die
Beurteilung
🧐 What does “die Beurteilung” mean?
Die Beurteilung (noun, feminine) describes the process or result of assessing, evaluating, or criticizing a person, thing, performance, or situation. It refers to forming a judgment or opinion after careful consideration.
- Assessment/Evaluation: Often used in a professional or educational context, e.g., die Beurteilung of an employee or an exam (die Mitarbeiterbeurteilung, die Prüfungsbeurteilung).
- Judgment/Opinion: Can also express a more subjective assessment or opinion, e.g., die Beurteilung of a work of art (die Beurteilung eines Kunstwerks).
🚨 Attention: Although similar to the word „das Urteil“ (the verdict, judgment), „die Beurteilung“ is often less formal and not necessarily legally binding like a court verdict (das Gerichtsurteil). It emphasizes the process of evaluation more.
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 in Detail: Die Beurteilung
The noun „Beurteilung“ is feminine. The article is die. Nouns ending in "-ung" are almost always feminine in German.
Declension Singular
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Beurteilung |
| Genitive | der | Beurteilung |
| Dative | der | Beurteilung |
| Accusative | die | Beurteilung |
Declension Plural
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Beurteilungen |
| Genitive | der | Beurteilungen |
| Dative | den | Beurteilungen |
| Accusative | die | Beurteilungen |
📝 Example Sentences
- Die Beurteilung des Schülers fiel positiv aus.
(The student's assessment was positive.) - Das Ergebnis hängt von der Beurteilung der Jury ab.
(The result depends on the jury's evaluation.) - Der Chef schreibt gerade die jährlichen Beurteilungen.
(The boss is currently writing the annual evaluations.) - Die Qualität der Beurteilungen war sehr unterschiedlich.
(The quality of the assessments varied greatly.)
💡 How to use “die Beurteilung”?
„Die Beurteilung“ is used in various contexts:
Work & School 🧑🏫
- Mitarbeiterbeurteilung: Employee performance review.
- Leistungsbeurteilung: Assessment of school or academic performance (grades, reports).
- Projektbeurteilung: Evaluation of a project's success or progress.
Everyday Life & Opinion 🤔
- Subjektive Beurteilung: Expressing a personal opinion about something (e.g., a book, a film, a situation).
- Kritische Beurteilung: An analysis highlighting strengths and weaknesses.
- Medizinische Beurteilung: A doctor's assessment of a health condition.
Comparison with similar words:
- Das Urteil: Often more formal, more final (e.g., court verdict).
- Die Bewertung: Very similar, often interchangeable, sometimes more strongly related to grades or scores.
- Die Einschätzung: Can be a more preliminary or less detailed assessment.
- Die Kritik: Often focuses more on negative aspects or error analysis, but can also be positive (e.g., literary criticism - Literaturkritik).
🧠 Memory Aids for “die Beurteilung”
Article „die“
Like most German nouns ending in -ung (like Meinung, Übung, Rechnung), Beurteilung is feminine: die Beurteilung. Just remember: the "-ung" ending is your cue for "die"!
Remembering the Meaning
Think of the core word inside: "Urteil" means judgment or verdict. The prefix "Be-" often indicates working on something or making something happen. So, "Be-urteilung" is the act of forming a judgment or assessment about something. Imagine a BEach JUDGE (Be-urteil...) giving an assessMENT (-ung).
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (Similar Meaning)
- Die Bewertung: (Evaluation, rating) - Very common synonym, often used for grades/scores.
- Die Einschätzung: (Assessment, estimation) - Often a more preliminary or subjective judgment.
- Das Urteil: (Judgment, verdict) - Can be more formal (court) or mean a firm opinion.
- Die Begutachtung: (Expert assessment, appraisal) - Usually by experts, often detailed and written (Gutachten = expert report).
- Die Kritik: (Critique, criticism) - Analysis, often points out flaws but can be positive.
- Das Zeugnis: (Report card, reference, testimonial) - Specifically in school/work context, a written assessment.
Antonyms (Opposite Meaning)
A direct antonym is difficult. Possible opposites in concept:
- Die Beschreibung / Darstellung: (Description / Presentation) - Simply stating facts without judgment.
- Die Ignoranz / Das Ignorieren: (Ignorance / Ignoring) - The absence of an assessment.
- Das Lob / Die Anerkennung: (Praise / Recognition) - Could be seen as the opposite of negative assessment, but is itself a form of (positive) assessment.
⚠️ Watch out for similar words!
- Die Verurteilung: (Conviction) - Usually refers to a court sentence in criminal law.
- Das Vorurteil: (Prejudice, bias) - A judgment made before being properly informed; often negative.
😂 A Little Joke
Lehrer: „Fritzchen, deine Beurteilung ist ja unterirdisch!“
Fritzchen: „Kein Wunder, Herr Lehrer, Sie haben ja auch gesagt, ich soll mich mehr mit den Wurzeln beschäftigen!“
Teacher: "Fritzchen, your assessment ('Beurteilung') is subterranean!"
Fritzchen: "No wonder, teacher, you also told me I should focus more on the roots ('Wurzeln' can mean plant roots or mathematical roots)!"
✍️ Poem about Assessment
Die Beurteilung, mal sanft, mal hart,
zeigt auf, was gut, was schlecht gerat'.
Im Job, der Schule, auch im Leben,
wird Urteil und Bewertung gegeben.
Mal Lobgesang, mal Tadel laut,
auf das, was man geschaffen, gebaut.
Doch nimm sie an, mit offenem Sinn,
denn oft steckt auch ein Wachstum drin.
--- English Translation ---
The judgment, sometimes soft, sometimes hard,
Shows what turned out well, what poorly fared.
In work, in school, and life's broad way,
Assessment and opinion hold their sway.
Sometimes a song of praise, sometimes blame aloud,
For that which one has built, created, vowed.
But take it in, with an open mind,
For often growth within you'll find.
🧩 Riddle
Ich habe oft ein Schriftstück, manchmal nur ein Wort,
bewerte Leistung, Fähigkeit an manchem Ort.
Ein Lehrer gibt mich, auch der Chef im Haus,
ich fälle ein Urteil, mal streng, mal Applaus.
Was bin ich?
(...) Die Beurteilung
--- English Translation ---
I often have a document, sometimes just a word,
I evaluate performance, ability, in places heard.
A teacher gives me, the boss in the house too,
I pass a judgment, sometimes strict, sometimes 'Bravo!' for you.
What am I?
(...) The assessment / evaluation (Die Beurteilung)
✨ More on Beurteilung
Word Origin & Composition
The word „Beurteilung“ is composed of:
- Prefix „be-“: Often makes verbs transitive or intensifies them (etwas beurteilen = to assess something).
- Root word „Urteil“: Comes from Old High German „urteili“ (decision, insight).
- Suffix „-ung“: Used to form nouns from verbs, often denoting a process or its result. It makes the word feminine (die).
Cultural Note
In Germany, formal assessments (formelle Beurteilungen), such as job references (Arbeitszeugnisse) or school reports (Schulzeugnisse), are highly valued and often follow standardized formats and specific phrasing (which can sometimes contain coded meanings).
Summary: is it der, die or das Beurteilung?
The correct article for Beurteilung is die. So, it's die Beurteilung. The word is feminine and is typically used to express an assessment, evaluation, or judgment, for example, at school or work.