Membel
German NOUN B1 Rank 15660

das Anführungszeichen

quotation mark

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Meanings

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das Anführungszeichen

quotation mark

A punctuation mark that appears at the beginning and end of direct speech, a quotation, or a highlighted word or part of a text. In German, the forms „ “ or » « are usually used.

example

Der Titel des Buches steht in Anführungszeichen.

The title of the book is in quotation marks.

Visual example for Anführungszeichen: das Anführungszeichen

Usage tips

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near_synonym · confusable

Anführungszeichen vs sogenannt

so-called

'sogenannt' and 'in Anführungszeichen' can both show that you do not mean a term in a completely normal or completely serious way. 'sogenannt' is a word placed before an expression, for example before a technical term or a questionable label. 'Anführungszeichen' are actually punctuation marks. But the phrase 'in Anführungszeichen' is also used when you distance yourself from a word or mean it ironically. Learners may confuse the two because both can show distance from a term. 'sogenannt' fits directly in the sentence before the name or term; 'in Anführungszeichen' fits when you are talking about the spelling or the ironic meaning.

Visual example for sogenannt
Anführungszeichen

Finn setzt das Wort „Held“ in Anführungszeichen, weil er es ironisch meint.

Finn puts the word “hero” in quotation marks because he means it ironically.

sogenannt

Der sogenannte Experte konnte keine einfache Frage beantworten.

The so-called expert could not answer a simple question.

Open full lesson: sogenannt →

In real life

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