Today's words · 👔 Laundry & alterations
From laundry day to loose buttons: 10 German words
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If you've ever stood in a German cellar staring at a washing machine, today's words are for you.
Your first week in a new flat. You carry your laundry basket down to the cellar (Keller), and there's the machine — plus a note from a neighbour, all in German. Your shirt has a coffee stain, and your coat button is hanging by a thread.
Today's ten words cover washing, drying, ironing, the dry cleaner's and a bit of sewing. With them you can handle laundry day and explain what you need at the cleaner's or the alterations shop. 👕
📋 The ten words at a glance
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
die Wäsche
[VESH-uh]laundry, washing; underwear((no pl.))
📌 Ich muss noch Wäsche waschen.
→ I still have to do the laundry.
💡 waschen + two dots = Wäsche 🧺 Everything that needs washing.
⚠ No plural. It can also mean underwear, so watch the context.
waschen
[VASH-en]to wash(wäscht – hat gewaschen)
📌 Soll ich Ihnen die Haare waschen?
→ Shall I wash your hair?
💡 Same root as English wash 🫧 wasch, wash — you can hear it.
⚠ The vowel changes: du wäschst, er wäscht.
die Waschmaschine
[VASH-ma-shee-nuh]washing machine(Pl. die Waschmaschinen)
📌 Die Waschmaschine ist im Keller.
→ The washing machine is in the basement.
💡 waschen + Maschine = washing machine 🌀 Just glue them together.
Bonus tumble dryer = der Trockner
das Waschmittel
[VASH-mit-tel]laundry detergent(Pl. die Waschmittel)
📌 Wir brauchen neues Waschmittel für die Maschine.
→ We need new detergent for the machine.
💡 Mittel means ‘agent, remedy’ 🧴 A washing agent = detergent.
Bonus fabric softener = der Weichspüler (weich = soft)
trocknen
[TROCK-nen]to dry(trocknet – hat getrocknet)
📌 Die Wäsche trocknet draußen in der Sonne.
→ The laundry is drying outside in the sun.
💡 From trocken (dry) ☀️ Think of a dry, crunchy ‘trock’.
Bonus clothes horse / drying rack = der Wäscheständer
bügeln
[BUE-geln]to iron(bügelt – hat gebügelt)
📌 Ich bügle meine Hemden immer am Sonntagabend.
→ I always iron my shirts on Sunday evening.
💡 A clothes hanger is also der Bügel 👔 Hang it, then iron it.
Bonus an iron = das Bügeleisen · bügelfrei on a label = non-iron
die Reinigung
[RYE-ni-goong]dry cleaner's; cleaning(Pl. die Reinigungen)
📌 Ich bringe den Anzug in die Reinigung.
→ I'm taking the suit to the dry cleaner's.
💡 rein (clean) + -ung = the cleaning place ✨ -ung means die.
⚠ It also just means ‘cleaning’. For the shop: in die Reinigung bringen.
der Fleck
[FLECK]stain, mark; spot(Pl. die Flecken)
📌 Ich habe einen Fleck auf meinem Hemd.
→ I've got a stain on my shirt.
💡 Like English fleck ☕ One drop of coffee and you've got a Fleck.
⚠ The plural adds -en: die Flecken.
nähen
[NAY-en]to sew; to stitch(näht – hat genäht)
📌 Meine Oma näht mir ein Kleid.
→ My grandma is sewing a dress for me.
💡 Same root as die Nadel (needle) 🪡 What do you do with a needle? nähen.
Bonus to sew on a button = einen Knopf annähen
der Knopf
[k-NOPF]button; knob(Pl. die Knöpfe)
📌 Drück einfach auf den grünen Knopf.
→ Just press the green button.
💡 A cousin of English knob 🔘 But in German you say the K: k-nopf!
⚠ Plural with umlaut: die Knöpfe.
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
In many German flats the washing machine sits in the bathroom or kitchen, but in older buildings it's often in the cellar, or there's a shared laundry room (Waschküche). Shared rooms often have a sign-up sheet.
Tumble dryers are less common than you might expect, so lots of people dry clothes on a rack (Wäscheständer). Some neighbours don't like machines running late at night or on Sundays, so it's worth reading the house rules (Hausordnung).
For shortening trousers or replacing a zip, look for an alterations shop (Änderungsschneiderei). They're usually small local shops, and some double as dry cleaner's. 🧵
✅ Quick quiz
Q. You've spilled coffee on your shirt. What do you tell your friend?
- ① Ich habe einen Fleck auf dem Hemd.
- ② Ich habe einen Knopf auf dem Hemd.
- ③ Ich bügle den Fleck.
Show the answer
① Ich habe einen Fleck auf dem Hemd.
Fleck means stain, so this says ‘I've got a stain on my shirt’.
Next time you do your washing, say Wäsche, waschen and trocknen out loud as you go. Clean clothes and better German! 🧺
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🚗 Driving & parking