die
Gefangenschaft
📖 What does "die Gefangenschaft" mean?
Die Gefangenschaft (noun, feminine) describes the state of being captured or imprisoned, meaning being deprived of freedom. It refers to holding people (or animals) against their will.
- It can refer to legal imprisonment (e.g., in jail).
- It can describe being a prisoner of war (Kriegsgefangenschaft).
- It can also be used figuratively to express a feeling of confinement or dependency (e.g., "die Gefangenschaft der Ehe" - often metaphorical or with negative connotations, the captivity of marriage).
🚨 The word is almost exclusively used in the singular because it describes a state. A plural form ("Gefangenschaften") is very rare and uncommon.
Article rules for der, die, and das
-ft/ -schaft → almost always feminine.
All -schaft nouns are feminine, but not all -ft nouns are.
📊 Grammar of Gefangenschaft in Detail
The noun "Gefangenschaft" is feminine. The article is die.
Declension (Singular):
| Case | Article | Noun | English Translation of Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Gefangenschaft | Subject |
| Genitive | der | Gefangenschaft | Possessive |
| Dative | der | Gangenschaft | Indirect Object |
| Akkusativ | die | Gefangenschaft | Direct Object |
Plural: As mentioned, a plural is very rare and hardly used in everyday language.
💡 Examples
- Der Soldat geriet in feindliche Gefangenschaft.
The soldier fell into enemy captivity. - Nach zehn Jahren Gefangenschaft wurde er endlich freigelassen.
After ten years of captivity, he was finally released. - Manche Tiere leiden sehr unter der Gefangenschaft im Zoo.
Some animals suffer greatly from captivity in the zoo. - Er empfand seine Situation als eine Art geistige Gefangenschaft.
He perceived his situation as a kind of mental captivity.
🗣️ How is "Gefangenschaft" used?
"Gefangenschaft" is used to describe the state of being unfree. Here are typical contexts:
- War and Military: in Gefangenschaft geraten (to fall into captivity), aus der Gefangenschaft fliehen/entlassen werden (to escape/be released from captivity).
- Justice and Punishment: Often used synonymously with Haft (custody, detention) or Freiheitsentzug (deprivation of liberty), but "Gefangenschaft" emphasizes the state of being imprisoned more than the legal measure itself.
- Animal Keeping: Tiere in Gefangenschaft halten (to keep animals in captivity), in Gefangenschaft geboren (born in captivity).
- Figurative Meaning: Can describe dependencies or constraints, e.g., die Gefangenschaft einer schlechten Beziehung (the captivity of a bad relationship) or die Gefangenschaft alter Gewohnheiten (the captivity of old habits).
Distinction from similar words:
- Haft: Usually refers more specifically to serving a court-ordered sentence (Untersuchungshaft - pre-trial detention, Strafhaft - imprisonment).
- Freiheitsentzug: A more legal or formal term for the deprivation of liberty.
- Gefängnis: Refers to the place, the building, not the state (prison, jail).
🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids
Article Mnemonic: Many German nouns ending in "-schaft" are feminine (die Freundschaft - friendship, die Landschaft - landscape, die Botschaft - embassy/message). Remember: "Die entire crew (Mannschaft) is in captivity (Gefangenschaft)." (Even though Mannschaft is feminine too, the rhyme might help).
Meaning Mnemonic: Imagine someone is "gefangen" (caught/captured) and this state ("-schaft" indicates a state or condition) continues. Gefangen + -schaft = state of being caught = Gefangenschaft (captivity).
↔️ Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms (words with similar meaning):
- Haft: (custody, detention - more legal term for imprisonment)
- Freiheitsentzug: (deprivation of liberty - formal, legal)
- Unfreiheit: (unfreedom, lack of freedom - general state)
- Gewahrsam: (custody - often police custody, temporary)
- Internierung: (internment - confinement of civilians/foreigners, often during war)
Antonyms (opposites):
- Freiheit: (freedom - general opposite)
- Freilassung: (release - act of ending captivity)
- Unabhängigkeit: (independence - opposite in a figurative sense)
⚠️ Similar Words:
😄 A Little Joke
Warum hat der Gefangene einen Kalender mitgebracht?
Damit er seine Tage zählen kann!
Why did the prisoner bring a calendar?
So he could count his days!
✍️ Poem about Captivity
Mauern hoch, der Himmel fern,
Die Gefangenschaft, kein Stern.
Die Zeit verrinnt so zäh und lang,
Im Herzen nur der Freiheitsdrang.
Tage grau und Nächte schwer,
Wann endet dieses Leid, wann kehrt die Freiheit wieder her?
Walls high, the sky far away,
Captivity, no guiding star's ray.
Time trickles by, so tough and long,
In the heart only freedom's song.
Days grey and nights heavy bear,
When will this suffering end, when will freedom reappear?
❓ Riddle
Ich bin ein Zustand, keine Mauern,
Kann Jahre oder Stunden dauern.
Ich nehme dir die Freiheit fort,
Bin oft ein ungeliebter Ort.
Mal im Krieg, mal hinter Gittern,
Lässt Herzen oft vor Sehnsucht zittern.
Was bin ich?
I am a state, not walls of stone,
Can last for years or hours alone.
I take your liberty away,
An often disliked place to stay.
Sometimes in war, sometimes behind bars,
Often make hearts yearn beneath the stars.
What am I?
Solution: die Gefangenschaft (captivity)
🧩 Other Information
Word Composition:
The word "Gefangenschaft" is composed of:
- gefangen: The past participle of the verb "fangen" (to catch). It means "caught", "captured", "imprisoned".
- -schaft: A suffix often used to denote a state, condition, collective, or quality (as in Freundschaft - friendship, Bereitschaft - readiness, Herrschaft - rule/dominion).
Together, it literally means the "state of being captured/imprisoned".
Historical Context: The term carries strong historical connotations, particularly related to prisoners of war (Kriegsgefangenschaft) in various conflicts.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Gefangenschaft?
The German word Gefangenschaft is always feminine. The correct article is die. It describes the state of captivity or lack of freedom.