die
Nötigung
📜 What does "die Nötigung" mean?
Die Nötigung is a legal term in German law that translates to coercion or duress. It describes unlawfully forcing another person to perform a specific action (an act, tolerance, or omission) through the use of Gewalt (force/violence) or the Drohung mit einem empfindlichen Übel (threat of considerable harm).
It constitutes a criminal offense defined in the German Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch - StGB) under Section 240 (§ 240). The core element is impairing the victim's freedom of will (freie Willensentschließung).
⚠️ Important: Nötigung is always unlawful and punishable unless grounds for justification exist.
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.
Wisdom, power, rules → mostly feminine.
🧐 Grammar Under the Microscope: die Nötigung
The noun "Nötigung" is feminine. It is mostly used in the singular as it describes an abstract concept.
Declension (Singular)
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Nötigung |
| Genitive | der | Nötigung |
| Dative | der | Nötigung |
| Accusative | die | Nötigung |
Declension (Plural)
The plural "die Nötigungen" is rare but can be used to refer to multiple individual acts of coercion.
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Nötigungen |
| Genitive | der | Nötigungen |
| Dative | den | Nötigungen |
| Accusative | die | Nötigungen |
💡 Example Sentences
- Die Staatsanwaltschaft ermittelt wegen Nötigung. (The public prosecutor's office is investigating for coercion.)
- Er wurde wegen schwerer Nötigung zu einer Freiheitsstrafe verurteilt. (He was sentenced to imprisonment for aggravated coercion.)
- Die Drohung mit dem Verlust des Arbeitsplatzes kann eine Nötigung darstellen. (Threatening someone with job loss can constitute coercion.)
🗣️ How is "Nötigung" used?
The term die Nötigung is primarily used in a legal context (juristischer Kontext). It describes a specific criminal offense.
- Legal Language: In indictments (Anklageschriften), judgments (Urteilen), legal texts (§ 240 StGB), and legal journals.
- Media Reporting: When reporting on criminal proceedings or crimes involving coercion.
- Colloquial Speech: Used less frequently and often imprecisely when someone feels pressured. Caution is advised here, as the term carries a strong legal connotation.
Distinguishing from similar terms:
- Erpressung (§ 253 StGB): Extortion or blackmail. This additionally involves obtaining a financial advantage (Vermögensvorteil). Nötigung is often an element of Erpressung.
- Bedrohung (§ 241 StGB): Threatening. Refers to threatening to commit a crime against the victim or someone close to them, regardless of whether a specific behavior is demanded.
- Druck ausüben: To exert pressure. A more general term that isn't necessarily unlawful or punishable.
🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids
Article Mnemonic: The ending "-ung" in German typically indicates a feminine noun (e.g., die Rechnung - the bill, die Meinung - the opinion). Therefore: die Nötigung.
Meaning Mnemonic: Someone is forced (genötigt) to do something they don't want, which the perpetrator deems nötig (necessary) to achieve their goal. Nötigung takes away the victim's free choice.
↔️ Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (Similar Meaning):
- Zwang: Compulsion, force.
- Druckausübung: Applying pressure.
- Bedrängung: Harassment, pressing someone.
- (Androhung von) Gewalt: (Threat of) violence/force.
- Drohung: Threat.
Note: These synonyms might not capture the specific legal meaning of Nötigung.
Antonyms (Opposites):
- Freiwilligkeit: Voluntariness.
- Zustimmung: Consent, agreement.
- Einvernehmen: Mutual understanding, accord.
- Freie Willensentscheidung: Free will, free choice.
- Überzeugung: Persuasion (convincing someone through arguments, not force).
⚠️ Similar but Different Words:
- Erpressung: Extortion/blackmail (coercion for financial gain).
- Bedrohung: Threatening (threatening a crime without necessarily demanding an action).
- Beleidigung: Insult (defamatory statement).
😄 A Little Joke
Warum hat der Wecker eine Anzeige wegen Nötigung bekommen?
(Why did the alarm clock get reported for coercion?)
Weil er jeden Morgen mit Gewalt aus dem Schlaf droht! 😉
(Because it threatens you out of sleep with force every morning!)
✍️ Poem about Nötigung
Mit Drohung schwer, mit Zwang und Qual,
Wird fremder Wille zur fatalen Wahl.
Die Freiheit schwindet, eng wird der Raum,
Die Nötigung zerstört den Lebenstraum.
Das Recht tritt ein, setzt klare Grenzen,
Um Willkür und Gewalt zu schrenzen.
(With heavy threat, with force and pain,
Another's will becomes a fatal choice again.
Freedom vanishes, the space grows tight,
Coercion shatters life's own guiding light.
The law steps in, sets boundaries clear,
To curb arbitrariness and fear.)
❓ Riddle Time
Ich bin ein Zwang, doch nicht legitim,
Ich breche Willen, das ist schlimm.
Durch Drohung oder harte Hand,
Werd' ich im Strafgesetz benannt.
Was bin ich? Lösung: die Nötigung
(I am compulsion, but not allowed,
I break the will, it's bad, no doubt.
Through threat or by a forceful hand,
I'm named within the law of the land.
What am I?) (Answer: die Nötigung / coercion)
🌐 Further Information
Word Composition
The word "Nötigung" is formed by nominalizing the verb "nötigen" (to force, compel, urge someone) by adding the suffix "-ung". The verb "nötigen" itself derives from the adjective "nötig" (necessary).
Legal Significance
Die Nötigung is a core concept in German criminal law (§ 240 StGB). It protects an individual's freedom of decision-making and action (Freiheit der Willensentschließung und Willensbetätigung). Penalties range from fines to three years imprisonment, and potentially higher in particularly severe cases (besonders schwere Fälle).
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Nötigung?
The word "Nötigung" is feminine. The correct article is die Nötigung.