die  Verteilung

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/fɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯lʊŋ/

🌍 What does "die Verteilung" mean?

The word die Verteilung (noun, feminine) describes the process or result of distributing, allocating, or arranging things, resources, tasks, or even abstract concepts among several recipients, places, or categories.

Main meanings:

• Allocation/Issuance: The act of giving or assigning shares. Example: Die Verteilung der Hilfsgüter (The distribution of relief supplies).
• Distribution/Spread: The way something is spatially or statistically arranged or spread out. Example: Die räumliche Verteilung der Bevölkerung (The spatial distribution of the population); die statistische Verteilung von Datenpunkten (the statistical distribution of data points).
• Disposition/Arrangement: The planned division or structuring. Example: Die Verteilung der Kapitel in einem Buch (The arrangement of chapters in a book).

🚨 There is only the feminine article die for Verteilung.

Article rules for der, die, and das

📚 Grammar Deep Dive: Die Verteilung

"Verteilung" is a feminine noun. Here are the declension tables:

Example Sentences 💡

1. Die gerechte Verteilung der Ressourcen ist ein wichtiges politisches Ziel.
   (The fair distribution of resources is an important political goal.)
2. Die statistische Verteilung der Testergebnisse zeigte eine Normalverteilung.
   (The statistical distribution of the test results showed a normal distribution.)
3. Der Lehrer übernahm die Verteilung der Aufgaben in der Klasse.
   (The teacher took over the distribution of tasks in the class.)
4. Wir müssen die Verteilung der Arbeitslast im Team überdenken.
   (We need to rethink the distribution of the workload in the team.)

🤔 How and When to Use "die Verteilung"?

"Die Verteilung" is a versatile word used in various contexts:

• Economics & Politics: Often refers to the Verteilung (distribution) of income, wealth, goods, or power (e.g., Einkommensverteilung - income distribution, Lastenverteilung - burden sharing).
• Logistics & Commerce: Describes the physical Verteilung (distribution) of goods from manufacturer to customer (e.g., Warenverteilung - goods distribution, Vertrieb - sales/distribution).
• Mathematics & Statistics: Refers to the frequency or probability with which certain values or events occur (e.g., Normalverteilung - normal distribution, Wahrscheinlichkeitsverteilung - probability distribution).
• Technology: Can describe the Verteilung (distribution) of loads, signals, or energy (e.g., Lastverteilung - load distribution, Spannungsverteilung - voltage distribution).
• Everyday Life: We also speak of Verteilung in daily life, e.g., the Verteilung of chores in the household or the Verteilung of cake slices at a party.

Related verbs are verteilen (to distribute) and sich verteilen (to spread out).

Distinction: While Verteilung describes the process or result, Vertrieb refers more specifically to the commercial sales and distribution of products.

🧠 Mnemonics for Verteilung

Article Mnemonic: Nouns ending in "-ung" in German are almost always feminine. Think of the typical feminine ending "-ung"! So it's die Verteilung.

Meaning Mnemonic: Imagine you have many Teile (parts - like in Ver-teil-ung) and you dis-tribute them to various people. That's die Verteilung.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Be cautious with Vertrieb: Refers more strongly to the sales process and logistics in trade, but is closely related.

😂 A Little Joke

Warum hat der Mathematiker Probleme bei der Verteilung des Kuchens?
Weil er immer versucht, die Wurzel aus π Stücken zu ziehen! 🥧

(Why does the mathematician have trouble with the distribution of the cake?
Because he always tries to take the square root of π pieces!)

📜 Poem about Verteilung

Die Sonne schickt ihr Licht ins Land,
'ne faire Verteilung, Hand in Hand.
Mal hier ein Strahl, mal dort ein Schein,
So soll gerechtes Teilen sein.

Ob Reichtum, Wissen oder Glück,
Die Verteilung formt das Weltgeschick.
Ein jeder braucht sein kleines Stück.

(The sun sends its light into the land,
A fair distribution, hand in hand.
A ray here, a gleam there,
That's how just sharing should fare.

Whether wealth, knowledge, or luck,
The distribution shapes the world's truck.
Everyone needs their little tuck.)

❓ Riddle

Ich sorge dafür, dass jeder was kriegt,
ob Güter, Aufgaben, was auf dem Tische liegt.
In Mathe zeig ich, wie Daten sich streuen,
in Wirtschaft, wie sich die Mittel erneuen.

Mal bin ich gerecht, mal ganz schön schief,
doch ohne mich wär's oft recht primitiv.

Was bin ich?

(I make sure everyone gets something,
whether goods, tasks, what lies on the table brings.
In math, I show how data spreads around,
in economics, how resources abound.

Sometimes I'm fair, sometimes quite skewed,
but without me, life would often be crude.

What am I?)

Solution: die Verteilung (the distribution)

✨ Other Interesting Info

Word Formation:

The word "Verteilung" is a noun derived from the verb "verteilen" (to distribute). It consists of:

• The prefix "ver-" (often indicating change or dispersal)
• The stem of the verb "teilen" (to share, to divide)
• The suffix "-ung", which forms nouns indicating an action, process, or result, and makes the noun feminine.

Related Terms: Umverteilung (redistribution), Verteilungsschlüssel (distribution key/formula), Verteilungsnetz (distribution network, e.g., for electricity or water).