die
Schuldigkeit
🧐 What does 'die Schuldigkeit' mean?
Die Schuldigkeit is a feminine German noun meaning obligation, duty, or debt (something owed). It essentially refers to what one is schuldig
(indebted, obliged, guilty) to do or give.
- Moral/Social Duty: Something one ought to do out of decency, conscience, or social expectation (e.g., helping someone).
- Obligation/Due: A task or responsibility that falls to someone. Often heard in the phrase
seine Schuldigkeit tun
(to do one's duty). - Debt (financial): Something that needs to be repaid financially. This meaning is somewhat dated but still exists.
🚨 It always takes the article die because it's a feminine noun ending in -keit. There are no article variations for this word.
Article rules for der, die, and das
-keit → always feminine.
📐 Grammar Deep Dive: Die Schuldigkeit
Die Schuldigkeit is a feminine noun. Nouns ending in -keit are almost always feminine in German.
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Schuldigkeit |
| Genitive | der | Schuldigkeit |
| Dative | der | Schuldigkeit |
| Accusative | die | Schuldigkeit |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Schuldigkeiten |
| Genitive | der | Schuldigkeiten |
| Dative | den | Schuldigkeiten |
| Accusative | die | Schuldigkeiten |
Example Sentences
💡 Using Schuldigkeit in Context
Die Schuldigkeit is often used in contexts involving duties, responsibilities, or settling debts/obligations.
- Seine Schuldigkeit tun: A very common idiom meaning to do one's duty or to do what is expected, often implying fulfilling a basic requirement rather than acting out of great enthusiasm. Example:
Er hat nur seine Schuldigkeit getan.
(He just did his duty.) - Formal Contexts: The word can sound a bit more formal or slightly old-fashioned compared to the more common word Pflicht (duty). It often emphasizes the aspect of something being
owed
. - Difference from Pflicht: While Pflicht often describes a general or professional duty (e.g., a doctor's duty), Schuldigkeit can be more specific to a single, often necessary action or a moral debt/obligation.
- Plural form: The plural Schuldigkeiten is used less frequently, usually meaning liabilities, debts, or duties (often financial).
🧠 Memory Hooks
Article Mnemonic: Remember that German nouns ending in -keit (like Freundlichkeit, Sauberkeit) are feminine. So, it's die Schuldigkeit!
Meaning Mnemonic: Think of the related word Schuld (guilt, debt). What are you schuldig (indebted/obliged) to do? Your Schuldigkeit! It's what you owe it to someone or society to do.
↔️ Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (Similar Meaning):
- Pflicht: (Duty) - Very common, general obligation.
- Verpflichtung: (Obligation, commitment) - Often formal, legally or morally binding.
- Obliegenheit: (Duty, responsibility) - Rather formal, a task falling to someone.
- Verbindlichkeit: (Liability, obligation) - Often in a financial or contractual sense.
- Gebot: (Commandment, dictate) - Strong moral or religious duty.
- (die) Schuld: (Debt, guilt) - Can be synonymous in the context of owing something.
Antonyms (Opposite Meaning):
Potential Confusion:
Be careful not to confuse Schuldigkeit (the duty/obligation) with Schuld (guilt/fault or financial debt), although they are related. Schuldigkeit refers more to the act or state of being obliged.
😂 A Little Joke
Warum hat der Besen seine Schuldigkeit getan?
Weil er den Staub ausgekehrt hat!
(Why did the broom do its duty?
Because it swept out [ausgekehrt] the dust! - A pun, as 'auskehren' means 'to sweep out' and sounds a bit like 'ausgekehrt' meaning 'turned out' or 'returned', implying paying back a debt/duty.)
📜 A Poem about Schuldigkeit
Die Schuldigkeit, ein ernstes Wort,
ruft uns zur Pflicht an diesem Ort.
Ob klein, ob groß, was an uns liegt,
sei treu erfüllt, bis es versiegt.
Ein jeder leistet seinen Teil,
dann wird der Welt gemeinsam heil.
(Duty, a serious word,
Calls us to obligation in this place.
Whether small or large, whatever falls to us,
Be faithfully fulfilled until it ceases.
Everyone contributes their part,
Then the world will become whole together.)
🧩 Riddle
Ich bin feminin und trage die Pflicht,
man tut mich oft, auch wenn's nicht leicht.
Manchmal bin ich Geld, das man entricht',
manchmal nur Anstand, der die Sitten reicht.
Was bin ich?
(I am feminine and carry the duty,
One often does me, even when it's not easy.
Sometimes I am money that one pays,
Sometimes just propriety that suffices for customs.
What am I?)
(Answer: die Schuldigkeit)
🌐 Other Information
Word Composition
The word Schuldigkeit is derived from the adjective schuldig (guilty, indebted, due) using the suffix -keit. This suffix is used to form feminine nouns from adjectives, typically describing a quality, state, or behavior (e.g., Fröhlichkeit - happiness, Einsamkeit - loneliness).
Common Phrase
The idiom seine Schuldigkeit tun
is very common and means to do one's duty or fulfill one's obligation, often implying doing what's required without particular enthusiasm, but correctly.
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Schuldigkeit?
The German word Schuldigkeit is feminine. The correct article is always die: die Schuldigkeit.