die
Freiheitsberaubung
⚖️ What does "die Freiheitsberaubung" mean?
Die Freiheitsberaubung is the German legal term for unlawful deprivation of liberty or false imprisonment. It describes the act of illegally detaining or confining a person against their will, preventing them from moving freely.
It's a specific criminal offense defined in Section 239 of the German Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch - StGB).
Essentially, it means taking away someone's Freiheit der Ortsveränderung (freedom of movement). This can be done through physical means (locking up, tying up) or through threats or deception.
🚨 Important: It's considered a serious infringement upon personal liberty and is punishable by law.
The word always takes the feminine article: die.
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 and Declension of Freiheitsberaubung
The noun Freiheitsberaubung is feminine. It is mostly used in the singular.
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Freiheitsberaubung |
| Genitive | der | Freiheitsberaubung |
| Dative | der | Freiheitsberaubung |
| Accusative | die | Freiheitsberaubung |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Freiheitsberaubungen |
| Genitive | der | Freiheitsberaubungen |
| Dative | den | Freiheitsberaubungen |
| Accusative | die | Freiheitsberaubungen |
Note: The plural "Freiheitsberaubungen" is grammatically correct but rarely used, as discussions usually refer to specific, individual acts.
📝 Example Sentences
- Die Anklage lautete auf Freiheitsberaubung und Körperverletzung.
(The charge was false imprisonment and bodily harm.) - Er wurde wegen Freiheitsberaubung zu einer Haftstrafe verurteilt.
(He was sentenced to prison for false imprisonment.) - Das Einsperren im Keller stellt eine klare Freiheitsberaubung dar.
(Locking someone in the cellar constitutes clear false imprisonment.)
🗣️ Contextual Usage
"Die Freiheitsberaubung" is almost exclusively used in legal or police contexts. It is a technical term from criminal law.
- Typical Contexts: Criminal proceedings (Strafverfahren), police reports (Polizeiberichte), legal discussions (juristische Diskussionen), news reports about crimes.
- Distinction from "Entführung" (Kidnapping): While Freiheitsberaubung describes the mere act of detaining someone, die Entführung (§ 239a StGB) additionally involves moving the victim to another location and often includes intent like extortion (Erpressung). Freiheitsberaubung can be a component of Entführung.
- Everyday Language: The term is rarely used in casual conversation. People are more likely to say "jemanden einsperren" (to lock someone up), "festhalten" (to detain/hold someone), or "nicht weglassen" (to not let someone leave).
🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids
Article Mnemonic: Words ending in "-ung" in German are almost always feminine (die). Think of other examples like die Meinung (opinion), die Wohnung (apartment). So, it's die Beraubung -> die Freiheitsberaubung.
Meaning Mnemonic: Break down the word: Freiheit (freedom) + Beraubung (deprivation, robbery). Imagine someone is being 'robbed' of their freedom. Freiheitsberaubung is the act of robbing someone of their freedom (of movement).
↔️ Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms (Similar Meaning):
- Freiheitsentziehung: (Deprivation of liberty) - Often used synonymously, also a legal term.
- Gefangennahme: (Capture, taking prisoner) - Emphasizes the act of seizing and holding.
- Festnahme: (Arrest) - Mostly in the context of police actions.
- Arrestierung: (Arrest) - Similar to Festnahme.
- (Colloquial) Einsperrung (locking up), Festhaltung (detention)
Antonyms (Opposites):
- Freilassung: (Release) - The act of ending the deprivation of liberty.
- Befreiung: (Liberation, rescue) - Actively letting someone escape or rescuing them.
- Freigabe: (Release, clearance) - Allowing someone to leave again.
- Gewährung von Freizügigkeit: (Granting of freedom of movement).
⚠️ Related but Different Terms:
- Entführung: (Kidnapping) - A more severe form involving moving the victim and specific intents like extortion.
- Nötigung: (Coercion) - Forcing someone to do, tolerate, or omit something through force or threat (can accompany Freiheitsberaubung but is distinct).
- Geiselnahme: (Hostage-taking) - Detaining people to enforce demands.
😄 A Little Joke
Warum hat der Wecker Angst vor einer Anklage wegen Freiheitsberaubung?
(Why is the alarm clock afraid of being charged with false imprisonment?)
Weil er jeden Morgen Millionen Menschen gegen ihren Willen festhält... im Bett! 😉
(Because every morning it holds millions of people against their will... in bed!)
📜 Poem about Freiheitsberaubung
Die Tür fällt zu, der Riegel kracht,
(The door slams shut, the bolt slams home,)
Die Freiheit jäh zur Nacht gemacht.
(Freedom abruptly turned to night.)
Kein Schritt nach vorn, kein Weg zurück,
(No step forward, no way back,)
Gestohlen ist das Seelenstück.
(Stolen is the piece of the soul.)
Vier Wände eng, die Zeit verrinnt,
(Four walls confined, time slips away,)
Ein schweres Unrecht hier beginnt.
(A grave injustice here begins.)
Im Recht heißt's klar, unmissverständlich:
(In law it's clear, unambiguously:)
Freiheitsberaubung, strafrechtlich kenntlich.
(False imprisonment, known to criminal law.)
❓ Riddle
Ich nehme dir das Recht zu geh'n,
(I take your right to go away,)
Lass dich gefangen, hilflos steh'n.
(Leave you captured, helpless stay.)
Bin im Gesetz ein schwerer Fall,
(In law, I am a serious case,)
Bring Täter oft vor den Kadi-Schall.
(Often bring perpetrators before the judge's call.)
Was bin ich? / What am I?
Lösung / Solution: Die Freiheitsberaubung (False imprisonment / Unlawful deprivation of liberty)
🧩 Other Information
Word Composition:
The word Freiheitsberaubung is a compound noun formed from:
- Die Freiheit: (Freedom) - The right to move freely and make decisions.
- Die Beraubung: (Deprivation, robbery) - The act of taking away, depriving (like in a robbery).
Together, the meaning is: The taking away of freedom.
Legal Significance:
Die Freiheitsberaubung is a fundamental offense in German criminal law (§ 239 StGB). There are aggravated forms (qualifizierte Tatbestände), for instance, if the act lasts longer than a week or causes serious harm to the victim's health, which carry higher penalties. Even the attempt (Versuch) is punishable.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Freiheitsberaubung?
The correct article for Freiheitsberaubung is die. It's a feminine noun (due to the -ung ending), referring to the unlawful act of depriving someone of their freedom of movement, a criminal offense in Germany.