abspülen

to rinse off, to wash up

verb AHP-shpue-len Rare

Also means

to do the dishes (by hand)

Usage Note

abspülen means to rinse dishes clean by hand under running water. It is distinct from abwaschen (to wash up with soap) and is the final step before drying. Also used for rinsing any surface.

Examples

"Nachdem er die Teller eingeseift hatte, spülte er sie gründlich ab."

Natural Translation

After he had soaped the plates, he rinsed them thoroughly.

Literal Translation

After that he the plates soaped-up had, he them thoroughly off-rinsed.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

Order Food in German: Restaurant Phrases

Order food in German with confidence: use ich hätte gern, read the Speisekarte, ask die Rechnung bitte, and handle zusammen oder getrennt like a local.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

Der, Die, Das: Rules to Guess German Gender

German noun gender rules made simple: check the suffix first, then meaning. Endings like -ung, -chen, and -ling predict der, die, or das with ~90% accuracy.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Days, Months & Seasons (am, im & -tag)

Days of the week in German use am, months and seasons use im — plus the -tag pattern, capitalized nouns, and how to build a real sentence with a day.

June 5, 2026 4 min read

GermanNow

German False Friends: 25 Words That Trick You

German false friends like Gift (poison) and bekommen (to receive) trick English speakers daily. Here are 25 words that mean the opposite of what you'd guess.

June 5, 2026 5 min read