wolves or foxes. There are separate terms for the young of other animal species.
EXAMPLE
Im Zoo kann man die Wolfswelpen beobachten.
At the zoo, you can watch the wolf pups.
Typical combinations
Common expressions related to puppies are 'einen Wurf Welpen haben' (to have a litter of puppies, when a female dog has several young) and 'Welpen aufziehen' (to raise puppies, to care for the young dogs).
EXAMPLE
Es ist viel Arbeit, einen ganzen Wurf Welpen aufzuziehen.
It is a lot of work to raise a whole litter of puppies.
Compare with
Welpe vs Junge
boy
Junge refers to a male child or male adolescent, not to a young dog. Welpe means a young dog or the young of another canine predator. The choice therefore depends on whether a person or an animal is meant.
Welpe
Der Welpe läuft neugierig durch den Garten.
The puppy walks curiously through the garden.
Junge
Der Junge läuft neugierig durch den Garten.
The boy walks curiously through the garden.
In real life
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