der  Wiederholungstäter

C1

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈviːdɐhoːlʊŋsˌtɛːtɐ/

🧐 What exactly is a Wiederholungstäter?

A Wiederholungstäter (masculine noun, plural: Wiederholungstäter) is a person (usually male, the female form is die Wiederholungstäterin) who commits one or more criminal offenses again after having already been punished. It describes someone who has relapsed and repeatedly carries out criminal acts. In English, this translates to recidivist or repeat offender.

The term is mainly used in a legal context but can also be used colloquially or humorously for someone who keeps making the same mistake (e.g., someone who is always late).

• Legal context: A person who reoffends after a conviction.
• Colloquial context: Someone who repeatedly displays a certain (often negative) behavior.

Article rules for der, die, and das

📝 Grammar Focus: Der Wiederholungstäter

The word "Wiederholungstäter" is a masculine noun. Its declension is as follows:

💡 Example Sentences

1. Der Richter verhängte eine härtere Strafe, da der Angeklagte ein Wiederholungstäter war.
   (The judge imposed a harsher sentence because the defendant was a repeat offender.)
2. Er hat schon wieder den Müll nicht rausgebracht – ein echter Wiederholungstäter!
   (He didn't take out the trash again – a real repeat offender!)
3. Die Polizei kennt viele der lokalen Wiederholungstäter mit Namen.
   (The police know many of the local repeat offenders by name.)

🗣️ How to use Wiederholungstäter?

The term Wiederholungstäter is primarily used in the context of crime and justice. It describes a person whose criminal career does not end with a single offense.

• Legal Context: Often found in police reports, court proceedings, and legal texts. Being identified as a Wiederholungstäter can lead to sentence enhancement.
• Media Reporting: Frequently used in news reports about criminal cases.
• Colloquial/Humorous Use: Less common, but possible, to describe someone who constantly repeats the same mistake or (undesirable) action. Example: "Du bist ja ein echter Wiederholungstäter, was das Zuspätkommen angeht!" (You're a real repeat offender when it comes to being late!)

⚠️ Caution: In the legal sense, the term is clearly defined. In colloquial use, one should be careful as it has a negative connotation and could carelessly label someone as 'criminal', even if meant humorously.

Related terms are Rückfalltäter (very similar, emphasizing relapse) or Gewohnheitsverbrecher (habitual criminal, often with a stronger negative connotation).

🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids

1. Remembering the Article (der): Think of der Täter (the perpetrator/offender). A Wiederholungstäter is still ein Täter, and Täter is masculine.

2. Remembering the Meaning: Imagine someone repeatedly (Wiederholung means repetition) committing an offense – this person is the Täter (offender) who does it again: a Wiederholungs-Täter (repetition offender).

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

🚨 Similar but different terms:

• Intensivtäter: (Intensive offender) Often refers to young offenders who commit crimes very frequently, regardless of prior convictions.

😂 A Little Joke

Warum wurde der Bäcker zum Wiederholungstäter?

Weil er immer wieder auf die schiefe Bahn gerollt ist!

(Why did the baker become a repeat offender? Because he kept rolling down the crooked path! - This is a pun: 'auf die schiefe Bahn geraten' means 'to go astray', and 'rollen' means 'to roll', like dough.)

📜 Poem about the Repeat Offender

Der Richter seufzt, die Akte schwer,
schon wieder sitzt derselbe Herr.
Kaum aus dem Bau, schon neu erwischt,
hat Recht und Ordnung aufgemischt.
Die Wiederholung ist sein Los,
er kommt von Straftat nicht mehr los.
Ein Täter, der's nicht lassen kann,
der alte, neue, gleiche Mann.

(The judge sighs, the file is heavy,
the same gentleman sits there again.
Barely out of prison, caught anew,
has disrupted law and order.
Repetition is his fate,
he can no longer break free from crime.
An offender who can't stop,
the old, new, same man.)

❓ Little Riddle

Ich kenne den Richter, die Zelle von innen,
kann von Vergehen einfach nicht lassen sinnen.
Hab ich's einmal getan, tu ich's oft noch ein Mal,
die Freiheit ist kurz, die Rückkehr fatal. Wer bin ich?

(I know the judge, the cell from inside,
I simply cannot stop thinking about offenses.
If I've done it once, I often do it again,
freedom is short, the return is fatal.

Who am I?)

Solution: Der Wiederholungstäter

💡 Other Information

Word Composition:

The word "Wiederholungstäter" is a compound noun, composed of:

• Wiederholung: The noun from "wiederholen" (to repeat).
• Täter: A person who commits an act (especially a crime), an offender or perpetrator.

Together, the meaning is: A person who repeatedly commits an act/offense.

Feminine Form: The feminine form is die Wiederholungstäterin (plural: die Wiederholungstäterinnen).

Statistics: The recidivism rate (Rückfallquote), i.e., the proportion of repeat offenders, is an important indicator in criminology and justice policy for evaluating the effectiveness of punishments and rehabilitation measures.