assumption / acceptance
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assumption
A supposition or hypothesis; something that one believes to be true without having final proof of it.
Meine Annahme war falsch, das Experiment hat ein anderes Ergebnis gezeigt.
My assumption was wrong; the experiment showed a different result.
acceptance
The act of accepting or receiving something, for example a delivery, an offer, or a gift.
Die Annahme von Paketen ist nur bis 16 Uhr möglich.
The acceptance of packages is only possible until 4 p.m.
adoption
Formal approval of a proposal, law, or motion, for example in a vote.
Die Annahme des Gesetzentwurfs erfolgte mit knapper Mehrheit.
The adoption of the draft law took place by a narrow majority.
adoption
The legal act of taking in a child as one's own; adoption.
Das Paar hat die Annahme eines Kindes aus dem Ausland beantragt.
The couple applied for the adoption of a child from abroad.
'Die Annahme' is the noun form of the separable verb 'annehmen' (to assume / to accept). The different meanings of the noun (to suppose, to accept) reflect the meanings of the verb.
Ich nehme an, dass du morgen auch zur Party kommst.
I assume that you are coming to the party tomorrow too.
The context makes the meaning clear. If it is about an idea, it refers to an assumption. If it is about a package, it refers to receiving it. In a political context, it refers to approval of a law.
Die Annahme des Pakets wurde vom Nachbarn quittiert.
The acceptance of the package was confirmed by the neighbor.
The fixed phrase 'unter der Annahme, dass ...' (under the assumption that ...) introduces a subordinate clause. It expresses that the following statement is based on an assumption.
Wir planten die Reise unter der Annahme, dass das Wetter gut sein würde.
We planned the trip under the assumption that the weather would be good.
In the sense of 'Vermutung' (assumption), 'Annahme' is often combined with verbs such as 'sich bestätigen' (to be confirmed) or 'sich als falsch erweisen' (to turn out to be wrong). The phrase 'von einer Annahme ausgehen' (to proceed on the basis of an assumption) is also common.
Leider hat sich meine ursprüngliche Annahme nicht bestätigt.
Unfortunately, my original assumption was not confirmed.
A very common and useful expression is 'die Annahme verweigern' (to refuse acceptance). It is used when, for example, you do not want to accept a package or delivery.
Da das Paket beschädigt war, habe ich die Annahme verweigert.
Since the package was damaged, I refused acceptance.
In the meaning of 'Adoption' (adoption), 'Annahme eines Kindes' (adoption of a child) or 'Annahme an Kindes statt' (adoption as one's child) is a very formal, legal expression. It is mainly used in official documents.
Das Gericht muss der Annahme des Kindes noch zustimmen.
The court still has to approve the adoption of the child.
theory
Both words can refer to an explanation or idea that has not yet been proven. Annahme can simply assume that something is likely or true, without giving rise to a fully developed model. In this area, Theorie usually refers to a more developed conceptual explanation. Use Annahme for a single assumption and Theorie for the broader context.
Unsere Annahme war, dass der Bus wegen des starken Regens später kommt.
Our assumption was that the bus would arrive late because of the heavy rain.
Seine Theorie erklärt, warum die Pflanzen in diesem Raum besonders schnell wachsen.
His theory explains why the plants in this room grow particularly quickly.
