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- "The shirt is clean."
12 Kommentare
At least to me it feels somewhat stronger than "sauber", yes. (But it doesn't really make any sense. If something is clean it's clean. Not sure what "super clean" means when you look at your garments in the real world :) )
EDIT: Sorry, accidentally switched to English . I guess I should go to bed now…
It's not rare. I think it's mostly used in the sense of "pure, unmixed". You'd also use it if you refer so someone's skin:
- "saubere Haut" means essentially that you have washed yourself :)
- "reine Haut" means a clear skin/complexion
Or for clean air: reine Luft. Duden gives a lot of good examples: http://is.gd/UXo0Df
There is nothing wrong with using it for clean clothes. I believe the main thing that keeps me from using it in this context is that I don't want to sound like a TV ad :) Every German has heard the slogan "Nicht nur sauber, sondern rein" at least a thousand times, so the association is certainly there. Guess these PR people know their stuff :)