die  Auswirkung

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈaʊsˌvɪʁkʊŋ/

🔍 What does "die Auswirkung" mean?

Die Auswirkung (feminine) describes the effect, impact, or consequence that an action, event, or condition has on something or someone. It's about what *wirkt sich aus* (emanates, results from) something.

Imagine throwing a stone into water. The ripples spreading out are the Auswirkungen (effects/impacts) of throwing the stone.

Important: The word is always feminine, so it's always die Auswirkung. 🚨 There are no other articles for this word.

• Example: Die Auswirkung des neuen Gesetzes auf die Wirtschaft ist noch unklar. (The impact of the new law on the economy is still unclear.)
• Example: Starke Regenfälle hatten negative Auswirkungen auf die Ernte. (Heavy rainfall had negative effects on the harvest.)

Article rules for der, die, and das

📊 Grammar of "die Auswirkung" in Detail

The noun "Auswirkung" is feminine. Here are the declension tables:

Example Sentences for Grammar

1. Wir untersuchen die Auswirkung (Accusative Singular) der Technologie auf die Gesellschaft. (We are investigating the impact of technology on society.)
2. Die Ergebnisse zeigten verschiedene Auswirkungen (Nominative Plural). (The results showed various effects.)
3. Man muss sich der Auswirkungen (Genitive Plural) bewusst sein. (One must be aware of the consequences.)
4. Wir müssen den Auswirkungen (Dative Plural) des Klimawandels entgegenwirken. (We must counteract the effects of climate change.)

💡 How to Use "die Auswirkung"?

"Auswirkung" is used to talk about the consequences or effects of something. It can describe both positive and negative outcomes.

Typical Contexts:

• Environment: Die Auswirkungen der Umweltverschmutzung (The effects of environmental pollution).
• Economy: Die Auswirkungen der Inflation auf die Kaufkraft (The effects of inflation on purchasing power).
• Health: Die Auswirkungen von Stress auf den Körper (The effects of stress on the body).
• Society: Die Auswirkungen der Digitalisierung auf das soziale Leben (The impacts of digitalization on social life).
• Politics: Die Auswirkungen einer Wahl auf die Gesetzgebung (The consequences of an election for legislation).

Comparison with Similar Words:

• Wirkung: Often synonymous, but *Wirkung* can also be more direct and immediate (e.g., *die Wirkung einer Medizin* - the effect of a medicine). *Auswirkung* tends to emphasize indirect or longer-term consequences resulting *from* something (*aus*).
• Folge: Very similar, often interchangeable. However, *Folge* can also simply mean a sequence in time, whereas *Auswirkung* always implies a causal connection.
• Einfluss: Emphasizes the power or force that something or someone has to bring about change. A cause has an *Einfluss* (influence), which leads to *Auswirkungen* (effects).

Common phrases include "gravierende Auswirkungen" (severe impacts), "positive/negative Auswirkungen" (positive/negative effects), or "langfristige/kurzfristige Auswirkungen" (long-term/short-term consequences).

🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids

Mnemonic for the Article "die"

An Auswirkung (effect/impact) can feel like a wave spreading out (*aus*) from an event. Remember that *'die'* sounds a bit like the English word 'thee', and you might feel the *Auswirkung* impacting *thee* (you)! Also, *die Wirkung* (the effect) is feminine, and *Auswirkung* builds on that. So, it's die Auswirkung.

Mnemonic for the Meaning

Think of the German components: Aus (out) + Wirkung (effect/action). An *Auswirkung* is the effect that comes 'out' of an action or event. What *works* its way *out* from the cause? That's the *Auswirkung*.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms for Auswirkung

⚠️ Similar but Different Words:

• Die Wirkung: (effect) Can be more direct (e.g., the effect of medicine). *Auswirkung* is often the consequence of a *Wirkung* over time or distance.

😂 A Little Joke

Fragt der Lehrer: "Welche Auswirkung hat es, wenn man jeden Tag eine Tafel Schokolade isst?"
Meldet sich Fritzchen: "Man wird sehr, sehr beliebt bei den Mitschülern!" 😉

Teacher asks: "What's the effect (Auswirkung) of eating a bar of chocolate every day?"
Little Fritz replies: "You become very, very popular with your classmates!" 😉

📜 Poem about the Auswirkung

Ein kleiner Stein ins Wasser fällt,
die erste Wirkung kaum erhellt.
Doch Kreise ziehen, weit und sacht,
die Auswirkung, wer hätte das gedacht? Ein Wort gesagt, ein Blick, ein Tun,
lässt selten die Umgebung ruhn.
Es wirkt sich aus, ob gut, ob schlecht,
drum achte drauf, sei stets gerecht.

A little stone into water falls,
The first effect hardly enthralls.
But ripples spread, so wide and slight,
The Auswirkung (impact), who would have thought, right?
A word that's said, a glance, a deed,
Rarely lets surroundings rest, indeed.
It has its impact, good or bad,
So pay attention, wisely clad (be just).

❓ Riddle

Ich bin die Tochter einer Tat,
ob früh sie kommt, ob spät.
Man misst mich oft in Grad und Maß,
mal bring ich Freude, mal Verdruss und Hass.
Ich folge stets auf Schritt und Tritt,
nimmst du die Ursache, nimmst du mich mit.

Was bin ich? (Auflösung: die Auswirkung)

I am the daughter of a deed,
Whether I come early or late indeed.
I'm often measured in degree and size,
Sometimes bringing joy, sometimes sorrowful cries.
I always follow every step you take,
If you take the cause, me too you make.

What am I?
(Answer: die Auswirkung / the effect, consequence, impact)

🧩 Other Info about Auswirkung

Word Composition

The word "Auswirkung" is composed of:

• aus-: Prefix, indicating here a movement from inside to outside or a result.
• Wirkung: The noun form of "wirken" (to affect, to work, to have an effect).

Together, it literally means an "out-effect" or an effect resulting from something.

Typical Collocations

• gravierende / erhebliche / spürbare Auswirkungen (severe / considerable / noticeable impacts)
• positive / negative / schädliche Auswirkungen (positive / negative / harmful effects)
• langfristige / kurzfristige Auswirkungen (long-term / short-term consequences)
• wirtschaftliche / soziale / ökologische Auswirkungen (economic / social / ecological impacts)
• Auswirkungen haben auf (+ Accusative) (to have effects/impacts on)