Today's words · 🛠️ Tools & DIY
Grab your toolbox: 10 German words for DIY
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Live in a German flat long enough and you'll end up holding a hammer. These words are for that day.
You've just moved in. The walls are bare and the new shelf is still in pieces in its box. You'd like to borrow your neighbour's drill, but what's ‘drill’ in German? And finding the right screw at the DIY store feels impossible.
Today's ten words are all about tools and DIY. With them you can borrow tools, ask for help in the store and get someone to fix what's broken. 🛠️
📋 The ten words at a glance
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
das Werkzeug
[VAIRK-tsoyk]tool(s)(Pl. die Werkzeuge)
📌 Hast du Werkzeug im Auto?
→ Have you got any tools in the car?
💡 Werk (work) + Zeug (stuff) = work stuff 🧰
Bonus Zeug on its own means ‘stuff’: Was ist das für Zeug?
der Hammer
[HAM-er]hammer(Pl. die Hämmer)
📌 Kannst du mir mal den Hammer geben?
→ Can you pass me the hammer?
💡 Same as hammer — bang, bang 🔨
Bonus Colloquial: Das ist der Hammer! = That's unbelievable! (good or bad)
⚠ The plural has an umlaut: die Hämmer
der Nagel
[NAH-gel]nail; fingernail(Pl. die Nägel)
📌 Ich schlage einen Nagel in die Wand.
→ I'm hammering a nail into the wall.
💡 A nail in the wall or a nail on your finger — both are Nagel 💅
Bonus den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen = to hit the nail on the head
⚠ The plural is die Nägel.
die Schraube
[SHROW-buh]screw(Pl. die Schrauben)
📌 Beim Zusammenbauen ist eine Schraube übrig geblieben.
→ When assembling it, one screw was left over.
💡 A cousin of screw — twist it in 🔩
Bonus eine Schraube locker haben = to have a screw loose
der Schraubendreher
[SHROW-ben-dray-er]screwdriver(Pl. die Schraubendreher)
📌 Für diese Schrauben brauchst du einen Kreuzschraubendreher.
→ For these screws you need a Phillips screwdriver.
💡 Schraube + drehen (to turn) + -er = the screw-turner 🪛
Bonus In everyday speech you'll also hear der Schraubenzieher · a Phillips screwdriver = der Kreuzschraubendreher
die Bohrmaschine
[BOR-ma-shee-nuh]electric drill(Pl. die Bohrmaschinen)
📌 Darf ich mir kurz deine Bohrmaschine ausleihen?
→ Can I borrow your drill for a moment?
💡 bohren (to bore) + Maschine = the boring machine (it isn't boring at all) 🔌
Bonus To hang anything up you'll need wall plugs too: der Dübel!
der Kleber
[KLAY-ber]glue, adhesive(Pl. die Kleber)
📌 Der Henkel ist abgebrochen, aber mit Kleber geht das wieder.
→ The handle has broken off, but it'll be fine with glue.
💡 kleben (to stick) + -er = the sticker-together 🧴
Bonus sticky tape = das Klebeband
reparieren
[reh-pa-REE-ren]to repair, fix(repariert – hat repariert)
📌 Kannst du mein Fahrrad reparieren?
→ Can you fix my bike?
💡 Just like repair 🔧 If it's broken, reparieren!
Bonus the noun: die Reparatur · broken = kaputt
⚠ -ieren verbs take no ge- in the past participle: hat repariert
der Baumarkt
[BOW-markt]DIY store, hardware store(Pl. die Baumärkte)
📌 Ich fahre schnell in den Baumarkt und hole Farbe.
→ I'll quickly drive to the DIY store and get some paint.
💡 bauen (to build) + Markt (market) = the building market 🏬
Bonus to do DIY = heimwerken
zusammenbauen
[tsoo-ZAM-en-bow-en]to assemble, put together(baut zusammen – hat zusammengebaut)
📌 Wir haben das Bett ohne Anleitung zusammengebaut.
→ We assembled the bed without instructions.
💡 zusammen (together) + bauen (build) = build it together from the pieces 🪑
Bonus assembly instructions = die Bauanleitung
⚠ It's separable: Ich baue das Regal zusammen. · hat zusammengebaut
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Germans love DIY (Heimwerken). On Saturdays the DIY stores (Baumarkt) are busy with people buying tools and paint, and many will cut wooden boards to size for you.
Even in rented flats, drilling holes to put up shelves is very common. Whether you have to fill them when you move out depends on your contract and landlord, so it's worth checking first.
And time your drilling well! In many buildings, avoiding noisy work on Sundays and at night is basic good manners. 🔨
✅ Quick quiz
Q. You're putting a shelf together and need to turn some screws. What do you ask your friend? ‘Kannst du mir mal … geben?’
- ① den Hammer
- ② den Schraubendreher
- ③ den Kleber
Show the answer
② den Schraubendreher
der Schraubendreher is the tool that turns (drehen) screws (Schrauben).
Take out any tools you have at home and name each one in German. Next time you build furniture, try muttering in German as you go! 🪛
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