German nouns ending in -schaft are generally words for qualities, conditions, or collective groups. These nouns are always feminine and can be derived from nouns, adjectives, or verbs.

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One English suffix that is similar is "-ship," like in the words "friendship," "championship," and "membership."

Hat es eure Freundschaft verändert?

Has it changed your friendship?

Caption 10, Die Wohngemeinschaft: Probleme

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Also, wir waren letztes Wochenende auch auf der deutschen Meisterschaft.

Well, we were at the German championships last weekend.

Caption 40, Geoökologie: Cettina interviewt Sarah

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... hat Großbritannien formal den Europäischen Rat darüber zu unterrichten, dass es seine Mitgliedschaft beenden möchte.

...Great Britain must formally inform the European Council that it would like to end its membership.

Captions 2-3, Brexit-Votum: Merkel warnt vor Spaltung Europas

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However, German words for nouns as diverse as "the message" and "the landscape" also end with -schaft (see "Further Learning" below!), so mainly it's a matter of learning them individually rather than expecting a pattern. At the same time, there are a few clusters of words for related concepts:

Die internationale Gemeinschaft bemüht sich um Friedensverhandlungen.

The international community is trying to negotiate peace.

Caption 67, Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten: Künstliche Intelligenz und Nahostkonflikt

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Da das Wasser in meiner Nachbarschaft ziemlich hart ist, gebe ich noch etwas Weichspüler in die Waschmaschine.

Since the water in my neighborhood is quite hard, I additionally put some fabric softener in the washing machine.

Captions 14-15, Wäsche waschen: mit Eva

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Sie ist wichtig für ein gutes Miteinander in der Gesellschaft.

It is important for good coexistence in society.

Caption 32, Bundesregierung: Wie geht Raumordnung?

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And to conclude, here are two examples of nouns ending in -schaft that are derived from adjectives: 

Wir erwarten von Ihnen außerdem Bereitschaft zu umfänglicher Reisetätigkeit.

We additionally expect you to be open to extensive travel activity.

Caption 13, Bundestagswahl – Stellenanzeige: Bundeskanzler gesucht

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Und eine Schwangerschaft ist übrigens kein Grund, nicht mitzuhelfen.

And pregnancy is no reason not to help.

Caption 18, Nicos Weg: Partnerschaft

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Further Learning
There are many more nouns ending with -schaft that you can look for on Yabla German, including die Botschaft, die Eigenschaft, die Landschaft, die Mannschaft, die Wirtschaft, and die Wissenschaft. 

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for our next lesson, and send your topic suggestions to [email protected].

Today we will look at a unique, but somewhat confusing German word: the conjunctive adverb zwar. Mainly confusing because it doesn’t have a single equivalent in English, it’s a word that can be used to create more expressive German sentences — a great word to know!

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First of all, zwar can be used when making a clarification. Where we would use "namely," "that is," or "indeed" in English, in German you often see the phrase und zwar.

Zu seinem einhundertfünfundneunzigsten Geburtstag hat der Philosoph seine Geburtsstadt Trier erobert, und zwar gleich in fünfhundertfacher Ausführung.

For his one hundred ninety-fifth birthday, the philosopher has conquered his birth city of Trier, namely, in the form of five hundred duplicate copies.

Captions 3-5, „Mini-Marxe“: In Trier

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Wir beobachten aber auch, dass sich die Welt verändert, und zwar in rasantem Tempo.

We also observe, however, that the world is changing, and indeed at a rapid pace.

Caption 17, Angela Merkel: Gemeinsame Pressekonferenz mit Barack Obama

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Heute kochen wir ein niedersächsisches Gericht, und zwar eine Hochzeitssuppe.

Today we are cooking a Lower Saxon dish: namely, a wedding soup.

Captions 2-3, Bundesländer und ihre Rezepte: Niedersachsen

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Secondly, zwar can be used to express limitations or contradictions. In these sentences, zwar is in the limiting first statement, which is then followed by a contradictory statement beginning with an adverb like aber, allerdings, or doch. Let's have a look:

Die Raumordnung kann zwar nicht alle Konflikte lösen, aber sie kann als eine neutrale, übergeordnete Größe vieles steuern und anstoßen.

Spatial planning may not be able to resolve all conflicts, but as a neutral, superordinate variable, it can control and initiate many things.

Captions 53-54, Bundesregierung DE: Wie geht Raumordnung?

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Sie darf zwar nicht so lange draußen bleiben wie die Rentiere, aber dafür kann sie alles essen, was der Boden so hergibt.

Admittedly, she's not allowed to stay outside as long as the reindeer, but instead, she can eat everything the ground may happen to yield.

Captions 33-34, Im Zoo: Tiere im Winter

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Das Telefon klingelt zwar ab und zu, aber meistens höre ich nichts.

The phone does ring every now and then, but most of the time I don't hear anything.

Captions 32-33, Marius Müller-Westernhagen: Der Mann auf der Mauer

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Köln ist zwar die Stadt mit den meisten Einwohnern, aber die Landeshauptstadt ist Düsseldorf.

Although Cologne is the city with the most inhabitants, the state capital is Düsseldorf.

Captions 19-20, Bundesländer und ihre Rezepte: Nordrhein-Westfalen

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As you can see, there is not a single equivalent for this in English, but the meaning is essentially that of "although." Additionally, zwar adds emphasis to a statement.

Further Learning
Now that you have a sense of how zwar is used, try integrating it when you speak German. There are many more examples on Yabla German that you can look at as well.