Schwimmhäute
The English phrase "webbed feet" is translated into German as Schwimmhäute.
Schwimmhäute refers to the thin membranes of skin that connect the toes or fingers of an animal to assist with swimming.
How does it change in a sentence?
In German, the term Schwimmhäute refers to the membranes themselves rather than the feet, so it is used as a mass noun or plural noun to describe the feature.
Did you know?
- German uses the same term Schwimmhaut for the webbing of a duck and the flippers of a dolphin, regardless of the biological structure.
- The root word Haut appears in the German idiom dicke Haut, which refers to someone who is emotionally resilient or 'thick skinned'.
- In German, the word Haut is used for both a living creature's skin and the processed 'leather' or 'hide' of an animal.
Examples in context
- Hast du schon mal von Flossenfüßen bei Enten gehört?Have you ever heard of webbed feet in ducks?
- Enten haben Schwimmhäute an den Füßen.Ducks have webbed feet.
- Die Schwimmhäute helfen dem Tier beim Schwimmen.The webbed feet help the animal to swim.
- Man kann die Schwimmhäute bei diesem Frosch sehen.You can see the webbed feet on this frog.
Example conversation
Laura and Julian are looking at a nature book in a park.
- LauraSchau mal, diese Enten haben große Schwimmhäute.Look, these ducks have large webbed feet.
- JulianJa, das hilft ihnen sicher im Wasser.Yes, that surely helps them in the water.
- LauraJulian, findest du das auch?Julian, do you think so too?
- JulianJa, das ist sehr praktisch.Yes, that is very practical.
