German Hardware Store Vocabulary — Tools and Materials
After this lesson you can ask for a tool or a part and describe what you need it for.
Do this first: Plurals
German Hardware Store Vocabulary — Tools and Materials
A German Baumarkt runs on precise words: the screw, the plug, the drill bit, the board. Name the part and the staff will find it.
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Kulturnotiz
The Dübel is a small monument to German building standards. Walls in German flats are usually solid masonry rather than plasterboard, so you cannot simply push a screw or a picture hook into them — you drill, insert a plug, then screw. It is also why drilling is restricted by the Hausordnung: not on Sundays, not during Mittagsruhe, and never after 20:00.
Common questions
+How do I ask for something if I do not know the word?
Describe the job: Ich möchte ein Regal an die Wand hängen. Staff in a Baumarkt deal with this constantly and will take you to the right part.
+What size are German screws given in?
Millimetres, as thickness × length — eine 4 mal 40 is 4 mm thick and 40 mm long. There are no inches anywhere in the system.
+What is a Dübel and why do I need one?
A wall plug. German walls are usually solid masonry, so you drill a hole, push in the Dübel, then drive the screw into it. Almost nothing gets hung without one.
+When can I drill in a German flat?
Not on Sundays or public holidays, not during Mittagsruhe (roughly 13:00–15:00 in many buildings) and not after 20:00. The rules are in the Hausordnung and they are enforced socially.