das  Kapital

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/kapiˈtaːl/

💰 What does "das Kapital" mean?

The German word das Kapital primarily refers to two things:

1. Economic Sense: Means of production, assets, or funds used to generate profit or produce goods and services. It's a central term in Ökonomie (economics) and Finanzwesen (finance). Example: Ein Unternehmen benötigt Kapital für Investitionen. (A company needs capital for investments.)
2. Book by Karl Marx: The title of Karl Marx's main work on political economy, "Das Kapital. Kritik der politischen Ökonomie" ("Capital. A Critique of Political Economy"). In this context, it refers to the book itself or the theories developed within it. Example: Er studiert "Das Kapital" von Marx. (He studies Marx's "Capital".)

It is a neuter noun, hence always das Kapital.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar of "das Kapital" in Detail

"Das Kapital" is a neuter noun. It is mostly used in the singular, especially in its economic sense. The plural "die Kapitale" is rare and mainly used when referring to different types of capital or large amounts of capital, or sometimes for the titles of different volumes of Marx's work. A more common plural form when referring to funds is "Kapitalien".

Example Sentences

• Das Unternehmen braucht frisches Kapital für die Expansion.
  (The company needs fresh capital for expansion.)
• Der Wert des eingesetzten Kapitals ist gestiegen.
  (The value of the invested capital has increased.)
• Mit diesem Kapital können wir neue Maschinen kaufen.
  (With this capital, we can buy new machines.)
• Die verschiedenen Kapitalien/Kapitale wurden analysiert.
  (The various capitals/types of capital were analyzed. - rare)
• Er hat alle drei Bände von Marx' "Das Kapital" gelesen.
  (He has read all three volumes of Marx's "Capital".)

💡 How is "Kapital" used?

• Wirtschaft & Finanzen (Economy & Finance): Very common in discussions about Investitionen (investments), starting a business (Unternehmensgründung), Vermögen (assets), stock markets, and economic theories. (e.g., Eigenkapital - equity capital, Fremdkapital - debt capital, Startkapital - start-up capital, Risikokapital - venture capital)
• Bildung & Wissenschaft (Education & Science): In the context of business studies or when discussing Marx's work.
• Figurative Meaning: Sometimes "Kapital" is used metaphorically for an important advantage or resource, e.g., "Sein Wissen ist sein größtes Kapital." (His knowledge is his greatest asset/capital.) (Often referred to as Humankapital - human capital).
• Differentiation: Do not confuse it with "die Hauptstadt" (capital city). Although both derive from the Latin 'capitalis', they have different meanings and genders in German. Das Kapital vs Die Hauptstadt.

🧠 Mnemonics for "das Kapital"

For the Article: Think of das Geld (the money). Money is often part of capital, and both are neuter: das Geld, das Kapital. Also, think of "it" (neuter pronoun) when referring to capital as an abstract concept: "It takes capital to start a business." -> *das* Kapital.

For the Meaning: Imagine a big, neutral vault (a das thing) where all assets – money, gold, stocks (das Kapital) – are securely stored.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

Potential for Confusion: 🚨 Be careful not to mix up das Kapital (financial means, book) with die Hauptstadt (capital city of a country/state).

😄 A Little Joke

Fragt der Lehrer: "Fritzchen, was ist das Gegenteil von Kapitalismus?"
Fritzchen: "Kapital-Muss-Nicht!"

(Teacher asks: "Fritzchen, what's the opposite of capitalism (Kapitalismus)?"
Fritzchen: "Kapital-Muss-Nicht!" (Capital-doesn't-have-to! - a wordplay on '-ismus' sounding like 'muss' (must/has to)) )

✍️ Poem about das Kapital

Das Kapital, mal groß, mal klein,
soll Wachstum bringen, fein und rein.
In Firmen steckt's, schafft Arbeit, Lohn,
doch manchmal fordert's Zins als Thron.
Ein Motor, der die Wirtschaft treibt,
Ob's Gutes oder Schlechtes bleibt?
Das fragte Marx schon, schlau und klug,
in seinem weltbekannten Buch.

(Capital, sometimes big, sometimes small,
should bring growth, fine and pure after all.
In companies it sits, creates work, pay,
but sometimes demands interest to hold sway.
An engine driving the economy's might,
Whether it remains good or bad, dark or light?
Marx already asked this, clever and smart,
in his world-famous book, a work of art.)

🧩 Little Riddle

Ich bin sächlich, doch oft sehr gefragt,
habe Wert, wenn gut angelegt und bewacht.
Unternehmer brauchen mich zum Start,
Marx schrieb über meine besondere Art.

Was bin ich?

(I am neuter, yet often in demand,
I have value, if well invested and planned.
Entrepreneurs need me for their start,
Marx wrote about my special art.

What am I?
Solution: das Kapital)

💡 Other Interesting Facts

• Etymology: The word comes from Late Latin capitale ("principal property, principal sum"), which derives from the Latin adjective capitalis ("relating to the head or life; principal, chief"). Originally, it might have referred to the 'head' count of livestock as a measure of wealth.
• Compounds: There are many compound words with "Kapital" in German, e.g., Kapitalanlage (capital investment), Kapitalmarkt (capital market), Kapitalgesellschaft (corporation/limited company), Kapitalertrag (capital gain/return), Startkapital (start-up capital), Risikokapital (venture capital), Humankapital (human capital).
• Cultural Significance: Through Marx's work "Das Kapital", the term has gained immense historical and political significance and is central to the critique of capitalism.