das
Gedenken
🤔 What does "das Gedenken" mean?
Das Gedenken (noun, neuter) refers to the act of remembering or commemorating a person, event, or thing, often in a solemn or reverent context. It is the nominalization (Substantivierung) of the verb gedenken (to remember someone/something, to commemorate someone/something). It is almost exclusively used in the singular.
- Meaning 1: The act of remembrance, often collectively or ceremonially (e.g., for the deceased, historical events).
- Meaning 2: The inner memory, the remembrance of someone or something.
It often expresses a deeper, more respectful form of memory than the more general word die Erinnerung (memory, recollection).
Article rules for der, die, and das
Deverbal nouns → immer neutral.
These are nouns derived from verbs. They are also called Verbalsubstantive or Verbalnomen.
Deverbal nouns → immer neutral.
These are nouns derived from verbs. They are also called Verbalsubstantive or Verbalnomen.
Ge- → mostly neutral.
Nouns beginning with Ge- are usually neutral, unless other rules apply. We do not list all Ge nouns.
🧐 Grammar of "das Gedenken" in Detail
"Das Gedenken" is a nominalized verb and therefore neuter (sächlich). It is mostly used without an article or with the definite article "das" and usually has no plural form.
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative (Subject) | das | Gedenken |
| Genitive (Possessive) | des | Gedenkens |
| Dative (Indirect Object) | dem | Gedenken |
| Accusative (Direct Object) | das | Gedenken |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | - | - |
| Genitive | - | - |
| Dative | - | - |
| Accusative | - | - |
Note: A plural ("die Gedenken") is very uncommon and would likely refer to multiple individual acts of remembrance, but it's practically never used.
📝 Example Sentences
- Die Zeremonie fand zum Gedenken an die Opfer statt. (The ceremony took place in remembrance of the victims.)
- Das Gedenken an diesen Tag ist uns wichtig. (The remembrance of this day is important to us.)
- Wir ehren ihn durch stilles Gedenken. (We honor him through silent remembrance.)
- Die Bedeutung des Gedenkens sollte nicht unterschätzt werden. (The importance of remembrance should not be underestimated.)
🗣️ How is "das Gedenken" used?
"Das Gedenken" is primarily used in formal, often serious or solemn contexts.
- Solemn Remembrance: Often in the context of memorial days (Gedenktage), anniversaries (Jahrestage), funeral services (Trauerfeiern), or monuments (Denkmäler). The most common phrase is "zum Gedenken an..." (in remembrance of...) or "im Gedenken an..." (in memory of...).
- Distinction from "Erinnerung": While "die Erinnerung" can refer to any kind of memory content (even fleeting or everyday ones), "das Gedenken" usually refers to a conscious, often venerable or painful form of remembering.
- Contexts: History (remembrance of wars, victims), Personal (remembrance of the deceased), Culture (remembrance of artists).
⚠️ Avoid using "Gedenken" for everyday recollections (e.g., not: "Das Gedenken an meinen Schlüsselbund ist mir verloren gegangen." - Correct would be: "Die Erinnerung an..." - The memory of my keys...).
💡 Mnemonics for "das Gedenken"
Article Mnemonic: Nominalized verbs are almost always neuter (neuter = 'das'). The verb is 'gedenken' -> das Gedenken. Also think of related neutral concepts like das Denken (thinking), das Andenken (memento, remembrance), das Denkmal (monument).
Meaning Mnemonic: The word contains "denken" (to think). Gedenken is a deep, often solemn 'thinking' (denken) about the past or those absent.
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
- Das Andenken: Very similar, often interchangeable, perhaps slightly more personal or related to an object (etwas zum Andenken - something as a memento).
- Die Erinnerung: General term for everything in memory. Gedenken is a specific, often more formal type of Erinnerung.
- Die Ehrung / Würdigung: Emphasizes the aspect of respect and recognition often inherent in Gedenken (honoring / appreciation).
- Das Mahnmal / Die Mahnung: Emphasizes the aspect of remembering to learn from the past or warn against repetition (memorial / warning).
Antonyms:
- Das Vergessen: Forgetting, the loss of memory.
- Die Verdrängung: Repression, the active or unconscious blocking of memories.
- Die Ignoranz / Das Nichtbeachten: Ignorance / disregard, consciously ignoring the past.
⚠️ Similar but potentially confusing words:
- Die Gedanken (plural): Refers to what one thinks (ideas, thoughts), not the act of remembrance.
- Das Gedächtnis: Refers to the ability to remember or the place where memories are stored (memory capacity).
😂 A Little Joke
German: Fragt der Lehrer: "Wer kann mir ein Beispiel für Gedenken nennen?" Meldet sich Fritzchen: "Mein Opa. Immer wenn er aufsteht, stöhnt er zum Gedenken an seine Jugend!"
English: The teacher asks: "Who can give me an example of remembrance (Gedenken)?" Little Fritz raises his hand: "My grandpa. Every time he stands up, he groans in remembrance of his youth!"
📜 Poem about Remembrance
Stilles Gedenken
Ein Hauch von Zeit, der leise weht,
Ein Bild, das im Herzen besteht.
Das Gedenken hält die Fäden fest,
Was war, was bleibt, ein stummer Test.
An Freud und Leid, an Licht und Schatten,
An die, die einst wir bei uns hatten.
Im Gedenken lebt die Zeit zurück,
Ein Lächeln, ein Blick, ein Stück vom Glück.
---
Silent Remembrance (Translation)
A breath of time that softly blows,
An image that within the heart grows.
Remembrance holds the threads so tight,
What was, what stays, a silent test of might.
Of joy and sorrow, light and shade,
Of those we once had, unafraid.
In remembrance, time comes back anew,
A smile, a glance, a piece of fortune true.
🕵️♀️ Little Riddle
German:
Ich habe keine Stimme, doch erzähle von Tagen,
Ich habe keine Hände, doch kann Ehrfurcht tragen.
Ich lebe im Stillen, oft mit Kranz und mit Kerzen,
Und halte Vergangenes fest in den Herzen.
Was bin ich?
English:
I have no voice, yet I tell of days gone by,
I have no hands, yet reverence I can imply.
I live in silence, often with wreath and with light,
And hold the past firmly in hearts, day and night.
What am I?
Solution: Das Gedenken (Remembrance / Commemoration)
✨ Other Information
Word Formation (Wortbildung):
- The word "Gedenken" is a nominalization (Substantivierung) of the verb gedenken.
- The prefix ge- often serves to form collectives or to intensify/perfectivize verbs; in nominalizations like this, it often forms the noun corresponding to the verb.
- The root is denken (to think).
Cultural Significance (Kulturelle Bedeutung):
- Gedenken plays a central role in German remembrance culture (Erinnerungskultur), especially concerning the reappraisal of historical events like the Holocaust or the World Wars (e.g., Volkstrauertag - National Day of Mourning).
- Memorial sites (Gedenkstätten) and monuments (Denkmäler) are places of public remembrance.
Set Phrases (Feste Wendungen):
- Zum Gedenken an... (In remembrance of...)
- Im ehrenden Gedenken an... (In honorable memory of...)
- Stilles Gedenken (Silent remembrance)
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Gedenken?
The correct article for Gedenken is das. It is a neuter noun derived from the verb gedenken, referring to the act of (solemn) remembrance or commemoration. It is typically used in the singular (genitive: des Gedenkens).