rutschen
Translation
to slide, to slip, to glide
Examples
Die Kinder rutschen die Rutsche hinunter.
The children are sliding down the slide.
Sei vorsichtig, du könntest auf dem Eis rutschen.
Be careful, you could slip on the ice.
Die Decke ist vom Sofa gerutscht.
The blanket has slipped off the sofa.
Grammar Patterns
((subject)) slides/slips The children are sliding in the snow.
((with directional adverbial)) to slide somewhere He slid down the stairs.
((figurative)) ((into sth.)) to slip into (a bad situation) He slipped into debt.
Similar Words
Synonyms: gleiten (to glide), schlittern (to skid)
Etymology
Derived from Middle High German 'rutschen', which meant 'to move quickly'.
Memory Tips
Connect 'rutschen' with the noun 'die Rutsche' (a slide). The verb describes the action. It takes 'sein' in the perfect tense (e.g., I have slid = ich bin gerutscht).