die  Abtretung

C1

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈʔaptʁeːtʊŋ/

📜 What does Abtretung mean?

Die Abtretung (noun, feminine) generally refers to the transfer or assignment of a right, claim, or demand from one person (the Zedent or assignor) to another person (the Zessionar or assignee). It's a key term in German civil law (Zivilrecht) and finance (Finanzwesen).

Imagine someone owes you money. You can 'assign' (abtreten) the right to collect this money to someone else. This transfer is called die Abtretung.

There are different types of Abtretungen, for example:

• Forderungsabtretung: Assignment of a claim - the most common form, transferring a monetary claim.
• Sicherungsabtretung: Assignment for security purposes - a claim is assigned as collateral for a loan.
• Mantelzession / Globalzession: Blanket / global assignment - assignment of current and future claims.

⚠️ Important: Not all rights or claims can be assigned (sind abtretbar). Sometimes the law (Gesetz) or a contract (Vertrag) prohibits an Abtretung.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar in Detail: Die Abtretung

The word "Abtretung" is a feminine noun. The article is die.

Example Sentences for Abtretung

1. Die Abtretung der Forderung wurde vertraglich vereinbart.
   (The assignment of the claim was contractually agreed upon.)
2. Der Gläubiger stimmte der Abtretung zu.
   (The creditor agreed to the assignment.)
3. Mittels einer Sicherungsabtretung erhielt die Bank zusätzliche Sicherheiten.
   (By means of an assignment for security purposes, the bank received additional collateral.)
4. Es gibt gesetzliche Vorschriften, die bestimmte Abtretungen ausschließen.
   (There are legal regulations that exclude certain assignments.)

💼 When to use Abtretung?

The term Abtretung is primarily used in legal (rechtlich) and economic/financial (wirtschaftlich) contexts.

• In contract law (Vertragsrecht): When transferring rights from a contract (e.g., rent claims - Mietforderungen, purchase price claims - Kaufpreisforderungen).
• In finance (Finanzwesen): For loan collateral (Sicherungsabtretung), factoring (ongoing sale of receivables), or the transfer of insurance policies (Versicherungspolicen).
• In inheritance law (Erbrecht): Sometimes inheritance shares (Erbanteile) or claims from an inheritance are assigned.
• In insolvency law (Insolvenzrecht): Assignments play a role in the distribution of assets.

Comparison:

• Übertragung: A more general term for passing something on (can also be ownership of things). Abtretung is more specific to rights and claims.
• Zession: A legal term used synonymously with Abtretung. Abtretung is more common in everyday language and less formal business contexts.

You often hear phrases like "die Abtretung einer Forderung" (the assignment of a claim) or "die Abtretung von Rechten" (the assignment of rights).

💡 Mnemonics for Abtretung

1. Article Mnemonic:

   Many German nouns ending in "-ung" are feminine (die), like die Rechnung (the bill), die Bedeutung (the meaning). Think of Abtretung ending in "-ung" as your cue for die. Imagine she (die) is assigning her rights.

2. Meaning Mnemonic:

   Think of the verb "abtreten". "Ab" often means "away" or "off", and "treten" means "to step" or "to kick". So, with an Abtretung, someone is 'stepping away' from their right or 'kicking' it over to someone else – they are assigning it.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

Similar words that might be confusing:

• Auftrag: Order, instruction, mandate (an instruction to do something, not a transfer of rights).
• Vertretung: Representation, agency (acting on behalf of someone else, not inherently a transfer of rights to the representative).

😂 A Little Joke

Fragt der Richter den Angeklagten: "Treten Sie die Strafe an?"
Sagt der Angeklagte: "Nein, Herr Richter, aber ich wäre bereit zu einer Abtretung meiner Parkplatzsuch-Rechte für die nächsten fünf Jahre!"

(Judge asks the defendant: "Will you begin your sentence?"
Defendant says: "No, Your Honor, but I'd be willing to make an assignment of my parking spot searching rights for the next five years!")

✒️ Poem about Abtretung

Ein Recht, ein Anspruch, klar und rein,
soll nicht mehr länger bei mir sein.
Ich geb' es weiter, mit Bedacht,
hab' die Abtretung nun gemacht.
Der Zessionar, er freut sich sehr,
die Forderung gehört nunmehr
ganz ihm allein, durch diesen Schritt,
das ist der Abtretung Sitte und Kitt.

(A right, a claim, clear and pure,
shall no longer be mine, that's sure.
I pass it on, with careful thought,
the assignment now I've wrought.
The assignee, rejoices much,
the claim belongs to him as such,
entirely his, through this decree,
that's assignment's custom, you see.)

❓ Riddle

Ich bin kein Geschenk, doch ich wechsle den Herrn,
ein Recht geht auf Reisen, ob nah oder fern.
Im Vertrag oft zu finden, im Gesetz auch genannt,
ich übertrage die Forderung von Hand zu Hand.

Was bin ich?

(I'm not a gift, but I change my master,
A right goes on a journey, slower or faster.
Often found in contracts, named in law's command,
I transfer the claim from hand to hand.

What am I?)

Solution: die Abtretung (the assignment)

Additional Info

Word Composition:

The word "Abtretung" derives from the verb "abtreten". This verb has several meanings:

• To assign or transfer something to someone else (e.g., eine Forderung abtreten - to assign a claim) -> This is the source of the noun Abtretung.
• To step down, resign (e.g., ein Präsident tritt ab - a president resigns).
• To wipe one's feet (sich die Füße abtreten - to wipe the dirt off one's shoes).

The suffix "-ung" turns the verb into a noun, denoting the process or result of 'abtreten' (in the sense of transfer/assignment).

Cultural Context: The concept of Abtretung is deeply embedded in the German legal system (Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch - BGB § 398 ff.) and is a fundamental part of modern economic life.