affair
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affair
A secret sexual or romantic relationship, especially when at least one of the people involved is married or in a committed relationship.
Sie beendete die Affäre, als sie merkte, dass er seine Frau niemals verlassen würde.
She ended the affair when she realized that he would never leave his wife.
'Affäre' can, like the English 'affair', mean a secret romantic relationship. In German, however, it is also used much more often for a public scandal (e.g., 'eine politische Affäre' — a political scandal) or an unpleasant matter.
Die Watergate-Affäre führte zum Rücktritt des US-Präsidenten.
The Watergate affair led to the resignation of the U.S. president.
When it refers to a romantic relationship, 'Affäre' (affair) is often combined with the verbs 'eine Affäre haben' (to have an affair), 'eine Affäre anfangen' (to start an affair), or 'eine Affäre beenden' (to end an affair).
Er hat eine Affäre mit seiner Kollegin.
He is having an affair with his colleague.
In the meaning of 'Skandal' (scandal), '-affäre' is a very productive word element. It is often attached to another noun to name the type of scandal, e.g., 'Bau-Affäre' (construction scandal), 'Spionage-Affäre' (espionage scandal), or 'Daten-Affäre' (data scandal).
Die Zeitung deckte eine große Finanz-Affäre auf.
The newspaper uncovered a major financial scandal.
In the meaning of 'Angelegenheit' (matter), the word is often used colloquially and slightly disparagingly. It is then frequently combined with a possessive pronoun: 'Das ist deine Affäre!' (That's your affair!).
Ich will mit dieser peinlichen Affäre nichts zu tun haben.
I don't want to have anything to do with this embarrassing affair.
case / fall
'der Fall' and 'die Affäre' can both mean a matter or a specific event. But 'der Fall' is much more neutral and broader. It can simply be a situation or a matter that the police or a court are investigating. 'die Affäre' sounds more like something unpleasant, secret, or public. It is often about a scandal or a secret relationship. Learners may confuse the words because both can talk about incidents. If it should sound neutral or official, 'Fall' usually fits. If it sounds like a scandal or public attention, 'Affäre' is more likely to fit.
Heute berichtet die Zeitung wieder über die Affäre des bekannten Politikers.
Today the newspaper is reporting again on the affair involving the well-known politician.
Die Polizei prüft den Fall noch und gibt später neue Informationen.
The police are still reviewing the case and will provide new information later.