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! 

banner PLACEHOLDER

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?

 Play Caption

Und am Sonntag will ich ausschlafen.

And on Sunday, I want to sleep in.

Caption 16, Deutsch mit Eylin - Wochentage, Monate und Jahreszeiten

 Play Caption

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

 Play Caption

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

 Play Caption

banner PLACEHOLDER

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

 Play Caption

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

 Play Caption

Sonnenblumen, schläfrig am Zaun.

The sunflower, sleepy against the fence.

Caption 14, Sabine und Ivana - Gedichte im Bus

 Play Caption

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.

This week, we'll augment our series of lessons about animal names with some basic vocabulary related to plants. Yabla has many videos about the natural world, so it's not so hard to get a good overview. It is also most fitting to the season, with everything currently in full bloom in Germany.

Diese setzt sich aus Gras, Früchten, Wurzeln, Zweigen und Rinde zusammen.

This consists of grass, fruits, roots, branches, and bark.

Caption 30, Evolution: An Land

 Play Caption

Der perfekt getarnte Hühnervogel ernährt sich von Knospen, Samen, Beeren und Wurzeln.

The perfectly camouflaged landfowl feeds on buds, seeds, berries, and roots.

Captions 13-14, Die letzten Paradiese Schätze der Natur: Südtirol

 Play Caption

„Es heißt“, sagte Piggeldy, „Blume, Kopf und Stängel“.

"They are called," said Piggeldy, "flower, head, and stem."

Caption 12, Piggeldy und Frederick: Blume

 Play Caption

Like in English, some vocabulary is more specific to trees:

Jetzt bin ich hinter dem Baumstamm.

Now I'm behind the tree trunk.

Caption 12, Diane erklärt: Präpositionen

 Play Caption

Doch der Mäusebussard auf dem Ast hat die scheue Katze nur aufgeschreckt.

But the common buzzard on the branch just startled the shy cat.

Caption 22, Alpenseen: Kühle Schönheiten

 Play Caption

A leaf, whether it's the leaf of a tree, a plant, or even a leaf of paper, is das Blatt in German. The plural is die Blätter. 

Im Oktober fallen die ersten Blätter und der Herbst beginnt.

In October, the first leaves fall and autumn begins.

Caption 30, Deutsch mit Eylin: Wochentage, Monate und Jahreszeiten

 Play Caption

Dazu zupfe ich von meinem Basilikumtopf ein paar Blätter ab

For this, I pluck off a few leaves from my basil pot

Caption 30, Cannelloni: mit Jenny

 Play Caption

Es macht halt Spaß, und halt nicht vor ein einem Blatt Papier zu stehen, und jede Aufgabe zehn mal abzuschreiben.

It's just fun, and just to not be standing in front of a sheet of paper and copying each task ten times.

Captions 92-93, Nena: Das 1x1 mit den Hits von NENA

 Play Caption

Further Learning
If you have plants in your home or nearby, see if you can describe them with the vocabulary above from Yabla German. You can also read our lesson on gardening vocabulary.