What does “Garderobe” mean in German?

Man muss auf seine Garderobe achten

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B2 German listening practice · Standard German · Picked for people who know more

💡 Did you know?
die Garderobe
German word covering coat, cloakroom, and wardrobe
“your coat/belongings” here — but also “cloakroom” or “wardrobe” depending on context

A bar sign asks guests to watch their own Garderobe, and this comedian riffs on how blunt that is. Garderobe can mean several related things in German: a cloakroom or coat-check area, someone’s coat and bag left there, or, more broadly, a person’s wardrobe of clothing — all senses tracing back to French garder (“to keep, look after”) plus robe (“gown, dress”).

So a sign about the Garderobe is really about “keeping your dress/coat” — but in casual bar-speak, “watch your own Garderobe” just means “we’re not responsible for your coat.” The bit builds from there into a parody of old rhyming Gasthaus (inn) signs, a real German tradition of welcoming guests in verse rather than blunt legal disclaimers.

How common are the words?

How common are the words in this B2 German listening practice video?

91.1%
of words are in the top 2,000 most common German words
Most of the words in this video are common German words.

How common in written German

84.2%
Top 1,000
91.1%
Top 2,000
97.5%
Top 5,000

How common in spoken German

90.1%
Top 1,000
97.9%
Top 2,000
100%
Top 5,000
👄 Words for talking
This video uses words people often say in German.

Harder words in this video

These words are harder than B2. Here is what they mean.

beschere
1×
Not in top 5,000
(archaic) I provide, bestow
dublonen
1×
Not in top 5,000
doubloons (coins)
frauenzimmer
1×
Not in top 5,000
(archaic) woman
geräderter
1×
Not in top 5,000
(fragment)
hängst
1×
Not in top 5,000
you hang (archaic 2nd person)

Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-DE 2011 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.

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