die
Existenzgrundlage
📖 What exactly is an Existenzgrundlage?
Die Existenzgrundlage (noun, feminine) refers to the material and financial means a person, a family, or even a community needs to live. It's the foundation upon which existence is built – often synonymous with livelihood or the income that covers basic needs.
It's a compound noun:
So, together it means the basis for existence/life.
⚠️ There's only this one article and this one meaning. Mix-ups are unlikely.
Article rules for der, die, and das
-e/-ee → almost always feminine.
There are many -e nouns, many of which are feminine, but there are also some important exceptions.
🧐 Grammar in Detail: Die Existenzgrundlage
The word "Existenzgrundlage" is a feminine noun. The article is always die.
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Existenzgrundlage |
| Genitive | der | Existenzgrundlage |
| Dative | der | Existenzgrundlage |
| Accusative | die | Existenzgrundlage |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Existenzgrundlagen |
| Genitive | der | Existenzgrundlagen |
| Dative | den | Existenzgrundlagen |
| Accusative | die | Existenzgrundlagen |
Example Sentences
- Sein Job als Bäcker ist seine Existenzgrundlage.
(His job as a baker is his livelihood.) - Durch die Flut verloren viele Familien ihre Existenzgrundlage.
(Due to the flood, many families lost their basis of existence.) - Der Staat sollte jedem Bürger eine minimale Existenzgrundlage sichern.
(The state should secure a minimal basis of existence for every citizen.) - Die Landwirtschaft bildet die Existenzgrundlage für viele Menschen in dieser Region.
(Agriculture forms the livelihood for many people in this region.)
🗣️ How to Use "Existenzgrundlage"?
"Existenzgrundlage" is mostly used in more formal contexts, especially when discussing economic, social, or personal security.
- Economy & Work: Often related to the job, income, or business that ensures survival. Example: "Die Schließung der Fabrik entzog hunderten Arbeitern die Existenzgrundlage." (The factory closure deprived hundreds of workers of their livelihood.)
- Social & Political Issues: In the context of social benefits, basic security, or the effects of crises (natural disasters, wars). Example: "Die Sicherung der Existenzgrundlage ist eine wichtige Aufgabe des Sozialstaats." (Securing the basis of existence is an important task of the welfare state.)
- Personal: Can also describe the basis for personal well-being, not purely financial, although the financial aspect usually predominates.
Comparison with similar words:
- Lebensunterhalt: Very similar and often interchangeable, perhaps a bit more colloquial.
- Einkommen: Refers more specifically to the money earned regularly. Die Existenzgrundlage can be broader (e.g., including savings, property).
- Basis: Much more general, can refer to anything (e.g., Wissensbasis - knowledge base, Vertrauensbasis - basis of trust).
💡 Mnemonics for Existenzgrundlage
Article Mnemonic: Think of die Basis (the base) or die Grundlage (the foundation). Both are feminine in German, just like die Existenzgrundlage.
Meaning Mnemonic: Imagine your Existenz (existence) stands on a foundation, a Grundlage. Without this base (money, job, etc.), your existence collapses. That's your Existenzgrundlage.
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (Similar Meaning)
- Lebensunterhalt: Livelihood; what one uses to cover living expenses.
- Broterwerb: Literally 'bread earning'; focus on work to earn money.
- Lebensgrundlage: Basis of life; very similar, often used synonymously.
- Einkommen: Income; the regular financial inflow.
- Basis: Base, foundation (but more general).
- Standbein: Pillar, footing; often in an economic context (e.g., ein zweites Standbein aufbauen - to build a second pillar/source of income).
Antonyms (Opposite/Lack of)
- Mittellosigkeit: Destitution, lack of means.
- Notlage: Emergency, plight; a situation where the livelihood is threatened.
- Verlust der Existenzgrundlage: Loss of livelihood.
- Indirectly: Luxus (luxury), Verschwendung (waste) - more than necessary.
Be careful with similar-sounding words:
- Existenzberechtigung: Right to exist, raison d'être. Completely different meaning!
😂 A Little Joke
Warum braucht ein Kaffee seine Existenzgrundlage?
Damit er nicht grundlos existiert! 😉
(Why does a coffee need its basis of existence [Existenzgrundlage]?
So it doesn't exist without reason [grundlos]! - A pun on "Grundlage" (basis) and "grundlos" (without reason/baseless))
✍️ Poem about Existenzgrundlage
Die Arbeit schwer, der Lohn oft karg,
Die Miete hoch, ein steter Sarg
Für Träume, die im Keim ersticken,
Wenn Sorgen auf die Schultern drücken.
Doch braucht der Mensch zum Leben mehr,
Als nur ein Dach, ein Teller leer.
Die Existenzgrundlage muss steh'n,
Um sicher durch das Dasein geh'n.
(Work is hard, the wage often meager,
The rent is high, a constant coffin
For dreams that are nipped in the bud,
When worries press upon the shoulders.)
(But man needs more to live,
Than just a roof, an empty plate.
The basis of existence must stand firm,
To walk safely through life.)
🧩 Riddle
Ich bin die Basis deines Seins,
Mal groß, mal karg, mal dünn, mal feist.
Oft ist's der Job, das tägliche Brot,
Ohne mich droht schnell die Not.
Was bin ich?
(I am the basis of your being,
Sometimes large, sometimes meager, sometimes thin, sometimes fat.
Often it's the job, the daily bread,
Without me, hardship quickly threatens.
What am I?)
(Answer: Die Existenzgrundlage - the livelihood / basis of existence)
🌐 Further Insights
Word Composition:
The word "Existenzgrundlage" is a classic example of a German compound noun (Kompositum):
- Determinant: Existenz (specifies the type of foundation)
- Base word: Grundlage (determines the gender of the whole word - die Grundlage -> die Existenzgrundlage)
The connecting 's' (Fugen-s), sometimes found between parts of compound words (e.g., Geburtstagsgeschenk), is absent here.
Cultural Significance:
In Germany and many other cultures, securing one's Existenzgrundlage is highly valued. It's often closely linked to concepts of work ethic, social security, and personal responsibility.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Existenzgrundlage?
The word "Existenzgrundlage" is feminine, so the correct article is die Existenzgrundlage. It refers to the material means necessary for living (livelihood, basis of existence).