das  Gutachten

🧐 What does "das Gutachten" mean?

Das Gutachten (noun, neuter) refers to a well-founded, professional assessment or opinion on a specific issue. It is usually prepared by an Sachverständiger (expert) or specialist and is based on their expertise, investigations, and analyses. A Gutachten often serves as a basis for decisions in legal, technical, medical, or economic matters.

There is only one grammatical form: das Gutachten. It is always neuter.

• Core meaning: Expert report, expert opinion, assessment by a specialist.

📊 Grammar & Declension of "das Gutachten"

Gutachten is a neuter noun. It follows the strong declension pattern.

Declension Singular

Declension Plural

📝 Example Sentences

1. Der Richter stützte sein Urteil auf das Gutachten des Sachverständigen.
   (The judge based his verdict on the expert's report.)
2. Die Kosten des Gutachtens waren unerwartet hoch.
   (The costs of the expert report were unexpectedly high.)
3. Wir warten noch auf die Ergebnisse aus dem Gutachten.
   (We are still waiting for the results from the expert report.)
4. Der Anwalt forderte ein weiteres Gutachten an.
   (The lawyer requested another expert report.)
5. Mehrere Gutachten kamen zu unterschiedlichen Ergebnissen.
   (Several expert reports came to different conclusions.)

Usage Contexts for "das Gutachten" 📝

The term Gutachten is used in many formal and professional contexts:

• Law: Gerichtsgutachten (court reports), Beweisgutachten (evidentiary reports) (e.g., medizinisches Gutachten after an accident, psychologisches Gutachten).
• Engineering & Construction: Baugutachten (building surveys assessing defects), Schadensgutachten (damage reports, e.g., after fire or water damage), Wertgutachten (valuations) for real estate or vehicles (Kfz-Gutachten).
• Medicine: Ärztliches Gutachten (medical report) on fitness for work, reports for insurance companies.
• Business: Unternehmensbewertung (company valuation), Marktgutachten (market assessment).
• Academia: Peer-review Gutachten for scientific publications.

Distinction from similar terms:

• Bericht (report): Often less formal and evaluative than a Gutachten; can be a pure presentation of facts.
• Expertise (expertise, expert opinion): Similar to Gutachten, often used synonymously, sometimes emphasizing special expertise.
• Stellungnahme (statement, opinion): Can be shorter and less detailed than a Gutachten; expresses an opinion or position.

🧠 How to Remember "das Gutachten"

For the article (das): Think of a Gutachten as a neutral, objective document. In German, many abstract or technical terms ending in -en are neuter (das). Imagine: DAS result of the investigation is DAS Gutachten.

For the meaning: A Gutachten arises when someone has to gut (good) achten (pay attention to, assess) something thoroughly. It's a 'good assessment' or well-considered attention to the facts by an expert.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms for "Gutachten"

⚠️ Watch out for lookalikes!

• Achtung: Means 'attention' or 'respect', not Gutachten.
• Guthaben: Refers to 'credit balance' or 'assets'.

😄 A Little Joke

Mandant: "Was kostet dieses Gutachten eigentlich?"
Anwalt: "Das kommt ganz auf das Ergebnis an. Ein günstiges Gutachten ist natürlich teurer!" 😉

Translation:

Client: "How much does this expert report actually cost?"
Lawyer: "That depends entirely on the outcome. A favorable report is naturally more expensive!" 😉

📜 Poem about "das Gutachten"

Ein Blatt Papier, voll Wissen schwer,
das Gutachten, es klärt so sehr.
Der Experte prüft, misst und befragt,
hat Fakten gründlich abgewagt.

Für Recht und Technik, Medizin,
ein Urteil braucht oft diesen Sinn.
Objektiv, neutral, ganz klar,
macht es verborg'ne Wahrheit wahr.

Translation:

A sheet of paper, heavy with knowledge,
the expert report, it clarifies so much.
The expert examines, measures, and inquires,
has weighed the facts thoroughly.

For law and technology, medicine,
a judgment often needs this sense.
Objective, neutral, very clear,
it makes hidden truth appear.

🧩 Little Riddle

Ich spreche nicht, doch geb' Bericht,
von Fachmannshand, mit klarem Licht.
Ich helfe oft bei Streit und Recht,
bin fundiert und niemals schlecht.
Mal geht's um Bau, mal um den Wert,
mein Urteil wird stets hoch geehrt.

Was bin ich?

Translation:

I don't speak, yet I give a report,
From an expert's hand, with clear light.
I often help with disputes and law,
I am well-founded and never poor.
Sometimes about building, sometimes about worth,
My judgment is always highly revered.

What am I? (... The answer is further down)

Answer: Das Gutachten (The expert report)

🤓 Food for Curious Minds: More on "Gutachten"

Word Formation

The word "Gutachten" is a compound of:

• gut: Adjective, meaning 'good', in the sense of well-founded, correct, positive.
• achten: Verb, here in the sense of 'to assess', 'to evaluate', 'to judge' (compare "etwas hoch achten" - to hold something in high esteem).

So, it literally describes a 'good assessment' or a 'well-considered evaluation'.

Related Terms

• Sachverständiger/Gutachter: The expert or assessor who creates a Gutachten.
• begutachten: The verb describing the process of creating a Gutachten (to assess, to evaluate).
• Obergutachten: A report that reviews or supplements a previous Gutachten.
• Gegengutachten: A counter-report commissioned to challenge an existing Gutachten or present a different perspective.