vocabulary
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vocabulary
The total set of words that a person knows and uses (individual vocabulary), or that belong to a particular language (total vocabulary).
Um eine neue Sprache zu lernen, muss man seinen Wortschatz ständig erweitern.
To learn a new language, you have to keep expanding your vocabulary.
'Wortschatz' (vocabulary) is a nice compound of 'Wort' (word) and 'Schatz' (treasure). It describes the words you know, figuratively as a personal 'treasure of words.'
Jedes neue Wort, das du lernst, vergrößert deinen Wortschatz.
Every new word you learn increases your vocabulary.
'Wortschatz' (vocabulary) is very often combined with verbs that describe growth or improvement: den Wortschatz 'erweitern' (to expand one's vocabulary), 'ausbauen' (to build up), or 'verbessern' (to improve).
Durch viel Lesen kannst du deinen Wortschatz schnell ausbauen.
By reading a lot, you can quickly build up your vocabulary.
For language learners, the distinction between 'aktiver Wortschatz' (active vocabulary: words you use yourself) and 'passiver Wortschatz' (passive vocabulary: words you only understand) is very useful.
Mein passiver Wortschatz ist viel größer als mein aktiver.
My passive vocabulary is much larger than my active vocabulary.
dictionary
'Wörterbuch' and 'Wortschatz' both have to do with words, but they do not mean the same thing. A 'Wörterbuch' is a tool you use to look up words. 'Wortschatz' is the set of words that a person knows and uses, or that belong to a language. So you can use a dictionary to expand your vocabulary. The words are easy to confuse because both are important in language learning. But 'Wörterbuch' is an object or an app, while 'Wortschatz' is knowledge about words.
Durch kurze Nachrichten auf Deutsch wächst dein Wortschatz jeden Tag ein wenig.
By reading short messages in German, your vocabulary grows a little every day.
Beim Lesen benutze ich ein Wörterbuch, wenn ich ein Wort nicht verstehe.
When reading, I use a dictionary if I don't understand a word.