Schnürsenkel

shoelace

noun SHNUER-zen-kel Rare

Usage Note

Schnürsenkel (m) is the lace used to fasten a shoe; the plural is unchanged (die Schnürsenkel). Die Schnürsenkel binden means to tie one's shoelaces. Note the silent first e — roughly 'SHNUER-zen-kel'.

Examples

"Pass auf, dein Schnürsenkel ist aufgegangen!"

Natural Translation

Watch out, your shoelace has come undone!

Literal Translation

Watch out, your shoelace is come-undone!

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Numbers 1–100: Why 21 Is Said Backwards

German numbers 1 to 100 reverse the digits: 21 is einundzwanzig (one-and-twenty). Learn the und rule, the irregulars, and how to hear prices fast.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Modal Verbs: Können, Müssen, Wollen and More

German modal verbs put the modal in position 2 and the real verb at the end. Master können, müssen, wollen and the rest with charts and clear examples.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

Weil vs Denn vs Da: "Because" in German

Weil and da send the verb to the end; denn keeps it in second position. Here's how to pick the right German "because" and place the verb correctly.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Cases Explained Simply (4 Cases)

German has four cases, and each answers one question: wer, wen, wem, wessen. Learn nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive without drowning in charts.

June 5, 2026 6 min read