die
Scheibe
🍽️ What does "die Scheibe" mean?
The word die Scheibe (plural: die Scheiben) is a feminine noun in German and has several meanings, mostly referring to something flat and often round or sliced:
- A flat, sliced piece: This is the most common meaning, e.g., a Scheibe Brot (slice of bread), Käse (cheese), Wurst (sausage), or Gurke (cucumber). 🍞🧀🥒
- Window or glass pane: The flat piece of glass in a window or door. 🚪🖼️ (Fensterscheibe)
- Disc (data storage/music): A CD, DVD, vinyl record, or even a hard disk platter (Festplattenscheibe). 💿💾🎶
- Target: A target used for shooting, often round with rings. 🎯 (Zielscheibe)
- Washer: A small, flat metal ring used in engineering/mechanics. 🔩 (Unterlegscheibe)
- (Colloquial) Buttock/Rear end: Less common and very colloquial.
⚠️ Attention: The meaning is always determined by the context!
Article rules for der, die, and das
-e/-ee → almost always feminine.
There are many -e nouns, many of which are feminine, but there are also some important exceptions.
📐 Grammar of "die Scheibe" in Detail
Die Scheibe is a feminine noun. Here is its declension:
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Scheibe |
| Genitive | der | Scheibe |
| Dative | der | Scheibe |
| Accusative | die | Scheibe |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Scheiben |
| Genitive | der | Scheiben |
| Dative | den | Scheiben |
| Accusative | die | Scheiben |
Example Sentences
- Ich hätte gerne eine Scheibe Brot mit Käse.
(I would like a slice of bread with cheese.) - Der Fußball flog gegen die Fensterscheibe.
(The football hit the window pane.) - Leg doch bitte eine andere Musik-Scheibe auf.
(Please put on another music disc/record.) - Der Schütze traf genau in die Mitte der Zielscheibe.
(The shooter hit the exact center of the target.) - Für diese Schraube brauchst du noch eine Unterlegscheibe.
(You need a washer for this screw.)
💡 How to use "die Scheibe"?
The use of die Scheibe is highly context-dependent. Here are some typical situations:
- When eating: When talking about sliced food ("eine Scheibe Wurst" - a slice of sausage, "zwei Scheiben Toast" - two slices of toast).
- In the household/construction: In the context of windows and glass ("die Scheibe ist zerbrochen" - the pane is broken, "eine doppelt verglaste Scheibe" - a double-glazed pane).
- For music/data: Formerly common for vinyl records, now more for CDs/DVDs ("eine neue Scheibe herausbringen" - to release a new record/CD) or technically for hard drives ("die Daten auf der Scheibe sichern" - to back up the data on the disk).
- In sports/hobbies: For shooting ("auf die Scheibe zielen" - to aim at the target).
- In technology/crafts: As a washer ("eine passende Scheibe finden" - to find a suitable washer).
The expression "sich eine Scheibe abschneiden können" means that you can take someone or something as a role model. Example: "Von seiner Pünktlichkeit können wir uns alle eine Scheibe abschneiden." (We can all take a leaf out of his book regarding his punctuality.) Literally: We can all cut ourselves a slice from his punctuality.
🧠 Mnemonics for "die Scheibe"
Article Mnemonic: Think of a slicing action, perhaps slicing a pie (which is round). Pie sounds a bit like 'die'. Or, many things you slice are feminine or neuter in German (die Wurst, die Gurke, das Brot), but the result, the slice itself, is feminine: die Scheibe.
Meaning Mnemonic: Imagine 'shaving' a thin layer off something - a shave results in a thin 'Scheibe'. Or link 'Scheibe' to the English word 'shape' – a Scheibe is a specific flat shape, often a disc or slice.
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (Similar Words):
Similar but potentially confusing words:
- Die Scherbe: A broken piece of glass or pottery (a shard), unlike the intact, flat Scheibe.
😄 A Little Joke
German: Warum nehmen Skelette keine Fensterscheiben mit in die Wüste? – Weil sie lieber durch-gucken!
English Translation: Why don't skeletons take window panes into the desert? – Because they prefer to 'look through'! 😉 (This is a pun: 'durchgucken' means 'to look through', but it sounds like 'durch Gucken', meaning 'through peepholes'. Skeletons have empty eye sockets you can see through.)
📜 A Poem about die Scheibe
German:
Die Scheibe, rund und manchmal eckig,
Ob Glas, ob Brot, sie ist oft fleckig.
Die Wurst in Scheiben, Käse auch,
Liegt auf dem Tisch, füllt uns den Bauch.
Die Fensterscheibe, klar und rein,
Lässt Sonnenlicht ins Zimmer rein.
Die Schallplatte dreht, die alte Scheibe,
Musik erklingt, vertreibt die Langeweile.
English Translation:
The slice/pane, round and sometimes square,
Be it glass or bread, spots it may bear.
The sausage sliced, the cheese as well,
Lies on the table, hunger to quell.
The window pane, so clear and bright,
Lets sunshine stream into the light.
The record spins, the old disc turns,
Music plays, boredom it spurns.
🤔 A Little Riddle
German:
Ich bin flach, doch nicht immer rund.
Man schneidet mich vom Ganzen bunt.
Ich kann aus Glas sein oder Brot,
Man wirft auf mich im Schießsport Schrot.
Was bin ich?
Lösung: die Scheibe
English Translation:
I am flat, but not always round.
I'm cut from the whole, colorful found.
I can be made of glass or bread,
At sports events, shot is aimed at my head (metaphorically).
What am I?
Solution: die Scheibe (slice/pane/disc/target)
🧩 Other Interesting Details
Word Composition: "Scheibe" is a base word but can form many compound nouns that specify the meaning:
- Fensterscheibe (window pane)
- Brotscheibe (slice of bread)
- Käsescheibe (slice of cheese)
- Schallplatte (vinyl record - uses "Platte"/plate instead of "Scheibe")
- Festplatte (hard disk drive - uses "Platte", but the internal spinning parts are also called "Scheiben")
- Zielscheibe (target)
- Unterlegscheibe (washer)
- Bremsscheibe (brake disc - on a car)
Idiom: "Was für eine Scheibe!" can be an (old-fashioned) expression of surprise or admiration, similar to "What a thing!" or "Wow!".
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Scheibe?
The word 'Scheibe' is always feminine: die Scheibe. It mainly refers to a flat, round, or sliced piece of something (e.g., Brot/bread, Glas/glass, CD, Ziel/target).