die  Affäre

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/afaˈʁɛː/

💔💼 What does "die Affäre" mean?

The German word die Affäre (feminine) primarily has two meanings:

1. A love affair (often secret or extramarital): This is the most common meaning in everyday language and often carries a negative or at least shady connotation. 🤫
   Example: Sie hatte eine Affäre mit ihrem Kollegen. (She had an affair with her colleague.)
2. A matter, incident, business, or issue (often complex or unpleasant): This meaning is more formal or used for complex situations, for example, in politics or business. 🧐
   Example: Die Spendenaffäre beschäftigte die Partei über Monate. (The donation scandal occupied the party for months.)

⚠️ Pay attention to the context to understand the correct meaning.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar of "die Affäre" in Detail

"Affäre" is a feminine noun. It requires the article die.

Declension

Here is the declension of "die Affäre":

Example Sentences

• Nominative Singular: Die Affäre flog schnell auf. (The affair quickly came to light.)
• Accusative Singular: Er beendete die Affäre. (He ended the affair.)
• Dative Singular: Man widmete der Affäre große Aufmerksamkeit. (Great attention was paid to the affair/matter.)
• Genitive Singular: Die Details der Affäre wurden nie bekannt. (The details of the affair/matter never became known.)
• Nominative Plural: Politische Affären schaden dem Ansehen des Landes. (Political scandals/affairs damage the country's reputation.)
• Accusative Plural: Sie deckten mehrere Affären auf. (They uncovered several affairs/scandals.)

💬 How to use "die Affäre"?

The use of die Affäre depends heavily on the context.

• Love relationship: Mostly used informally and often judgmentally. Words like das Verhältnis or die Liebschaft are similar but can have slightly different nuances. An 'Affäre' often implies something short-term or purely sexual, whereas a 'Verhältnis' can also last longer.
• Matter/Issue: This meaning is more neutral or used for more complex, often public or business-related events. Synonyms like die Angelegenheit, die Sache, der Fall, or der Vorfall might be more appropriate depending on the formality and type of event. An 'Affäre' in this sense is often something scandalous or at least complicated (e.g., Watergate-Affäre, Finanzaffäre).

In the plural (die Affären), it usually refers to multiple scandalous matters or multiple love affairs.

🧠 Mnemonics for "die Affäre"

For the article 'die': An affair often involves *she* (die Frau) or seems *fair* only at the start... 'fair' sounds a bit like 'Affäre'. Remember: die Affäre.

For the meaning: An Affair is often secret and can lead to trouble or a complex situation. Think of the double 'f' as representing double-dealing or double the complexity.

🔄 Synonyms and Antonyms for Affäre

⚠️ Similar but different words

• Effäre: This word doesn't exist in German. Potential misspelling of 'Affäre'.
• effektiv: Means 'effective', unrelated to 'Affäre'.

😂 A Little Joke

Warum nehmen Skelette nie an einer Affäre teil?

(Why do skeletons never take part in an affair?)

Weil sie nicht das nötige Rückgrat dafür haben!

(Because they don't have the backbone for it!)

✍️ Poem about Affäre

Im Schatten, leis' und ungesehn,
Beginnt oft, was nicht darf gescheh'n.
Die Affäre, süß und voller List,
Ein Spiel, das man oft schnell vergisst?

Mal Herzensbrand, mal kalte Macht,
Ein dunkles Kapitel über Nacht.
Ob Liebelei, ob Staatsskandal,
Sie bringt oft Zwietracht, bringt die Qual.

In shadows, quiet and unseen,
Often starts what shouldn't convene.
The affair, so sweet and full of guile,
A game forgotten after a while?

Sometimes passion, sometimes cold might,
A dark chapter overnight.
Be it romance, or state disgrace,
It often brings discord, leaves its trace.

❓ Riddle

Ich bin oft heimlich, manchmal laut,
Hab' Herzen und Verträge schon zerhaut.
Mal bin ich Liebe, kurz entbrannt,
Mal ein Skandal im ganzen Land.

Was bin ich?

I am often secret, sometimes loud,
I've broken hearts and contracts, disallowed.
Sometimes I'm love, briefly ignited,
Sometimes a scandal, country-wide cited.

What am I?

Solution: die Affäre

ℹ️ Interesting Facts about Affäre

Word Origin (Etymology)

The word "Affäre" comes from the French word affaire, which originally meant "that which needs doing", "business", or "matter" (from à faire = to do). The meaning related to a love relationship developed later.

Compound Words

"Affäre" can be part of compound nouns, often in the sense of 'scandal' or 'matter':

• Staatsaffäre: An affair of state, a matter of national importance, often politically sensitive.
• Spendenaffäre: A donation scandal, involving illegal or questionable political donations.
• Geheimdienstaffäre: An intelligence service scandal.