die  Generation

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ɡeneʁaˈt͡si̯oːn/

📜 What does "die Generation" mean?

The German word die Generation (feminine) has several meanings:

• Age group: A group of people born and living during roughly the same time period, often sharing similar experiences, attitudes, or values (e.g., die Nachkriegsgeneration - the post-war generation, Generation Z).
• Line of descent: A single step in the line of descent of a family (e.g., grandparents, parents, children are three Generationen).
• Stage of development: A specific stage in the development of technical products or systems (e.g., die fünfte Generation von Mobilfunk - the fifth generation of mobile communication).
• Generation/Production: The act of generating or producing something (less common, more technical or biological).

🚨 Since the word ends in -ion, it is typically feminine (die).

📊 Grammar of "die Generation"

"Die Generation" is a feminine noun. It follows the weak declension pattern.

Example Sentences 📝

• Die junge Generation engagiert sich stark für den Klimaschutz. (The young generation is heavily involved in climate protection.)
• Die Werte der Generation meiner Großeltern waren anders. (The values of my grandparents' generation were different.)
• Wir müssen der nächsten Generation eine lebenswerte Welt hinterlassen. (We must leave a world worth living in for the next generation.)
• Ich verstehe die heutige Generation manchmal nicht. (Sometimes I don't understand today's generation.)
• In diesem Haus lebten schon vier Generationen. (Four generations have already lived in this house.)
• Der Konflikt zwischen den Generationen ist ein altes Thema. (The conflict between generations is an old topic.)

🗣️ How to use "Generation"?

"Generation" is often used in social, historical, and technical contexts:

• Social/Historical: Discussions about age groups, societal change, the so-called Generationenkonflikt (generational conflict) or Generationengerechtigkeit (intergenerational justice). Example: "Die Generation der Babyboomer geht langsam in Rente." (The baby boomer generation is slowly retiring.)
• Family: Describing family structures and lines of descent. Example: "Das Foto zeigt drei Generationen unserer Familie." (The photo shows three generations of our family.)
• Technical: Referring to stages of development in products. Example: "Dies ist die neueste Generation von Smartphones." (This is the latest generation of smartphones.)

It's a very common word, especially in media and academic discussions about demographics and technology.

🧠 Mnemonics for "Generation"

For the article (die): Words ending in -ion in German are almost always feminine (die). Think of other examples like die Station, die Nation, die Option... and, of course, die Generation. Imagine a long chain (feminine association like a necklace?) of people – one generation after another.

For the meaning: The English word 'generate' means 'to produce' or 'create'. A German Generation is a 'generated' group (of people, of technology). Picture how a family line or a tech product is 'generated' step by step.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Similar Words:

• Gattung: Genus or genre (biological or artistic classification, not temporal/familial).
• Art: Kind, species, type (similar to Gattung).

😂 A Little Joke

Warum beschweren sich alte Computer nie?
Weil sie zur vorherigen Generation gehören und gelernt haben, mit ihren Problemen zu leben!

Translation:
Why do old computers never complain?
Because they belong to the previous generation and have learned to live with their problems!

✍️ Poem about Generations

Die Alten erzählen vom Gestern,
die Jungen träumen von Morgen weit.
Jede Generation, mit eignen Sternen,
lebt ihre ganz besondre Zeit.

Ein Rad, das dreht sich, ohne Halt,
von Jugendfrische zu weisem Grau.
Was eine Generation gestaltet,
baut auf der nächsten Wissen auf, genau.

Translation:
The old ones tell of yesterday,
the young ones dream of tomorrow far away.
Each generation, with its own stars,
lives its very special time.

A wheel that turns, without stopping,
from youthful freshness to wise gray.
What one generation shapes,
builds upon the next one's knowledge, precisely.

🤔 Little Riddle

Ich bin eine Gruppe, doch kein Verein,
geboren oft im selben Schein.
Ich folge Eltern, Kindern nach,
und bringe Technik auf das Dach.

Wer oder was bin ich?

Translation:
I am a group, but not a club,
often born in the same light (time).
I follow parents, then children,
and bring technology up to date (lit. onto the roof).

Who or what am I?

Solution: die Generation

💡 More Information

• Word Origin: The word "Generation" comes from the Latin generātiō, meaning 'begetting', 'lineage', 'generation (time span)'. It derives from the verb generāre ('to beget', 'to produce').
• Compound Words: There are many compound words (Komposita) with "Generation" in German, e.g.:
  • Generationenvertrag (intergenerational contract, referring to social security systems)
  • Generationenkonflikt (generational conflict)
  • Generationenwechsel (generational change, e.g., in a company leadership)
  • Generationengerechtigkeit (intergenerational equity/justice)