die  Dokumentation

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/dɔkumentaˈt͡si̯oːn/

📖 What does "die Dokumentation" mean?

Die Dokumentation (feminine) primarily refers to two things:

• The collection, processing, and storage of information or evidence: This involves systematically recording and compiling data, facts, or proof on a specific topic or process. The goal is often to prove something, explain it, or preserve it for posterity. Examples include Projektdokumentationen (project documentations), technische Dokumentationen (technical documentations), or historische Dokumentationen (historical documentations).
• A (documentary) report or film: A presentation of real events or circumstances, often in the form of a film, television program, or radio feature, based on facts and having an informative character.

It's a feminine noun, recognizable by the suffix "-tion". Therefore, the article is always die.

🧐 Grammar of "die Dokumentation" in Detail

The noun "Dokumentation" is feminine. Here is its declension:

Singular

Plural

📝 Example Sentences

1. Die Dokumentation des Projekts ist sehr ausführlich.
   (The documentation of the project is very detailed.)
2. Wir benötigen den Abschlussbericht zur Vervollständigung der Dokumentation.
   (We need the final report to complete the documentation.)
3. Dem Team fehlt es an Zeit für die Dokumentation.
   (The team lacks time for the documentation.)
4. Bitte lesen Sie die technische Dokumentation sorgfältig durch.
   (Please read the technical documentation carefully.)
5. Im Fernsehen liefen gestern Abend interessante Dokumentationen über die Tierwelt.
   (There were interesting documentaries about wildlife on TV last night.)

💡 How to use "die Dokumentation"?

"Die Dokumentation" is used in various contexts:

• Technik & Software (Technology & Software): Refers to manuals, instructions, and descriptions of software or hardware. Example: "Die Software-Dokumentation ist online verfügbar." (The software documentation is available online.)
• Projektmanagement (Project Management): Description of project goals, steps, results, and decisions. Example: "Ohne lückenlose Dokumentation können wir den Projektfortschritt nicht nachvollziehen." (Without complete documentation, we cannot track the project progress.)
• Wissenschaft & Forschung (Science & Research): Collection and recording of data, experiments, and results. Example: "Die sorgfältige Dokumentation der Funde ist für die Archäologie essenziell." (The careful documentation of the findings is essential for archaeology.)
• Medien (Media): As a term for a documentary film or report. Example: "Gestern Abend habe ich eine spannende Dokumentation über den Klimawandel gesehen." (Last night I watched an exciting documentary about climate change.)
• Verwaltung & Recht (Administration & Law): Official records, file keeping. Example: "Die Dokumentation des Vorgangs liegt der Behörde vor." (The documentation of the process is available to the authority.)

Wichtige Kollokationen (Important Collocations):

• eine ausführliche/detaillierte/lückenlose Dokumentation (a detailed/thorough/complete documentation)
• die technische/wissenschaftliche/historische Dokumentation (the technical/scientific/historical documentation)
• eine Dokumentation erstellen/anfertigen/pflegen (to create/prepare/maintain documentation)

🧠 Mnemonics for "Dokumentation"

Mnemonic for the Article (die):

Words ending in "-tion" in German are almost always feminine and take "die". Think of Action, Information, Station... and also Dokumentation. The ending reveals the gender! It's like saying "The informaTION needs documentaTION".

Mnemonic for the Meaning:

Think of the English word "documentation". It means collecting **documents**. A **Dokumentation** is either the collection/process itself or a specific piece of work (like a documentary film) that presents collected facts/documents.

↔️ Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Similar Words (Potential for Confusion!):

• Das Dokument (neuter): Refers to a single document, file, or piece of evidence. Die Dokumentation is the collection or the process of collecting such Dokumente.

😂 A Little Joke

Warum hat der Programmierer seine Kaffeetasse zur Dokumentation hinzugefügt?

Weil sie ein wichtiges "Java"-Objekt war! 😉

Translation:

Why did the programmer add his coffee cup to the documentation?

Because it was an important "Java" object! 😉

✍️ Poem about Dokumentation

Die Doku, klar und rein,
soll stets verständlich sein.
Ob Code, Projekt, Historie,
sie schafft uns die Theorie.

Mit Fakten, Daten, festem Stand,
reicht sie uns die Wissenshand.
Kein Raten, keine Fiktion,
nur die Dokumentation.

Translation:

The docs, clear and pure,
should always be easy to endure (understand).
Whether code, project, history,
it gives us the theory.

With facts, data, on solid ground,
it offers knowledge all around.
No guessing, no fiction's art,
just the documentation plays its part.

🧩 Little Riddle

Ich sammle Wissen, halte fest,
was sonst der Zahn der Zeit zerfrisst.
Mal bin ich Film, mal nur Papier,
als Nachweis diene ich oft hier.
Mein Artikel ist feminin,
was, sag mir schnell, mag ich wohl sein?

Lösung / Solution: die Dokumentation

Translation:

I gather knowledge, hold it tight,
what time's decay would bring to night.
Sometimes a film, sometimes just page,
as proof I often take the stage.
My article is feminine,
tell me quickly, what might I have been?

🧐 Food for Thought

Wortzusammensetzung & Herkunft (Word Composition & Origin):

The word "Dokumentation" derives from the Latin word documentum, meaning "proof," "example," or "lesson." It is closely related to the verb docere (to teach, to instruct). The suffix "-ation" indicates a process or result.

In German, it is thus a combination of the stem "Dokument" and the suffix "-ation", denoting an action or a result.