German Animals Vocabulary
This set covers the core vocabulary for talking about farm and general animals in German, from das Schwein and der Esel to broader terms like das Vieh and die Tierart. One thing that catches English speakers off guard: German has a separate word for a heifer, die Färse, where English speakers often just default to 'young cow' without realizing there's a precise term for it.
Learn these 23 words
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All 23 words
plural: die Schweine
pig
Ich esse kein Schweinefleisch. — I don't eat pork.
plural: die Tiere
animal
Wir dürfen keine Tiere in der Wohnung haben. — We are not allowed to have animals in the apartment.
to hatch / incubate
Der Vogel brütet seine Eier aus. — The bird incubates its eggs.
- blaffenB2
to bark / yelp
Der Hund blafft bei jedem Fremden. — The dog barks at every stranger.
plural: die Esel
donkey
Der Esel trug schwere Lasten. — The donkey carried heavy loads.
plural: die Fellwechsel
a change of fur / shedding
Der Fellwechsel findet bei vielen Tieren im Herbst statt. — The change of fur occurs in many animals in autumn.
to propogate / reproduce
Viele Tiere fortpflanzen sich im Frühling. — Many animals reproduce in spring.
fertility / fruitfulness
Die Fruchtbarkeit der Böden ist wichtig für die Landwirtschaft. — The fertility of the soil is important for agriculture.
plural: die Futtersuchen
foraging
Die Futtersuche nimmt dem Tier viel Zeit. — Foraging takes the animal much time.
- gackernB2
to cackle
Die Henne gackert nach dem Legen. — The hen cackles after laying.
slime
Der Glibber auf der Schnecke schützt sie. — The slime on the snail protects it.
- gluckenB2
to cluck
Die Henne gluckt und sitzt auf ihren Eiern. — The hen clucks and sits on her eggs.
- grasenB2
to graze
Die Kühe grasen friedlich auf der Wiese. — The cows graze peacefully in the meadow.
plural: die Ochsen
an ox
Der Ochse zieht den schweren Wagen. — The ox pulls the heavy wagon.
plural: die Pfoten
paw
Die Katze hat vier schwarze Pfoten. — The cat has four black paws.
plural: die Schwänze
tail
Der Hund wedelt mit seinem Schwanz, wenn er glücklich ist. — The dog wags its tail when it is happy.
plural: die Schwärme
swarm / flock / shoal / school
Ein Schwarm von Bienen flog über den Garten. — A swarm of bees flew over the garden.
plural: die Tierarten
species
Es gibt viele Tierarten in Afrika. — There are many animal species in Africa.
cattle / livestock
Der Bauer hütete sein Vieh auf der Weide. — The farmer tended his cattle on the pasture.
plural: die Färsen
a heifer
Die Färse wird bald zur Kuh. — The heifer will soon become a cow.
poop stuck around an animal's butt an den Haaren um den Afterbereich klebende, aus Kot bestehende Kügelchen
Die Klabusterbeeren hängen im Fell des Schafes. — The poop stuck to the wool hangs in the sheep's fleece.
plural: die Nüstern
nostril (of a horse / animal)
Das Pferd putzt seine Nüstern nach dem Ritt. — The horse cleans its nostrils after the ride.
plural: die Wallache
a gelding (a castrated animal, esp. horses)
Der Bauer ritt auf seinem alten Wallach. — The farmer rode on his old gelding.
How to learn this set
Several nouns here describe animal behavior and body parts that pair naturally with verbs also in the set: die Pfote goes with grasen (a cow grazing) and der Schwanz shows up whenever animals move or react, like aufbäumen. Group the sound-verbs together and drill them by ear: blaffen, gackern, glucken, and jaulen each describe a distinct animal noise, and mixing them up is the easiest mistake to make. For the compound nouns, break them apart first: Fellwechsel is Fell (fur) plus Wechsel (change), and Futtersuche is Futter (feed) plus Suche (search), so once you know the parts, the whole word stops being intimidating.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the German word for animal?
Das Tier. It's neuter, which trips people up since most other animal words in German take der or die depending on the specific creature. Das Tier is the general category word, while individual animals like der Esel or das Schwein have their own gender.
What's the difference between Vieh and Tier?
Tier is the general word for any animal, wild or domestic. Vieh specifically means cattle or livestock kept on a farm, and it's grammatically singular even when you mean many animals, similar to how English uses 'cattle' as a mass noun.
Is Schwarm only used for animals?
No. Der Schwarm covers a swarm of insects, a flock of birds, or a school of fish, but it also means someone's crush or infatuation in everyday speech. Context makes clear which sense is meant.
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