die  Wendung

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈvɛndʊŋ/

📖 What exactly does "die Wendung" mean?

Die Wendung is a feminine noun with several meanings:

• 🔄 Change of direction/Turn: A physical change of direction or a turn. Example: die Wendung eines Schiffes (the turning of a ship).
• 📈 Turning point/Twist: A significant change in the course of events, a story, or a situation. Often unexpected. Example: Die Geschichte nahm eine überraschende Wendung (The story took a surprising turn/twist). Das Spiel erlebte in der zweiten Halbzeit eine entscheidende Wendung (The game saw a decisive turn in the second half).
• 🗣️ Phrase/Idiom: A fixed expression or linguistic phrase with a specific meaning (idiom). Example: "unter Dach und Fach bringen" ist eine feste Wendung ("to wrap things up" is a fixed phrase).

⚠️ Pay attention to the context to understand the correct meaning!

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar in Detail: Die Wendung

"Wendung" is a feminine noun. The article is die.

Example Sentences

1. Die schnelle Wendung des Tänzers beeindruckte das Publikum.
   (The dancer's quick turn impressed the audience.)
2. Niemand hatte mit dieser politischen Wendung gerechnet.
   (Nobody had expected this political turn of events.)
3. Er benutzte oft altmodische Wendungen beim Sprechen.
   (He often used old-fashioned phrases when speaking.)
4. Die Wendung zum Guten erfüllte alle mit Hoffnung.
   (The turn for the better filled everyone with hope.)

💡 How "die Wendung" is used

The term "die Wendung" is used in various contexts:

• In everyday life: Describing changes in life, e.g., "eine Wendung zum Besseren" (a turn for the better).
• In stories/films: Referring to a plot twist or an unexpected development in the plot ("eine dramatische Wendung" - a dramatic turn).
• In language: As a synonym for idiom or expression ("eine gebräuchliche Wendung" - a common phrase).
• Technically/Physically: Describing a turn or change of course (e.g., in sailing or dancing).

Typical collocations (word combinations) include:

• eine überraschende/unerwartete/entscheidende Wendung nehmen (to take a surprising/unexpected/decisive turn)
• eine glückliche/positive/negative Wendung (a fortunate/positive/negative turn)
• eine feste/stehende Wendung (a fixed/set phrase)
• eine Wendung um 180 Grad (a 180-degree turn, a U-turn)

Compared to "Änderung" (change), "Wendung" often implies a larger, more significant, or more surprising shift. "Kehre" or "Kehrtwendung" emphasize the reversal of direction more strongly.

🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids

Article Mnemonic (die): Many German nouns ending in -ung are feminine, including die Wendung. Think of the -ung ending as needing the feminine article 'die'. Imagine an elegant woman ('die Frau') making a turn ('Wendung').

Meaning Mnemonic (turn, twist, phrase): Think of the English verb "to wend" (an old-fashioned word for 'go' or 'travel'). You can 'wend' your way, changing direction (turn/physical Wendung). A story can 'wend' its way to an unexpected point (twist/narrative Wendung). You can also 'bend' words into phrases (linguistic Wendung).

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

Similar but potentially confusing words:

• Die Wende: Often refers specifically to the political change in Germany 1989/90 (fall of the Berlin Wall, reunification), but can also generally mean a turning point.
• Der Wandel: Tends to describe a more gradual process of change or transformation.

😄 A Little Joke

Warum nehmen unentschlossene Menschen nie an Tanzkursen teil?
Sie fürchten sich vor der entscheidenden Wendung! 😉

(Why do indecisive people never take dancing lessons?
They are afraid of the decisive turn!)

✍️ Poem about "die Wendung"

Das Leben fließt, ein steter Lauf,
Mal sanft bergab, mal steil bergauf.
Doch plötzlich kommt, man ahnt es kaum,
Die Wendung – wie ein jäher Traum.

Ein Wort gesagt, ein Blick, ein Schritt,
Nimmt alles eine Richtung mit,
Die neu, die anders, fremd erscheint,
Ob gut, ob schlecht, oft unvereint.

So ist's im Buch, so ist's im Spiel,
Die Wendung bringt ans neue Ziel.

(Life flows, a steady course,
Sometimes gently downhill, sometimes steeply uphill.
But suddenly it comes, hardly anticipated,
The turn – like an abrupt dream.

A word spoken, a glance, a step,
Takes everything in a direction,
That seems new, different, strange,
Whether good or bad, often disjointed.

So it is in the book, so it is in the game,
The turn leads to the new goal.)

❓ Little Riddle

Ich ändere die Richtung im Tanz und im Nu,
Ich bringe im Film den entscheidenden Clou.
Als fester Ausdruck steh ich im Satz,
Manchmal überraschend, ein sprachlicher Schatz.

Was bin ich?
(I change direction in dance and in a flash,
I bring the crucial twist in the film.
As a fixed expression, I stand in the sentence,
Sometimes surprising, a linguistic treasure.

What am I?) Lösung/Solution: die Wendung

🧩 Other Information

Word Formation:

The word "Wendung" is a derivation (nominalization) from the verb "wenden" (to turn, change) using the suffix "-ung". The suffix "-ung" is frequently used in German to form feminine nouns from verbs, typically denoting the process or result of the action.

Cultural Significance:

The term "die Wende" (closely related to "Wendung") holds special historical significance in Germany, referring to the events surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and reunification in 1990. This illustrates how strongly the concept of a "Wendung" as a profound change can be embedded in collective consciousness.