21 December 2025
How do you say Snake or Queue in German?
The German word for snake or queue is die Schlange.As a snake, it’s the reptile. As a waiting line, it refers to people or vehicles - often with some grumbling and waiting involved.
It’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German and comes up in everything from zoos to supermarkets.
Gender and Pronunciation
It’s a feminine noun: die Schlange.Want to predict gender with more confidence? Our video lesson helps you get the hang of it.
Pronunciation: Schlange is pronounced [ˈʃlaŋə], approximately SHLANG-uh
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The first vowel is short [a], and “ng” is like the end of “sing” - no hard g.
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“uh” as in sofaTwo syllables: SHLANG-uh
Example sentences
Ich hasse es, in der Schlange zu stehen.I hate standing in line.
Im Zoo haben wir eine riesige Schlange gesehen.We saw a huge snake at the zoo.
Da vorne ist schon wieder eine lange Schlange.There’s another long line up ahead.
Nuance and usage tips
🐍 Schlange means snake in any biological or symbolic sense.
🧍 Schlange stehen is a common expression for “to wait in line.” It’s the standard term for a physical queue of people.
🚗 You’ll also hear it in traffic contexts: Autoschlange = line of cars.
📚 For a series of problems, the idiomatic phrase is eine Reihe von Problemen.
How does this word come up in real conversations?
“Ich habe eine Schlange in der Küche gesehen!”I saw a snake in the kitchen!
“Wir mussten eine halbe Stunde Schlange stehen.”We had to wait in line for half an hour.
“Die Schlange bewegt sich kaum.”The line isn’t moving at all.
Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)
Lena: Warum dauert das so lange?Jonas: Schau dir die Schlange an!Lena: Oh wow, das sind mindestens 20 Leute.Jonas: Willkommen im Supermarkt am Samstag.
Translation:Lena: Why is it taking so long?Jonas: Just look at that line!Lena: Oh wow, that’s at least 20 people.Jonas: Welcome to the Saturday supermarket.
Grammatical case examples
Nominative:Die Schlange ist giftig.The snake is venomous.
Accusative:Ich habe die Schlange fotografiert.I photographed the snake.
Dative:In der Schlange haben wir geplaudert.We chatted while waiting in line.
Genitive:Die Farbe der Schlange war auffällig.The color of the snake was striking.
Other ways to say snake or queue in German
For snake, die Natter is used in biology for certain species. For a waiting line, Schlange or Warteschlange is the usual word. Eine Reihe von Menschen can describe a row or line of people; it is not inherently wrong.
Word variations and tidbits
You’ll see Schlange in:
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Warteschlange - waiting line
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Stauschlange - traffic jam line
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Giftschlange - venomous snake
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Schlangenmensch - contortionist (literally “snake person”)
🧠 Fun fact: The phrase sich wie eine Schlange winden (to wind like a snake) is used metaphorically for someone being sneaky, evasive, or tricky. And a two-faced person is eine falsche Schlange.
📘 Duden entry for Schlange:https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Schlange🎥 Want to avoid standing in line with your vocab? Our video course helps you master 1000 essential German nouns - quickly and clearly.
Ready for more German Words of the Day?Do you know what Schluck means? After a long Schlange, you’ll want one.And what about Schloss? Some have snakes carved into the gates.
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