das
Diebesgut
🕵️♂️ What exactly is "das Diebesgut"?
Das Diebesgut (neuter gender) refers to items or assets obtained through Diebstahl (theft) or another criminal offense such as Raub (robbery) or Hehlerei (receiving stolen goods). So, it means stolen goods, loot, or booty.
It's a collective noun and is mostly used in the singular, even if it refers to multiple stolen items.
Example: Die Polizei fand das Diebesgut im Keller des Verdächtigen versteckt. (The police found the stolen goods hidden in the suspect's basement.)
⚠️ Attention: The term is primarily used in legal or police contexts, as well as in reporting about them.
🧐 Grammar Check: Das Diebesgut
The word "Diebesgut" is a noun of neuter gender (das). It is usually only used in the singular. The plural "Diebesgüter" is very rare and hardly ever used.
Singular Declension
| Case | Definite Article | Indefinite Article |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative (Who/What?) | das Diebesgut | ein Diebesgut |
| Genitive (Whose?) | des Diebesgutes / Diebesguts | eines Diebesgutes / Diebesguts |
| Dative (To whom/What?) | dem Diebesgut / Diebesgute | einem Diebesgut / Diebesgute |
| Accusative (Whom/What?) | das Diebesgut | ein Diebesgut |
Note: The dative ending "-e" (Diebesgute) is archaic but might still appear.
Example Sentences
- Die Polizei konnte das Diebesgut sicherstellen.
(The police were able to secure the stolen goods.) - Der Wert des Diebesgutes war beträchtlich.
(The value of the stolen goods was considerable.) - Man konnte den Täter anhand des Diebesguts überführen.
(The perpetrator could be convicted based on the stolen goods.) - Mit dem Diebesgut versuchte er zu fliehen.
(He tried to flee with the stolen goods.)
🗣️ Everyday Usage
"Diebesgut" is not a common word for everyday conversation unless discussing crime, reading news reports, or watching crime shows.
- Context: Legal, police, journalistic (crime reporting).
- Style: Rather formal, objective.
- Risk of Confusion: Not to be confused with "Gut" in the sense of general property or goods (e.g., "das Gut", "die Güter"). "Diebesgut" specifically refers to stolen property.
- Alternative in casual conversation: One would more likely say "die geklauten Sachen" (the nicked things), "die Beute" (the loot/booty) or name specifically what was stolen (e.g., "das gestohlene Fahrrad" - the stolen bike).
💡 Mnemonics for "das Diebesgut"
Article Mnemonic (das): Think of das Gut (as in 'property' or 'goods'). Diebesgut is a special type of Gut – specifically das stolen Gut.
Meaning Mnemonic: It's composed of "Dieb" (thief) + "Gut" (goods, property). So: The Gut that a Dieb possesses (through theft).
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (Similar Meaning):
- Beute: Loot, booty; often used in the context of robbery or hunting, but also for stolen goods.
- Hehlerware: Specifically stolen goods offered for resale (fenced goods).
- Gestohlene Ware / Gestohlene Sachen: Direct description (stolen goods / stolen things).
- Raubgut: Specifically goods obtained through robbery.
Similar but Different Words:
- Strandgut: Flotsam, jetsam (things washed ashore).
- Frachtgut: Cargo, freight.
- Gemeingut: Common property, public domain, common knowledge.
😂 A Little Joke
Warum nehmen Diebe nie Urlaub?
Weil sie immer etwas „mitgehen“ lassen! 😉
---
(Why do thieves never take a vacation?)
(Because they always 'let something walk away with them' / pinch something! - "mitgehen lassen" is a colloquial term for stealing)
📜 Poem about "das Diebesgut"
Im Dunkel leis', der Dieb entflieht,
mit Tasche voll, was er ersieht.
Das Diebesgut, schwer und versteckt,
hat seinen Weg zum Hehler entdeckt.
Doch Unrecht lohnt sich niemals lang,
dem Dieb wird angst und bang.
---
(In darkness soft, the thief escapes,
With bag so full of chosen shapes.
The stolen goods, heavy and concealed,
Their path to the receiver revealed.
But wrongdoing never pays for long,
The thief feels fear, where things went wrong.)
❓ Riddle Time
Ich gehöre dir nicht, doch ich war mal dein.
Ein anderer nahm mich, fand das fein.
Die Polizei sucht mich Tag und Nacht,
hab' meinem neuen Besitzer nur Ärger gebracht.
Was bin ich?
---
(I don't belong to you, but I once was yours.
Another took me, thought it great, of course.
The police search for me day and night,
I've only brought my new owner plight.)
What am I?
(... Das Diebesgut / Stolen goods)
🧩 Other Information
Word Composition:
The word "Diebesgut" is a compound noun, made up of:
- Der Dieb: Thief. The "-es-" is an interfix (Fugen-s) connecting the two parts.
- Das Gut: Property, goods, asset.
Interesting Fact: Dealing with Diebesgut, especially buying or selling it (Hehlerei - receiving stolen goods / fencing), is a criminal offense in Germany (§ 259 StGB - German Criminal Code).
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Diebesgut?
The word "Diebesgut" is neuter, so the correct article is das Diebesgut; it means stolen goods or loot and is typically used in the singular.