Today's words · 🎢 Theme parks & zoos
A day at the zoo: 10 German words for days out
A1A2B1
Half of any German day out is queuing — so you'd better know the word for queue.
It's a sunny Sunday and we're off to the zoo with friends and their kids. There's already a long queue at the ticket desk and a sign at the gate: “Bitte nicht füttern!” In front of the monkeys, the little one shouts, “Das ist so aufregend!”
Today's ten words are for zoos, aquariums, theme parks and funfairs. Buying tickets, joining the queue and reading the signs — these words cover it. 🎢
📋 The ten words at a glance
- der Zoo — zoo
- der Tierpark — zoo, wildlife park
- der Jahrmarkt — funfair, fair
- die Eintrittskarte — (admission) ticket
- der Eintritt — admission, entry; admission fee
- die Schlange — queue, line (of people); snake
- aufregend — exciting, thrilling
- der Käfig — cage
- das Aquarium — aquarium; fish tank
- füttern — to feed
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
der Zoo
[TSOH]zoo(Pl. die Zoos)
📌 Am Wochenende gehen wir in den Zoo.
→ At the weekend we're going to the zoo.
💡 Short for Zoologischer Garten 🦁 German Z sounds like ‘ts’, so it's ‘tsoh’, not ‘zoo’.
Bonus to go to the zoo = in den Zoo gehen
der Tierpark
[TEER-park]zoo, wildlife park(Pl. die Tierparks)
📌 Am Sonntag gehen wir mit den Kindern in den Tierpark.
→ On Sunday we're going to the zoo with the kids.
💡 Tier (animal) + Park = an animal park 🦌 Exactly what it says.
Bonus A small wildlife park is often called der Wildpark.
der Jahrmarkt
[YAR-markt]funfair, fair(Pl. die Jahrmärkte)
📌 Auf dem Jahrmarkt fahren wir Riesenrad.
→ At the funfair we go on the Ferris wheel.
💡 Jahr (year) + Markt = the once-a-year market 🎡 Today it means rides and candyfloss.
Bonus Depending on the region, also die Kirmes or der Rummel.
die Eintrittskarte
[INE-trits-kar-tuh](admission) ticket(Pl. die Eintrittskarten)
📌 Die Eintrittskarten für das Konzert kosten 30 Euro.
→ Tickets for the concert cost 30 euros.
💡 Eintritt (entry) + s + Karte (ticket) 🎟️ The s in the middle is the glue.
Bonus Two adults, please: Zwei Eintrittskarten für Erwachsene, bitte.
der Eintritt
[INE-trit]admission, entry; admission fee(Pl. die Eintritte)
📌 Der Eintritt ist frei.
→ Admission is free.
💡 ein (in) + treten (to step) = stepping in 🚪
Bonus Eintritt frei = free entry · the way out is der Ausgang
die Schlange
[SHLAHNG-uh]queue, line (of people); snake(Pl. die Schlangen)
📌 An der Kasse ist eine lange Schlange.
→ There's a long queue at the checkout.
💡 A long, wiggly queue looks just like a snake 🐍
Bonus to queue = Schlange stehen
aufregend
[OWF-ray-gent]exciting, thrilling(aufregend – aufregender – am aufregendsten)
📌 Die Reise war sehr aufregend.
→ The trip was very exciting.
💡 Your heart goes up (auf) and starts moving (regen) — like on a rollercoaster 🎢
⚠ aufregend = exciting (a thing); aufgeregt = excited or nervous (a person).
der Käfig
[KAY-fikh]cage(Pl. die Käfige)
📌 Der Vogel sitzt in einem kleinen Käfig.
→ The bird is sitting in a small cage.
💡 From Latin cavea, like English cage 🦜 The -ig at the end sounds like ‘ikh’.
das Aquarium
[ah-KVAH-ree-oom]aquarium; fish tank(Pl. die Aquarien)
📌 Im Aquarium schwimmen bunte Fische.
→ Colourful fish are swimming in the aquarium.
💡 There's aqua (water) inside 🐠 A fish tank at home or a big public aquarium.
⚠ The plural is die Aquarien.
füttern
[FUE-tern]to feed(füttert – hat gefüttert)
📌 Kannst du heute die Katze füttern?
→ Can you feed the cat today?
💡 You give Futter (feed), so you füttern 🥕 A cousin of English food and fodder.
Bonus A sign you'll see at the zoo: Bitte nicht füttern!
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Germany has a lot of zoos, big and small. Some are called Zoo, others Tierpark or Wildpark. Berlin even has both a Zoo and a Tierpark, which confuses plenty of visitors.
From spring to autumn, towns hold their own Jahrmarkt: a Ferris wheel, a carousel and the smell of sugared almonds (gebrannte Mandeln). Munich's Oktoberfest is the most famous of these Volksfeste.
And at the zoo, take the “Bitte nicht füttern!” signs seriously. People tend to be strict about rules like this, and someone may well tell you off if you slip the goats a snack. 🐒
✅ Quick quiz
Q. There's a huge crowd at the ticket desk. How do you tell your friend ‘The queue is so long!’?
- ① Der Eintritt ist frei.
- ② Die Schlange ist so lang!
- ③ Der Vogel sitzt im Käfig.
Show the answer
② Die Schlange ist so lang!
Die Schlange ist so lang! = The queue is so long! A queue is a Schlange, like a long snake.
Next time you're waiting in line, say quietly to yourself: Ich stehe Schlange. Even queuing can be practice! 🐍
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: ⛷️ Winter sports