der Augenkontakt
eye contact
The direct gaze between two or more people in which they look each other in the eyes.
EXAMPLE
Während des Gesprächs hielt sie stets den Augenkontakt.
She maintained eye contact throughout the conversation.
der Augenkontakt
eye contact
der Augenkontakt, die Augenkontakte
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Augenkontakt, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Augenkontakte |
| genitive | des Augenkontaktes |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Augenkontakt | die Augenkontakte |
| accusative | den Augenkontakt | die Augenkontakte |
| dative | dem Augenkontakt | den Augenkontakten |
| genitive | des Augenkontaktes des Augenkontakts | der Augenkontakte |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Compound word
'Augenkontakt' is made up of 'Augen' (eyes) and 'Kontakt' (contact). It therefore refers to contact created by looking into someone's eyes.
EXAMPLE
Beim ersten Treffen entstand sofort ein angenehmer Augenkontakt.
They immediately established pleasant eye contact when they first met.
Typical collocations
'Augenkontakt' is often used with the verbs 'halten' (to maintain), 'vermeiden' (to avoid), 'aufnehmen' (to make) and 'herstellen' (to establish). 'Direkter Augenkontakt' (direct eye contact) and 'längerer Augenkontakt' (prolonged eye contact) are also typical collocations.
EXAMPLE
Viele schüchterne Menschen vermeiden direkten Augenkontakt.
Many shy people avoid direct eye contact.
With someone
When the person involved is mentioned, they usually follow 'mit' (with) in the dative. The pattern is: Augenkontakt mit jemandem halten, aufnehmen oder vermeiden (to maintain, make, or avoid eye contact with someone).
EXAMPLE
Der Bewerber vermied im Gespräch den Augenkontakt mit dem Personalchef.
The applicant avoided eye contact with the personnel manager during the interview.
In real life
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