die  Ausübung

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈaʊsˌyːbʊŋ/

📖 What does "die Ausübung" mean?

Die Ausübung is a feminine noun referring to the act of practicing, performing, executing, or exercising something. It describes the actual activity or performance.

• Main meaning: The active performance or practice of an activity, a right, an office, a profession, or a function.
• Context: Often used in connection with professional activities (e.g., die Ausübung des Arztberufs - the practice of the medical profession), rights (e.g., die Ausübung des Wahlrechts - the exercise of the right to vote), duties (e.g., die Ausübung seiner Amtspflichten - the performance of his official duties), or even power and influence (e.g., die Ausübung von Gewalt - the use/exercise of force).

🚨 The word is almost exclusively used in the singular, as it describes a process or a general activity. A plural form (die Ausübungen) is grammatically possible but very rare and usually refers to specific, repeated acts.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar of "die Ausübung" in Detail

"Ausübung" is a feminine noun. The article is die. It follows the typical declension pattern for feminine nouns ending in "-ung".

💬 Example Sentences

1. Die Ausübung ihres Berufs macht ihr große Freude.
   (The practice of her profession brings her great joy.)
2. Bei der Ausübung des Stimmrechts muss man seinen Ausweis vorzeigen.
   (When exercising the right to vote, one must show their ID.)
3. Dem Beamten wurde die fehlerhafte Ausübung seiner Pflichten vorgeworfen.
   (The official was accused of the improper performance of his duties.)
4. Die freie Ausübung der Religion ist ein Grundrecht.
   (The free exercise of religion is a fundamental right.)
5. Er wurde während der Ausübung seines Dienstes verletzt.
   (He was injured during the performance of his duty / while on duty.)

💡 How "Ausübung" is used

"Ausübung" is a rather formal word and is frequently found in legal, political, administrative, and professional contexts.

• Profession & Office: die Ausübung eines Mandats (the exercise of a mandate), die Ausübung ärztlicher Tätigkeit (the practice of medicine), die Ausübung des Lehramts (practicing the teaching profession). It refers to the practical execution of the associated tasks.
• Right & Duty: die Ausübung des Wahlrechts (the exercise of the right to vote), die Ausübung der Meinungsfreiheit (the exercise of freedom of speech), die Ausübung der Fürsorgepflicht (the exercise of the duty of care). It describes asserting a right or fulfilling an obligation.
• Power & Influence: die Ausübung von Druck (the exertion of pressure), die Ausübung politischer Macht (the exercise of political power).
• Sports & Hobbies (less common): Sometimes used for the regular practice of a sport or artistic activity, but here "Praktizieren" (practicing), "Training" or "Übung" (practice session, exercise) are often more common. Example: Die tägliche Ausübung von Yoga hilft ihm. (The daily practice of yoga helps him.)

Distinction from "Übung": While "die Übung" often means training or a single task/exercise (e.g., eine Klavierübung - a piano exercise), "die Ausübung" refers to the broader act of practicing or performing a function or right.

🧠 Mnemonics for "die Ausübung"

Article Mnemonic (die): Nouns ending in -ung are almost always feminine in German. Think of: die Übung (the practice/exercise), die Anwendung (the application), die Durchführung (the execution) – and therefore also die Ausübung. The "-ung" ending is like a feminine signature!

Meaning Mnemonic (Practice/Execution): Think of the verb "ausüben" (to practice, to exercise, to exert). What do you do when you "ausüben" something? You carry it OUT (aus). The Ausübung is the result or process of doing this – the active practice or execution.

↔️ Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Be careful: Words like "Übung" (practice session, exercise, training) or "Betrieb" (operation, business) are not direct synonyms and have different nuances.

😄 A Little Joke

Fragt der Chef den neuen Mitarbeiter: "Sind Sie mit der Ausübung Ihrer Tätigkeiten vertraut?"
Antwortet der Mitarbeiter: "Ob ich damit vertraut bin? Ich bin kurz davor, sie zu duzen!"

Translation:
The boss asks the new employee: "Are you familiar (vertraut) with the execution (Ausübung) of your duties?"
The employee replies: "Familiar? I'm about to start calling them by their first name!" (In German, being 'vertraut' can mean familiar, but 'duzen' - using the informal 'du' - is a sign of familiarity/closeness, creating a pun).

✍️ Poem about Ausübung

Die Pflicht ruft, das Recht will leben,
In der Ausübung liegt das Streben.
Ein Amt, ein Beruf, mit Sinn und Hand,
So wird gestaltet dieses Land.

Die Freiheit wählen, die Stimme zählt,
Was in der Ausübung die Welt erhellt.
Mit Sorgfalt tun, was anvertraut,
Auf festem Grund wird aufgebaut.

Translation:
Duty calls, the right wants to live,
In the practice/exercise lies the strive.
An office, a job, with sense and hand,
Thus is shaped this land.

To choose freedom, the vote counts,
What in the practice/exercise the world surmounts (brightens).
To do with care what is entrusted,
On solid ground is constructed.

❓ Little Riddle

Ich bin kein Stillstand, ich bin das Tun,
Ob im Beruf, bei Recht und Kron'.
Ich bin das Praktizieren, das Anwenden klar,
Ich bin feminin, das ist doch wahr!

Was bin ich?

Translation:
I am not standstill, I am the doing,
Whether in profession, with right and crown pursuing.
I am the practicing, the applying clear,
I am feminine, that is true, my dear!

What am I?

Solution: die Ausübung

🧩 Other Details

Word Composition:

The word "Ausübung" is a nominalization (making a noun) of the verb "ausüben" (to practice, exercise, exert). It is composed of:

• aus- (prefix, here meaning 'out', 'through', indicating completion or performance)
• üben (verb: to practice, to train)
• -ung (suffix used to form feminine nouns, often indicating a process, action, or result)

This structure Prefix + Verb Stem + -ung is very common in German (e.g., An-wend-ung - application, Be-sprech-ung - discussion, Er-find-ung - invention).