das  Vergehen

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/fɛɐ̯ˈɡeːən/

🤔 What exactly does 'das Vergehen' mean?

'Das Vergehen' is a German noun with two main meanings:

1. ⚖️ Minor Offense / Misdemeanor: Here, 'das Vergehen' refers to an act that violates a law but is considered less serious than a 'Verbrechen' (crime). It corresponds to a regulatory offense or a minor criminal offense.

   Example: Falschparken ist ein häufiges Vergehen. (Illegal parking is a common misdemeanor.)

2. ⏳ The Passing / Lapse (of time): In this sense, 'das Vergehen' describes the process of time passing or elapsing.

   Example: Mit dem Vergehen der Jahre veränderte sich die Stadt. (With the passing of the years, the city changed.)

🚨 Important: Although both meanings exist, the first meaning (minor offense) is more common in legal and everyday language when referring to the noun 'das Vergehen'. The verb 'vergehen', however, is very often used for the passing of time (e.g., „Die Zeit vergeht schnell.“ - Time passes quickly).

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar in Detail: Declension of 'das Vergehen'

'Das Vergehen' is a neuter noun. It is declined as follows:

Singular

Plural

The plural is used rather infrequently, especially in the sense of 'passing of time'. When used (mostly for multiple offenses), it is:

📝 Example Sentences

• Meaning 1 (Offense): Sein wiederholtes Vergehen führte zu einer Geldstrafe. (His repeated offense led to a fine.)
• Meaning 1 (Offense): Die Polizei ermittelt wegen mehrerer kleiner Vergehen. (The police are investigating several minor offenses.)
• Meaning 2 (Passing of time): Das schnelle Vergehen der Zeit überraschte ihn. (The rapid passing of time surprised him.)
• Meaning 2 (Passing of time): Man spürt das Vergehen der Jahreszeiten auf dem Land besonders intensiv. (One feels the passing of the seasons particularly intensely in the countryside.)

🗣️ Usage: When is 'das Vergehen' appropriate?

'Das Vergehen' is used depending on the context:

• In a legal context: Clearly distinguished from 'das Verbrechen' (crime). A 'Vergehen' is a less serious offense (e.g., petty theft, simple assault under certain circumstances, insult). A 'Verbrechen' is a serious felony (e.g., murder, robbery).
• In everyday language (referring to rules): One might also speak of a 'Vergehen' for violations of rules that are not necessarily criminal offenses (e.g., a violation of house rules, a moral transgression).
• In the context of time: Here, it is a rather elevated or written expression for 'the passing' or 'the lapse' of time. The verb 'vergehen' (Die Zeit vergeht - Time passes) is much more common in this context than the noun 'das Vergehen'.

Distinctions:

• Vergehen vs. Verbrechen: As explained above, the severity of the act is decisive.
• Vergehen vs. Ordnungswidrigkeit: An 'Ordnungswidrigkeit' (regulatory offense, e.g., illegal parking) is even more minor than a 'Vergehen' and is usually punished only with a fine (Bußgeld), not imprisonment or a fine in the stricter sense. The lines can sometimes blur, but legally there are clear definitions.
• Das Vergehen (time) vs. Der Zeitablauf / Das Verstreichen: 'Das Vergehen' often sounds a bit more poetic or formal than the alternatives 'Zeitablauf' (passage of time) or 'Verstreichen' (passing).

🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids

Article Mnemonic (das): Remember that das Vergehen is often etwas Kleines (something small), insignificant compared to a crime. The neuter pronoun 'etwas' helps recall the neuter article 'das'. Think of it as 'the little something' that went wrong.

Meaning Mnemonic:

1. Imagine someone geht (goes) off the right path, they ver-gehen (go astray / transgress) – they commit a Vergehen (offense).
2. Time always geht (goes) on, it ver-geht (passes) – that is the Vergehen (passing) of time. The 'ver-' prefix often indicates something going away or going wrong.

🔄 Synonyms and Antonyms

⚠️ Similar but Different Words

• vergehen (verb): The corresponding verb meaning 'to pass' (time: Die Zeit vergeht), 'to molest/assault' (sich vergehen an – 🚨 Caution, very serious meaning!), or less commonly 'to perish'.
• das Verhör: Interrogation by police/court (unrelated to 'Vergehen', just sounds similar).

😄 A Little Joke

Richter: "Angeklagter, warum haben Sie die Katze aus dem Tierheim gestohlen? Das ist ein Vergehen!"
Angeklagter: "Aber Herr Richter, auf dem Schild stand doch: 'Für ein kleines Vergehen bekommen Sie bei uns eine Katze!'"

--- Translation ---

Judge: "Defendant, why did you steal the cat from the animal shelter? That's an offense ('Vergehen')!"
Defendant: "But Your Honor, the sign clearly said: 'For a small fee ('Vergehen' can sound like 'Gebühr'n' - fees, in a punny way) you can get a cat here!'"

(Note: The joke relies on a very weak pun between 'Vergehen' and 'Gebühren' (fees) or the idea of 'giving away' ('vergeben') a cat.)

📜 A Little Poem about 'Vergehen'

Ein kleiner Schritt vom rechten Pfad,
ein unbedachtes, frühes Rad,
das falsch geparkt am Straßenrand,
Vergehen wird's im Amtsdeutsch genannt.

Die Zeit, sie eilt, verrinnt, vergeht,
wie Sand, der leis durch Finger weht.
Der Stunden, Tage still' Vergehen,
lässt uns das Leben neu verstehen.

--- Translation ---

A little step from the right path,
A thoughtless, early wheel's aftermath,
That's wrongly parked along the way,
'Vergehen', official German will say.

Time hurries, flows, it passes by,
Like sand that softly through fingers flies.
The hours', days' quiet 'Vergehen' (passing),
Lets us grasp life with new assessing.

❓ Riddle Time

Ich kann ein kleiner Fehler sein,
bring' manchmal Bußgeld dir ins Heim.
Ich kann auch Zeit bedeuten schlicht,
die unaufhaltsam uns zerbricht.

Was bin ich, sächlich, sag es schnell,
mal kriminell, mal temporell?

--- Translation ---

I can be a minor mistake,
Sometimes bring fines for goodness sake.
I can also simply mean time,
That relentlessly breaks our prime.

What am I, neuter, tell me true,
Sometimes criminal, sometimes temporal too?

Solution: das Vergehen

💡 Other Interesting Info

Word Composition:

'Das Vergehen' is a nominalized verb (a verb turned into a noun). It derives from the verb 'vergehen'.

• ver-: This prefix can have various meanings, often here in the sense of 'doing something wrong' (like in 'sich verschreiben' - to miswrite) or 'going away', 'disappearing' (like in 'verlaufen' - to get lost, 'verblassen' - to fade).
• gehen: The base verb 'to go'.

The combination thus suggests either a 'going away' from the right path (misconduct) or a 'going away' of time (passing).