schälen
/ˈʃɛːlən/
To peel in German is schälen.
The verb schälen is used for removing the outer layer of fruits, vegetables or even nuts. You can also use the command form Schälen Sie! to say "Peel!"
Meaning: to remove skin (verb)
Which one should you use?
While schälen refers to the action of removing the skin, the noun Schale refers to the skin itself.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of schälen is geschält, which is used to describe something that has been peeled.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʃɛːlən/
Did you know?
- The Proto-Indo-European root for schälen is also the ancestor of the English word 'scale', as in the scales of a fish.
- The verb schälen is used for tasks that English describes as 'shelling', such as removing the outer casing of a peanut.
- The word Schale is used in German to refer to a small bowl or a shell-shaped dish, not just the skin of a fruit.
Examples in context
- Schälen Sie den Apfel!Peel the apple.Tatoeba #6398615 by Manfredo, translation #6116196 by mailohilohi
- Ich muss die Äpfel schälen.I have to peel the apples.Tatoeba #1745982 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1744804 by Amastan
- Soll ich die Kartoffeln schälen?Should I peel the potatoes?Tatoeba #3327263 by al_ex_an_der, translation #11213437 by mutskt
- Können Sie bitte diese Kartoffeln schälen?Can you please peel these potatoes?
- Ich schäle gerade Kartoffeln. Kannst du mir bitte helfen?I am peeling potatoes. Can you please help me?
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas and Hannah are preparing vegetables for dinner in the kitchen.
- LukasKannst du bitte die Karotten schälen?Can you please peel the carrots?
- HannahJa, ich werde sie sofort schälen.Yes, I will peel them immediately.
- LukasDanke, das hilft mir sehr.Thanks, that helps me a lot.
- HannahKein Problem, Lukas.No problem, Lukas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “peel” translations and entries schälen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries schälen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
