die
Partnerschaft
🤝 What does 'die Partnerschaft' mean?
Die Partnerschaft (noun, feminine) describes a relationship or association between two or more people, groups, or organizations based on cooperation, shared goals, or mutual support. It has various contexts:
- Personal relationship: Often a romantic relationship or domestic partnership between two people. Example: Sie führen eine glückliche Partnerschaft. (They have a happy partnership.)
- Business collaboration: An association of companies or individuals pursuing common economic interests. Example: Die beiden Firmen haben eine strategische Partnerschaft vereinbart. (The two companies agreed on a strategic partnership.)
- Legal form: A specific legal structure for freelancers in Germany (Partnerschaftsgesellschaft) or a registered civil partnership (eingetragene Lebenspartnerschaft).
The word derives from 'Partner' (partner) and the suffix '-schaft' indicates a community or state and makes the noun feminine (die).
Article rules for der, die, and das
-ft/ -schaft → almost always feminine.
All -schaft nouns are feminine, but not all -ft nouns are.
🧐 Grammar Spotlight: Die Partnerschaft
The word 'Partnerschaft' is a feminine noun. The definite article is always die.
| Case | Definite Article | Indefinite Article |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die Partnerschaft | eine Partnerschaft |
| Genitive | der Partnerschaft | einer Partnerschaft |
| Dative | der Partnerschaft | einer Partnerschaft |
| Accusative | die Partnerschaft | eine Partnerschaft |
| Case | Definite Article | No Indefinite Article |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die Partnerschaften | Partnerschaften |
| Genitive | der Partnerschaften | Partnerschaften |
| Dative | den Partnerschaften | Partnerschaften |
| Accusative | die Partnerschaften | Partnerschaften |
Example Sentences
- Unsere Partnerschaft basiert auf Vertrauen und Respekt. (Our partnership is based on trust and respect.)
- Der Erfolg der Partnerschaft hängt von beiden Seiten ab. (The success of the partnership depends on both sides.)
- Wir arbeiten in dieser Partnerschaft eng zusammen. (We work closely together in this partnership.)
- Sie haben eine Partnerschaft für das neue Projekt gegründet. (They founded a partnership for the new project.)
- Viele internationale Partnerschaften wurden auf der Konferenz besprochen. (Many international partnerships were discussed at the conference.)
💡 How to use 'Partnerschaft'?
The term 'Partnerschaft' is versatile:
- In private life: Often refers to a committed romantic relationship or domestic partnership, not necessarily marriage. Synonyms here: Beziehung (relationship), Lebensgemeinschaft (domestic partnership).
- In business/economics: Describes collaborations between companies, organizations, or individuals. You might hear about a strategische Partnerschaft (strategic partnership), a Geschäftspartnerschaft (business partnership), or a Medienpartnerschaft (media partnership).
- In legal contexts: Can refer to the 'eingetragene Lebenspartnerschaft' (registered civil partnership, formerly for same-sex couples in Germany) or the 'Partnerschaftsgesellschaft' (a specific legal entity for professionals/freelancers).
- Internationally: The term is also used in the context of Städtepartnerschaften (town twinning) or international cooperations.
⚠️ It's important to distinguish it from pure 'Freundschaft' (friendship, usually less binding than a personal partnership) or 'Ehe' (marriage, which has a legal and often religious framework).
🧠 Mnemonics for Partnerschaft
Remembering the article: Nouns ending in -schaft are almost always feminine in German. Think of: Freundschaft (friendship), Wissenschaft (science), Mannschaft (team)... and of course, Partnerschaft. They all take die! It's a reliable rule.Remembering the meaning: A Partner enters into a Gemeinschaft (community/union) = Partnerschaft. Whether it's love or business, you always need at least one partner for this '-schaft'!
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (similar meaning):
- Beziehung (relationship, more personal)
- Verbindung (connection, link, more general)
- Lebensgemeinschaft (domestic partnership, personal, often unmarried)
- Kooperation (cooperation, more business/technical)
- Zusammenarbeit (collaboration, general)
- Bündnis (alliance, pact, often political or strategic)
- Allianz (alliance, similar to Bündnis)
Antonyms (opposite meaning):
- Feindschaft (enmity, hostility)
- Trennung (separation)
- Scheidung (divorce, for marriage/registered partnership)
- Konkurrenz (competition, more business-related)
- Gegnerschaft (opposition, antagonism)
- Konflikt (conflict)
Similar but potentially misleading words: Mitgliedschaft (membership in a club/association), Gesellschaft (can mean society, a group of people, a legal company form, or society as a whole).
😂 A Little Joke
Warum ist eine Partnerschaft wie eine gute Tasse Kaffee?
Manchmal stark, manchmal süß, aber am besten heiß und täglich genossen! 😉
(Why is a partnership like a good cup of coffee?
Sometimes strong, sometimes sweet, but best enjoyed hot and daily!)
📜 Poem about Partnership
Zwei Herzen, zwei Seelen, ein gemeinsamer Pfad,
Die Partnerschaft trägt, was man alleine nicht hat.
Im Geschäft wie im Leben, Hand in Hand,
So baut man gemeinsam auf festem Sand.Mal stürmisch, mal leise, doch immer vereint,
Ein Band, das verbindet, wie es scheint.
(Two hearts, two souls, a common path,
The partnership carries what one alone lacks.
In business as in life, hand in hand,
Thus one builds together on solid sand.
Sometimes stormy, sometimes quiet, yet always united,
A bond that connects, as it seems lighted.)
❓ Riddle Time
Ich kann Liebe sein, doch auch Geschäft.
Ich brauche zwei (oder mehr) mit Kraft.
Ich wachse durch Vertrauen, Tag für Tag,
Und trage den Artikel 'die', keine Frag'.
Was bin ich?
→ Die Partnerschaft
(I can be love, but also business.
I need two (or more) with strength.
I grow through trust, day by day,
And carry the article 'die', no question, no sway.
What am I?
→ The partnership)
🧩 Other Details
Word Composition: The word 'Partnerschaft' is composed of:
- Partner: The person(s) or entity(ies) involved. The word originally comes from English ('partner'), before that from Old French ('parçener' - sharer) and Latin ('partitio' - division).
- -schaft: A suffix indicating a state, relationship, or group of people (as in Freundschaft - friendship, Gesellschaft - society). It makes the noun feminine.
Cultural Aspects: The understanding of 'Partnerschaft', especially in the personal realm, has evolved over time and can differ culturally.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Partnerschaft?
The German word Partnerschaft is a feminine noun. Therefore, the correct article is always die. You say die Partnerschaft (in singular) and die Partnerschaften (in plural).