allgemein
general
Concerning all or most people or things; valid for everyone and not limited to a specific case.
EXAMPLE
Rauchen ist in öffentlichen Gebäuden allgemein verboten.
Smoking is generally prohibited in public buildings.
allgemein
general
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Meanings
allgemein
general
Not detailed or specific; vague or superficial.
EXAMPLE
Deine Kritik ist zu allgemein, du musst konkreter werden.
Your criticism is too general; you need to be more specific.
im Allgemeinen
in general
As a rule; mostly; normally.
EXAMPLE
Im Allgemeinen sind die Menschen hier sehr freundlich.
In general, the people here are very friendly.
Usage tips
Word structure
The word is made up of 'all' (all) and 'gemein'. Here, 'gemein' does not mean 'mean' or 'nasty', but rather 'shared' or 'common', as in the word 'Gemeinde' (community/municipality). So 'allgemein' literally means 'shared by all'.
EXAMPLE
Das ist eine Frage von allgemeinem Interesse.
That is a question of general interest.
Fixed expression
The expression 'im Allgemeinen' (in general) is a fixed adverbial phrase and means 'normally'. If it stands at the beginning of a sentence, the verb follows in position two (inversion).
EXAMPLE
Im Allgemeinen schließt das Geschäft um 18 Uhr.
In general, the shop closes at 6 p.m.
Typical collocations
Common combinations are 'allgemein bekannt' (generally known), 'allgemein gültig' (generally valid), or 'allgemein zugänglich' (generally accessible). It also occurs in fixed terms such as 'allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen' (general terms and conditions, AGB) or 'der allgemeine Wille' (the general will).
EXAMPLE
Es ist allgemein bekannt, dass Sport gesund ist.
It is generally known that exercise is healthy.
Context: criticism
In the meaning of 'not specific', 'allgemein' (general) is often used in a critical context, frequently intensified with 'zu' (too). A statement is then 'zu allgemein' (too general) to be useful.
EXAMPLE
Seine Antwort war mir zu allgemein, ich brauche mehr Details.
His answer was too general for me; I need more details.
Compare with
allgemein vs überhaupt
at all / generally
Überhaupt and im Allgemeinen can both generalize a statement. Im Allgemeinen describes what is usually or mostly true. überhaupt broadens the scope of the discussion more strongly and considers the topic as a whole. For a usual general case, im Allgemeinen is the better choice.
allgemein
Im Allgemeinen reagieren Menschen auf klare Regeln positiv.
In general, people respond positively to clear rules.
überhaupt
Überhaupt reagieren Menschen auf klare Regeln meist positiv.
In general, people usually respond positively to clear rules.
In real life
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