Office Supplies, Part II

In Part I of this lesson, we talked about office supplies that are not specifically related to the ever-present digital devices in the workplace and at school. Let's take a look today at some more German names for office items that may be new to you.

Und ich habe auch noch jede Menge Filzstifte.

And I also have plenty of felt-tip pens.

Caption 63, Deutsch mit Eylin: Dinge auf meinem Schreibtisch

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So while you probably already knew der Kugelschreiber (ballpoint pen), hopefully der Filzstift is a new entry in your vocabulary!

Was ich auch sehr gern benutze, sind Leuchtstifte, um Textteile zu markieren.

What I also like to use are highlighters, to mark parts of text.

Captions 11-12, Deutsch mit Eylin: Dinge auf meinem Schreibtisch

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Der Leuchtstift makes sense for "highlighter," since the verb leuchten can mean "to give light," and the verb beleuchten means "to illuminate."

Aber wir sagen gerne Uhu, weil es der Kleber ist, den wir immer benutzt haben.

But we like to say "Uhu" because it's the glue that we've always used.

Captions 14-16, Deutsch mit Eylin: Dinge auf meinem Schreibtisch

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The brand name Uhu is so common in Germany that it is often used generically to mean many kinds of glue (der Kleber, also der Klebstoff). The literal translation of der Uhu is the Eurasian eagle owl, a species of owl (die Eule) that lives primarily in Eurasia. "Uhu" also sounds like the hooting sound an owl makes!

Was ich auch immer habe, ist ein Radiergummi.

What I also always have is an eraser.

Caption 31, Deutsch mit Eylin; Dinge auf meinem Schreibtisch

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Schoolchildren often use the slang word der Ratzefummel  for der Radiergummi, which originates from the slang verb ratzen ("to snore in your sleep") and the informal verb fummeln (to fumble). This makes a certain sense too, as you must have been fumbling around in your sleep to make a mistake you have to erase. Best to pay more attention when you're writing!

Du siehst, ich liebe Büromaterial, und ich liebe es auch, Ordnung zu halten auf meinem Schreibtisch.

You see, I love office supplies, and I also love keeping order on my desk.

Captions 68-69, Deutsch mit Eylin; Dinge auf meinem Schreibtisch

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Office supplies, also commonly called der Bürobedarf, are indeed very nice. But looking at the chaos on my desk, I'd say that Eylin and I have differing opinions on that topic!

Further Learning
Make a list of the English office supply words mentioned above, then see if you can translate them correctly into German, paying close attention to the nouns' genders. Then go to Yabla German and watch Eylin's video above to get a better overview of the words you just learned!