die
Auswanderung
🌍 What does 'die Auswanderung' mean?
Die Auswanderung refers to the permanent or long-term act of moving away from one's home country or region of origin to settle in another country. It's the German word for emigration and is the opposite of Einwanderung (immigration).
The word uses the feminine article 'die' because it ends in '-ung', which typically marks feminine nouns in German.
It describes both the process of emigrating and the phenomenon of emigration as a whole.
🚨 Be careful: Don't confuse it with Ausreise (departure, often temporary) or Flucht (flight, escape, often involuntary and forced).
Article rules for der, die, and das
-ung → always feminine.
There are many -ung words, we won't list them all. There are only a few exceptions.
📚 Grammar Corner: Die Auswanderung
'Auswanderung' is a feminine noun. Here are the declension tables:
| Case | Form | Translation Hint |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative (Subject) | die Auswanderung | the emigration |
| Genitive (Possessive) | der Auswanderung | of the emigration |
| Dative (Indirect Object) | der Auswanderung | to/for the emigration |
| Accusative (Direct Object) | die Auswanderung | the emigration |
| Case | Form | Translation Hint |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die Auswanderungen | the emigrations |
| Genitive | der Auswanderungen | of the emigrations |
| Dative | den Auswanderungen | to/for the emigrations |
| Accusative | die Auswanderungen | the emigrations |
Example Sentences
- Die Auswanderung vieler Deutscher nach Amerika prägte das 19. Jahrhundert.
(The emigration of many Germans to America shaped the 19th century.) - Sie planten ihre Auswanderung sorgfältig.
(They planned their emigration carefully.) - Die Gründe für Auswanderungen sind vielfältig.
(The reasons for emigrations are diverse.) - Nach der Auswanderung seiner Familie fühlte er sich einsam.
(After his family's emigration, he felt lonely.)
💬 How to use 'Auswanderung'
Die Auswanderung is used when talking about leaving one's own country to live permanently elsewhere. Typical contexts include:
- Historical: Describing migration waves (e.g., die deutsche Auswanderung im 19. Jahrhundert - the German emigration in the 19th century).
- Personal: Discussing individual decisions to move abroad (e.g., "Ihre Auswanderung nach Kanada war erfolgreich." - Her emigration to Canada was successful.).
- Social Sciences: Analyzing migration patterns and their causes/consequences.
Distinction from other terms:
- Einwanderung (Immigration): The perspective of the destination country (people coming into the country).
- Migration: The umbrella term for any kind of permanent change of residence, can be internal migration or international migration (including both Einwanderung and Auswanderung).
- Ausreise (Departure): A general term for leaving a country, often temporarily (e.g., for a vacation).
🧠 Mnemonics & Memory Aids
Article 'die': Nouns ending in -ung are almost always feminine (die). Think: The Wanderung (hike/migration) goes aus (out of) the country -> die Auswanderung.
Meaning: Imagine someone packing their bags and 'wandering' (wandern) out (aus) of their home country -> Aus-wanderung (emigration).
↔️ Opposites and Similar Terms
Synonyms (Similar Meaning):
- Emigration: The direct equivalent, often used in formal/academic contexts.
- Wegzug (ins Ausland): 'Moving away (abroad)'; more general, emphasizes leaving a place.
- Abwanderung: Often used for leaving a region or sector, but can also mean emigration.
Antonyms (Opposites):
- Einwanderung: Immigration (arriving in a new country).
- Zuwanderung: Similar to Einwanderung, often used in migration statistics.
- Rückkehr: Return (coming back to the home country).
- Verbleib: Remaining (staying in the home country).
⚠️ Similar, but different terms:
- Ausbürgerung: Expatriation, revocation of citizenship (often politically motivated).
- Vertreibung: Expulsion, forced displacement.
- Exil: Exile (staying abroad, often for political reasons, usually involuntary).
😄 A Little Joke
Fragt der eine Auswanderer den anderen: "Hast du Heimweh?" Sagt der andere: "Nein, wieso? Ich habe doch mein Heim mitgenommen – mein Schneckenhaus!" 🐌
(One emigrant asks the other: "Are you homesick?" The other replies: "No, why? I brought my home with me – my snail shell!")
📜 A Little Poem
Die Koffer schwer, das Herz voll Mut,
Die Auswanderung tut selten gut
Dem Ort, den man verlässt zurück,
Doch birgt sie Hoffnung, neues Glück.
Man wandert aus, sucht fernes Land,
Mit einem Traum fest in der Hand.
(Suitcases heavy, heart full of courage,
Emigration rarely benefits
The place one leaves behind,
But it holds hope, new fortune.
One emigrates, seeks distant land,
With a dream held firmly in hand.)
🧩 Riddle Time
Ich bin der Schritt aus dem Bekannten,
Zu fernen Ufern, unbekannten.
Ich nehm' dich fort von deinem Herd,
Bin oft gesucht, manchmal beschwert.
Man lässt die Heimat hinter sich,
Wie nennt man diesen Aufbruch? Ich?
(I am the step out of the familiar,
To distant shores, unknown.
I take you away from your hearth,
Am often sought, sometimes burdensome.
One leaves the homeland behind,
What is this departure called? Me?)
(Solution: die Auswanderung)
✨ Other Information
Word Composition:
The word 'Auswanderung' is composed of:
- aus- (prefix meaning 'out', 'away from')
- wandern (verb meaning 'to wander', 'to hike', here in the figurative sense 'to migrate')
- -ung (suffix forming nouns from verbs, usually feminine)
So it literally describes the act of 'wandering out' of a country.
Historical Note: Germany has historically been both a country of emigration and immigration. Major waves of emigration occurred, for example, in the 19th century (to America) and after World War II.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Auswanderung?
The correct article for 'Auswanderung' is die. It is a feminine noun (die Auswanderung, der Auswanderung, ...) describing the process or phenomenon of permanently leaving one's home country (emigration).