Reading · C2 · Text 1

Freundschaft

145 words2 min read100% known at C2

Freundschaft ist eine Beziehung zwischen Menschen.

Friendship is a relationship between people.

Freunde mögen einander und machen etwas gemeinsam.

Friends like each other and do things together.

Was genau Freundschaft bedeutet, kann für die Menschen verschieden sein.

What exactly friendship means can be different for people.

Man unterscheidet auch zwischen guten Freunden und bloßen Bekannten.

One also distinguishes between good friends and mere acquaintances.

Meist beginnt eine Freundschaft mit gegenseitiger Sympathie.

Usually a friendship begins with mutual sympathy.

Die beiden Menschen mögen sich also einfach.

The two people simply like each other.

Oft wissen sie nicht einmal, weshalb.

Often they don't even know why.

Wenn sie miteinander reden oder irgendwelche Dinge tun, kann daraus gegenseitiges Vertrauen wachsen.

When they talk to each other or do various things, mutual trust can grow from that.

Sie helfen dann einander und behalten Geheimnisse für sich, wenn das so abgemacht ist.

They then help each other and keep secrets to themselves, if that's agreed upon.

Solche Freundschaften dauern manchmal sehr lange an, vielleicht sogar ein ganzes Leben lang.

Such friendships sometimes last a very long time, perhaps even a whole lifetime.

Für Freundschaft ist wichtig, dass sie freiwillig eingegangen wird, ohne Zwang.

For friendship, it's important that it is entered into voluntarily, without coercion.

Die Freunde können die Freundschaft auch beenden.

The friends can also end the friendship.

Ein Grund dafür kann sein, dass sie nicht mehr in der Nähe voneinander wohnen oder einfach andere Interessen entwickeln.

A reason for that can be that they no longer live near each other or simply develop other interests.

Das macht die Freundschaft anderes als Verwandtschaft, denn verwandt bleiben die Menschen bis an ihr Lebensende.

That makes friendship different from kinship, because people remain relatives until the end of their lives.

18 words above C2

friendship plural: Freundschaften friendship; relations, relatives B2/ˈfʁɔɪ̯ntʃaft/
relationship plural: Beziehungen relation, relationship, connection; interpersonal relationship, terms, relations; romantic relationship B1/bəˈtsiːʊŋ/
each other reciprocal pronoun, no plural Reciprocal pronoun of all three plural persons: each other B2/aɪ̯ˈnandɐ/
unterscheidet← unterscheiden
distinguishes irregular: unterscheiden, unterschied, unterschieden to distinguish, differentiate; to differ, be different, distinct B1/ʊntərˈʃaɪ̯dən/
bloßen← bloß
mere declined adjective mere, sole; bare, uncovered, nude; merely, only B1/bloːs/
Bekannten← der/die Bekannte
acquaintance nominalized adjective, plural: Bekannten
gegenseitiger← gegenseitig
mutual declined adjective mutual, reciprocal; opposite; mutually B2/ˈɡeːɡn̩ˌzaɪ̯tɪç/
liking, affinity plural: Sympathien goodwill; favour; affection; sympathy C2/ˌzʏmpaˈtiː/
why interrogative adverb why; which is why B1/vɛsˈhalp/
trust no plural to trust, to place confidence in B1/fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaʊ̯ən/
to grow irregular: wachsen, wuchs, gewachsen to grow; to grow, to increase; to wax (to coath with wax) B1/ˈvaksn̩/
to keep irregular: behalten, behielt, behalten to keep, to retain (money, items, etc. in one's possession); to keep [with accusative ‘information, etc.’ and für (+ accusative reflexive pronoun)… B1[bəˈhaltn̩]
Geheimnisse← das Geheimnis
secrets plural of Geheimnis secret; mystery B1/ɡəˈhaɪmnɪs/
abgemacht← abmachen
agreed upon past participle of abmachen (separable verb) to agree on, to settle on, to make (an appointment); to remove, to take off, to unfasten; to dress B1/ˈapˌmaxn̩/
to last regular verb to last, to continue, to persist (for a period of time); to last, to be permanent; to take time, to take a while A2/ˈdaʊ̯ɐn/
voluntary adverb or adjective A2/ˈfʁaɪ̯ˌvɪ.lɪç/
eingegangen← eingehen
entered into past participle of eingehen (separable verb) to enter; to go inside; to arrive (of everything that can be received such postal items, reports, messages and payments); to contract, to shrivel;… B2/ˈaɪ̯nˌɡeːən/
force, compulsion plural: Zwänge compulsion, obligation, duress B2/t͡svaŋ/

Grammar in this text

Subordinate clauses with 'dass' and verb-final word order

Für Freundschaft ist wichtig, dass sie freiwillig eingegangen wird, ohne Zwang.

The conjunction 'dass' introduces a subordinate clause where the finite verb (wird) is placed at the end. This is a fundamental word order rule in German subordinate clauses.

Subordinate clauses with 'weil' and verb-final word order

Oft wissen sie nicht einmal, weshalb.

Although 'weshalb' is an interrogative adverb, it introduces an indirect question clause with verb-final order (wissen). This pattern is similar to 'weil' clauses.

Passive voice with 'werden'

dass sie freiwillig eingegangen wird

The passive voice is formed with 'werden' + past participle (eingegangen). Here it is a passive construction in a subordinate clause, with 'wird' at the end.

Separable verbs in participle form

eingegangen wird

The verb 'eingehen' is separable; in the past participle, the prefix 'ein-' is separated and placed at the beginning, forming 'eingegangen'. This is typical for separable verbs in perfect and passive constructions.

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Text from Freundschaft — Klexikon, used under CC BY-SA 4.0. See sources.

Translation, glossary and grammar notes are machine-generated and inherit the same licence.