Grundwortschatz Kleidung: wichtige Kleidungsstücke auf Deutsch

What does “Pulli” mean in German?

Textbooks list Pullover — the formal, standard word for a sweater. But in real German conversation you’ll almost always hear Pulli, the clipped everyday version. Same garment, completely different feel: Pullover sounds like a vocabulary drill; Pulli sounds like someone who actually lives in one. Vocabulary lists rarely flag the gap, which is why learners who’ve studied the textbook word can still sound slightly formal without knowing it.

The clip puts both forms back to back — der Pullover, then der Pulli — so you can hear the contrast in one breath. The word “Pullover” itself is an English loanword (from the phrasal verb “to pull over”), borrowed into German in the early twentieth century. “Pulli” is simply that loanword trimmed down for daily use; its plural is die Pullis. The same casual-shortening pattern shows up across German clothing words and beyond — once you notice it, you’ll start catching it everywhere.