die
Schuld
🤔 What does "die Schuld" mean?
The German word die Schuld primarily has two meanings:
Responsibility for something negative (Guilt, Fault, Blame): This refers to moral or legal responsibility for a mistake, an offense, or damage. It's about the cause or reason for a negative event.
- Example: Wer hat die Schuld an dem Unfall? (Who is at fault for the accident?)
- Example: Er gestand seine Schuld. (He confessed his guilt.)
Financial Obligation (Debt): In this sense, "Schuld" refers to an obligation to repay money or provide another service. The plural form die Schulden is very commonly used here.
- Example: Er hat hohe Schulden bei der Bank. (He has high debts at the bank.)
- Example: Sie muss ihre Schulden begleichen. (She has to settle her debts.)
🚨 Attention: Although the singular "die Schuld" can be used for financial obligations (e.g., "eine Schuld begleichen" - to settle a debt), the plural "die Schulden" is far more common in this context.
🧐 Grammar of "die Schuld" in Detail
Die Schuld is a feminine noun. It is mainly used in the singular when referring to guilt or fault. The plural die Schulden almost exclusively refers to financial debts.
Declension Singular (Schuld = Guilt/Fault)
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Schuld |
| Genitive | der | Schuld |
| Dative | der | Schuld |
| Accusative | die | Schuld |
Declension Plural (Schulden = Debts)
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Schulden |
| Genitive | der | Schulden |
| Dative | den | Schulden |
| Accusative | die | Schulden |
💡 Example Sentences
- (Responsibility/Fault) Die Frage nach der Schuld muss geklärt werden. (The question of fault must be clarified.)
- (Responsibility/Fault) Er gibt immer anderen die Schuld. (He always blames others.)
- (Finance) Die Firma hat hohe Schulden angehäuft. (The company has accumulated large debts.)
- (Finance) Ich möchte meine Schuld bei dir begleichen. (I want to settle my debt with you.) (Singular possible here for a specific debt amount)
- (Expression) Es ist nicht meine Schuld! (It's not my fault!)
💬 How to use "die Schuld"?
The usage of die Schuld heavily depends on the context:
- Moral/Legal context: Often used in discussions about responsibility, mistakes, and consequences. Typical expressions include:
- Schuld haben: to be at fault/guilty (Er hat Schuld an dem Chaos. - He is at fault for the chaos.)
- jemandem die Schuld geben: to blame someone (Gib nicht mir die Schuld! - Don't blame me!)
- sich schuldig fühlen: to feel guilty
- außer Schuld sein: to be innocent/blameless
- Financial context: Here, the plural die Schulden dominates. It refers to borrowed money or outstanding payments.
- Schulden machen: to incur debts
- in Schulden stecken/ertrinken: to be heavily in debt
- Schulden begleichen/zurückzahlen: to pay back debts
Distinction: While die Schuld often carries a negative connotation (having done something wrong), die Verantwortung (responsibility) is more neutral and describes a duty or accountability.
🧠 Mnemonics for "die Schuld"
For the article "die": Think of die Last (the burden) or die Verantwortung (the responsibility) – both are feminine in German, just like die Schuld. Feeling guilt or having debt can feel like a burden.
For the meanings (Guilt/Debt): Imagine someone feels guilty because they should (sounds like Schuld) pay back their debts. Or think: If you default on your debt (Schulden), you might take the blame (Schuld).
🔁 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
- For Schuld (fault/guilt):
- das Verschulden (culpability, more formal)
- die Verantwortung (responsibility, more neutral)
- das Vergehen, die Missetat (offense, misdeed, stronger terms)
- der Fehler (mistake)
- For Schuld (debt, often plural "Schulden"):
- die Verbindlichkeit(en) (liability/liabilities)
- die Verpflichtung(en) (obligation(s))
- das Minus, das Defizit (deficit)
- die Lasten (burdens, figurative for debts)
⚠️ Similar Words
- schuldig (adjective): means "guilty" or "owing money". (Er ist schuldig. - He is guilty/He owes money.)
- entschuldigen (verb): to apologize, to excuse. (Entschuldigen Sie die Störung. - Excuse the interruption.)
- die Entschuldigung (noun): the apology or the excuse (e.g., for an absence).
😄 A Little Joke
Warum nehmen Skelette keine Kredite auf?
Weil sie keine Schulden im Jenseits haben wollen!
(Why don't skeletons take out loans?
Because they don't want to have any debts in the afterlife!)
📜 Poem about Schuld
Die Schuld, ein Schatten, schwer und kalt,
Mal ist's die Tat, mal Geld, das fehlt im Halt.
Sie drückt die Seele, raubt den Schlaf,
Ob leise Reue oder lauter Straf'.
Doch trägt man sie, erkennt man an,
Kann neuer Anfang werden dann.
(Guilt/Debt, a shadow, heavy and cold,
Sometimes the deed, sometimes money not controlled.
It presses the soul, steals sleep away,
Whether quiet remorse or loud penalty's sway.
But if one bears it, acknowledges the plight,
A new beginning can then come to light.)
🧩 Riddle
Ich kann drücken wie ein Stein,
oder nur geliehen sein.
Mancher gibt mich gerne weiter,
bin selten ein Freudensbegleiter.
Was bin ich?
(I can weigh you down like stone,
or simply be on loan.
Some like to pass me on to others,
I'm rarely a bringer of joys or lovers.
What am I?)
Solution: die Schuld (guilt/debt)
📌 More Information
- Word Family: Schuld belongs to a word family including schuldig (adjective - guilty/owing), entschuldigen (verb - to apologize), die Entschuldigung (noun - apology/excuse), verschulden (verb - to cause through fault, to get into debt), die Überschuldung (noun - over-indebtedness).
- Etymology: The word derives from the Old High German "sculd," which originally meant "duty, obligation, should." Both the financial and moral meanings developed from this root.
- Idioms: There are numerous German idioms with "Schuld," e.g., "Schulden wie Scheiterbeigen haben" (lit. to have debts like log piles = to be heavily in debt), "in jemandes Schuld stehen" (lit. to stand in someone's debt = to be indebted to someone, often for a favour).
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Schuld?
The correct article for "Schuld" is die. The word means either guilt/fault/blame (responsibility for something negative) or debt (a financial obligation, often used in plural: die Schulden).