die  Bezahlung

B1

Estimated CEFR level.

/bəˈtsaːlʊŋ/

💰 What Exactly is 'die Bezahlung'?

Die Bezahlung (noun, feminine) primarily describes two things:

1. The act of paying: The action where money is exchanged for goods, services, or work performed.
2. The amount paid or received: The sum of money serving as compensation (e.g., Lohn (wage), Gehalt (salary), Honorar (fee), purchase price).

It's a very common word in everyday life and business. Because it ends in -ung, it's feminine (die Bezahlung).

🚨 Note: Although 'Zahlung' (payment) is similar, 'Bezahlung' often emphasizes the completion of the process or the compensation for something specific (like work).

Article rules for der, die, and das

📊 Grammar Deep Dive: Die Bezahlung

Die Bezahlung is a feminine noun. Like most nouns ending in -ung, it uses the article die.

Here is the declension:

Although a plural (die Bezahlungen) exists, it's used less frequently. Often, people refer to the process or sum in the singular or use more specific plural terms (e.g., Gehälter (salaries), Löhne (wages), Rechnungen (invoices)).

💡 Grammar Examples

• Nominative: Die Bezahlung erfolgte prompt. (The payment was prompt.)
• Genitive: Die Höhe der Bezahlung war angemessen. (The amount of the payment was appropriate.)
• Dative: Wir stimmten der Bezahlung zu. (We agreed to the payment.)
• Accusative: Er forderte die Bezahlung für seine Arbeit. (He demanded payment for his work.)
• Plural (less common): Es gab Unstimmigkeiten bezüglich der verschiedenen Bezahlungen. (There were disagreements regarding the various payments.)

🗣️ Everyday Use: When to Use 'Bezahlung'

Die Bezahlung is a versatile word related to money.

• Work Context: It often means wage or salary. Example: „Die Bezahlung für diesen Job ist sehr gut.“ (The pay for this job is very good.) Sometimes it's used as an umbrella term for Lohn (typically for blue-collar workers, often hourly/weekly) and Gehalt (typically for white-collar employees, often fixed monthly). Words like Vergütung (remuneration) or Entgelt (compensation) are synonyms in a professional setting.
• Purchase Context: It refers to the payment for goods or services. Example: „Die Bezahlung erfolgt bei Lieferung.“ (Payment is due upon delivery.) Here, Zahlung (payment) is a very close synonym.
• General: The act of paying itself. Example: „Bitte kümmern Sie sich um die Bezahlung der Rechnung.“ (Please take care of the payment of the invoice.)

You can also use adjectives: pünktliche Bezahlung (prompt payment), faire Bezahlung (fair pay), schlechte Bezahlung (poor pay).

⚠️ Distinguish: Die Zahlung is often more neutral and technical (e.g., a bank transfer), while die Bezahlung more frequently emphasizes the aspect of compensation or settling a due amount.

🧠 Mnemonics for 'Bezahlung'

For the Article (die): Nouns derived from verbs ending in -ung are almost always feminine (die). Think of: die Rechnung (the invoice), die Bestellung (the order), die Lieferung (the delivery) – and therefore also die Bezahlung. The -ung ending is a feminine thing!

For the Meaning (Payment/Remuneration): Imagine you zahlen (pay) for something, and as confirmation of this action (-ung), you give or receive die Bezahlung. It involves a number/sum (Zahl) and represents an action (-ung).

🔄 Similar and Opposite Terms

⚠️ Be careful with: die Anzahlung (down payment), die Nachzahlung (additional payment), die Abzahlung (installment payment).

😂 A Little Joke

German: Warum hat der Geldbeutel geweint? – Weil er ständig zur Bezahlung herangezogen wurde und sich so leer fühlte!

English: Why did the wallet cry? – Because it was constantly being drawn upon for payment and felt so empty!

✍️ Poem about Payment

German:
Die Arbeit getan, der Tag ist lang,
Nun wartet man mit frohem Klang
Auf die Belohnung, süß und fein,
Die Bezahlung, sie soll es sein!
Ob Lohn, ob Gehalt, ob Honorar,
Sie macht das Mühen wunderbar.
Ein Klingeln im Beutel, ein Schein in der Hand,
So zieht die Bezahlung durchs Land.

English Translation:
The work is done, the day is long,
Now one awaits with cheerful song
For the reward, sweet and fine,
The payment, it shall be thine!
Whether wage, salary, or fee,
It makes the effort wonderful, you see.
A jingle in the purse, a note in the hand,
So payment travels through the land.

❓ Riddle Time

German:
Ich wechsle den Besitzer für Waren oder Müh'.
Manchmal komme ich pünktlich, manchmal spät und trüb.
Ich kann Lohn sein, Gehalt oder Preis genannt.
Für Arbeit und Dienste werd' ich anerkannt.

Was bin ich?

English:
I change owners for goods or toil.
Sometimes I arrive on time, sometimes late and spoiled.
I can be called wage, salary, or price.
For work and services, I am recognized.

What am I?

Solution: die Bezahlung (the payment)

🧩 Word Formation and More

Word Composition:

Die Bezahlung is a noun derived from the verb bezahlen (to pay). It consists of:

• The prefix be-: often used to make verbs transitive or direct an action towards an object.
• The verb stem zahl(en): related to the word Zahl (number/figure).
• The suffix -ung: forms nouns from verbs, usually describing a process or its result, and makes them feminine.

Interesting Note: The word often emphasizes the result or completion of the payment process.