"Die Taschen"
Translation:The bags
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Tasche also means "pocket" in German! You would need context to know for sure if it meant "bag" or "pocket", but "bag" seems to be the main translation. You can get more specific by talking about "shirt pockets" (Hemdtaschen), "trouser pockets" (Hosentaschen), etc.
Die Tasche = "the bag" (singular)
Die Taschen = "the bags" (plural)
If you didn't know this already, you do now :) This is often how Duolingo teaches. Otherwise, you can do some extra work yourself and look up the singular/plural forms of every new word that you learn.
Also, it's not a firm rule but more an occasionally useful hint... but feminine nouns often get an -(e)n ending in plural. So if you see die ...-en it might be a plural rather than singular feminine noun.
They're wonderful! But they have a separate word in German... Rucksack! (Plural: die Rucksäcke)
Interestingly, while in English you might describe a "rucksack/backpack" as 'a type of bag...', in German it is clearly a distinct concept! The official dictionary Duden does not describe it as a Tasche but as a "holder/container". Wikipedia is also useful for a discussion about what is a Tasche and what is a Rucksack.
I don't understand why "purses" is incorrect . Purse/bag/handbag are all synonyms.
That's very interesting, because I did a google image search on "die Taschen" and 100% of the images were of purses. And I get that Handtasche is like handbag. (Not all bags are purses but all purses are bags). I come from a German speaking American family (back two generations) and this really confuses me. I'm sure you are right, but it is very puzzling to me. I also thought that Tasche meant pocket, but I don't see that reflected here. But the German I have been exposed to may be archaic, so perhaps that's the problem.
You are right, it also means pocket (and it is an accepted translation, not just shown as the first translation so you don't see it, but try it next time, if you will, you won't lose a heart ;) )
I think the difference here is that in English there is another word "purse", which does not kind of exist in German. The closest is "die Handtasche", which adds extra information to the "Tasche". All "Handtasche" are "Tasche", but not vice versa, it is a subcategory. Just like every "Esstisch" is a "Tisch", but not the other way around.
So I can call "Handtasche" "Tasche", just as I can call "Esstisch" "Tisch", but it does not mean that "Tasche" is a synonyme for "Handtasche". That is also why Google Image Search shows such photos, when searching for "Tasche" you will find all sort of "Taschen", all the "subcategories" too, which probably have their own words too.
Does that make sense?
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The problem for me was that my introduction to the word was DL showing a picture of a purse...
Using an image search or German Wikipedia can often be very helpful at figuring out what is/isn't included in the meaning.
Tasche image search, Wikipedia link.
"Suitcase" on English Wikipedia links to Koffer on German Wikipedia.
Koffer image search.
Singular: der Koffer. Plural: die Koffer.
Do an image search for Tasche and then one for Umhängetasche (literally: 'hanging around bag'). You'll see that just as in English a "satchel" is a specific type of "bag", in German an Umhängetasche (satchel) is a type of Tasche.
In France (south) we can also use the word "poche" to either say "bag" or "pocket". The rest of the country don't use it though, they prefer the word "sac"