agreement
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agreement
A usually verbal and informal agreement between two or more people about a certain behavior or service.
Unsere Abmachung war, dass du heute den Abwasch machst.
Our agreement was that you would do the dishes today.
The noun 'die Abmachung' (agreement) is derived from the verb 'abmachen' (to agree on / to arrange). The ending '-ung' turns the verb into a feminine noun that describes the result of the action.
Wir müssen noch etwas für das Wochenende abmachen.
We still need to arrange something for the weekend.
An 'Abmachung' (agreement) is usually an informal, often verbal agreement, for example between friends or family members. It is typically used in everyday life and not for official legal matters.
Die Kinder hatten die Abmachung, dass jeder einmal mit dem neuen Spielzeug spielen darf.
The children had the agreement that everyone would get a turn playing with the new toy.
Common verbs used with 'Abmachung' (agreement) are: eine Abmachung 'treffen' (to make/reach an agreement), sich an eine Abmachung 'halten' (to stick to an agreement), or eine Abmachung 'brechen' (to break an agreement).
Er hat sich nicht an unsere Abmachung gehalten.
He did not stick to our agreement.
When naming the partners and the topic of the agreement, you use the prepositions 'mit' (with, dative) for the person and 'über' (about, accusative) for the content.
Ich habe mit meinem Bruder die Abmachung getroffen, dass er das Auto am Samstag bekommt.
I made the agreement with my brother that he gets the car on Saturday.
contract
'der Vertrag' and 'die Abmachung' both describe people agreeing on something. 'der Vertrag' is formal, usually written, and legally binding. 'die Abmachung' is usually verbal and informal. It fits well between friends, colleagues, or in simple everyday situations. Learners may confuse the words because both mean an agreement. When something is official and legally important, you say 'Vertrag'. When it is about a personal or simple rule, 'Abmachung' sounds more natural.
Unsere Abmachung war, dass jeder einmal pro Woche die Küche putzt.
Our agreement was that each person would clean the kitchen once a week.
Der Vertrag ist gültig, sobald beide Seiten unterschrieben haben.
The contract is valid as soon as both sides have signed it.