wish list
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wish list
A list of things a person wants, often as gifts for a specific occasion such as a birthday or Christmas.
Meine Nichte hat mir ihre Wunschliste für den Geburtstag geschickt.
My niece sent me her wish list for her birthday.
This word is made up of 'Wunsch' (wish) and 'Liste' (list), connected by an 's'. So it is literally a list of wishes.
Auf meiner Wunschliste für den Urlaub stehen ein gutes Buch und viel Sonne.
On my wish list for the vacation are a good book and lots of sunshine.
You can recognize the meaning from the context. If it is about personal gifts for occasions like 'Geburtstag' (birthday) or 'Weihnachten' (Christmas), the first meaning is meant. In contexts such as 'Software' (software), 'Projekte' (projects), or 'Politik' (politics), it refers to a list of requirements or goals.
Was steht auf deiner Wunschliste zu Weihnachten?
What's on your wish list for Christmas?
In connection with gifts, 'Wunschliste' is often used with verbs like 'schreiben' (to write), 'erstellen' (to create), or 'machen' (to make). It is also often stated what occasion the list is for.
Die Kinder haben schon ihre Wunschlisten für Weihnachten geschrieben.
The children have already written their wish lists for Christmas.
A typical formulation is 'etwas auf die Wunschliste setzen' (to put something on the wish list) or 'etwas steht auf der Wunschliste' (something is on the wish list). This works for both meanings of the word.
Ich habe mir ein neues Tablet auf die Wunschliste gesetzt.
I put a new tablet on my wish list.
shopping cart / basket of goods
'die Wunschliste' and 'der Warenkorb' can both appear in an online shop, so they are easy to confuse. On a 'Wunschliste' (wish list), you collect things you would like to have or might want to buy later. It is not yet a clear decision to buy. In the 'Warenkorb' (shopping cart), there are products you want to buy before you go to checkout. In practical terms: the Wunschliste is more for remembering or wishing, while the Warenkorb is the step shortly before paying.
Ich speichere die Kamera auf meiner Wunschliste, weil sie im Moment zu teuer ist.
I save the camera on my wish list because it is too expensive at the moment.
Vor dem Bezahlen prüft Anna noch einmal die Artikel im Warenkorb.
Before paying, Anna checks the items in the shopping cart once more.