Getting dressed. Absolute Beginner #08
Let’s get dressed today! First of all, we need underwear. „Unterwäsche“. „Ein Unterhemd und eine Unterhose“. An undershirt and underpants. Or a bra, „einen BH“. „BH“ stands for „Büstenhalter“ – holding breasts… And socks, „Socken“. Or tights – „eine Strumpfhose“. What else? Maybe pants, „eine Hose“. Or a skirt, „einen Rock“. That’s easy, isn’t it? Or a „Kleid“. A dress. „Ein Kleid“. If the pants are too big, we can wear a belt, einen „Gürtel“.
We borrowed the English word T-Shirt, and we also use the word Sweatshirt. A knitted sweater is called „ein Pulli“, I guess it’s the shortform of pullover. A T-Shirt with long sleeves for women can be simply an „Oberteil“.
If you’re getting dressed to go to work you may want to put on a suit. For men it’s called „Anzug“. Women wear a „Kostüm“. That’s a jacket and a skirt. Or a „Hosenanzug“, meaning a jacket and dress pants. For men it’s just „der Anzug“. Of course they also need to wear a shirt, ein „Hemd“. And a tie, „eine Krawatte“. A more colloquial word for „Krawatte“ is „Schlips“. And if they want to wear a bow-tie, it’s called a „Fliege“, that’s the same word as for a fly.
One thing is missing: We are still barefoot! So we need shoes. What kind of shoes? Tennis shoes are called „Turnschuhe“. High heels are „Stöckelschuhe“. Or maybe boots? They are called „Stiefel“.
Is it cold outside? Then we need another layer of clothes. A warm jacket, eine „Daunenjacke“. Or just a „Winterjacke“, if it is not a down coat. Then maybe a scarf, „einen Schal“. A cap, „eine Mütze. And gloves, „Handschuhe“. That’s a funny word, isn’t it? „Handschuhe“. Hand-shoes.
We are finally dressed! Wir sind angezogen! Let’s go!