Sleep

The new year always seems to get off to a slow start in Germany. The days are actually getting longer again, but it won't really be noticeable for another month or so. Particularly in the northern part of the country, there is very little sun at the moment, and the urge to hibernate can be intense!

The German verb for "to sleep" is schlafen, and it is accompanied by the following related verbs:

Also, ich kann überall relativ schnell einschlafen.

So, I can fall asleep relatively quickly anywhere.

Caption 6, Angelique Kerber - Generali fragt Angelique Kerber #5 | Was kann Angie?
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Und am Sonntag will ich ausschlafen.

And on Sunday, I want to sleep in.

Caption 16, Deutsch mit Eylin - Wochentage, Monate und Jahreszeiten
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Ach, jetzt weiß ich, warum wir verschlafen haben.

Oh, now I know why we overslept.

-Aha, warum denn?

-Uh-huh, why then?

Caption 55, Die Pfefferkörner - Cybermobbing
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There is also the phrase etwas überschlafen, which means to delay making a decision on something until the following day. This exists in English with a different preposition: "sleep on it."

Another verb that means "to sleep" is pennen, which is a slang word similar to when people use the verb "to crash" in English.

Sieben Nächte die Woche zu wenig gepennt.

Seven nights a week, slept too little.

Caption 7, Max Giesinger - 80 Millionen
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Although you will often hear der Mittagsschlaf used for the word "nap," there is also das Nickerchen. These are used with the verb machen.

Wenn sie ein Nickerchen machen wollen,

If they want to take a nap

dann muss dies zwischen zwei Atemzügen geschehen.

then this must be done between two breaths.

Captions 62-63, Die Top Ten - Die 12 freundlichsten Meerestiere der Welt
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And to conclude, here are some relevant adjectives:

Und ich putze auch nicht den Boden,

And I also won't clean the floor,

dafür bin ich nämlich viel zu müde!

I am namely much too tired for that!

Caption 19, JoNaLu - Prinz Dreckspatz
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Sonnenblumen, schläfrig am Zaun.

The sunflower, sleepy against the fence.

Caption 14, Sabine und Ivana - Gedichte im Bus
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Further Learning
You can find these words related to sleep used in context on Yabla German. Make sure to read our previous lesson about the verb verschlafen, which also has meanings that aren't related to sleep! You can also learn some variations on the adjective müde, such as hundemüde, lebensmüde, und todmüde.