der Begriff
term
A word or phrase that denotes a specific idea or concept.
EXAMPLE
Können Sie mir den Begriff 'Globalisierung' erklären?
Can you explain the term 'globalization' to me?
der Begriff
term
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Meanings
im Begriff sein, etwas zu tun
to be about to
To be just about to begin an action; to be just starting to do something.
EXAMPLE
Ich war gerade im Begriff zu gehen, als das Telefon klingelte.
I was just about to leave when the phone rang.
einen Begriff von etwas haben
to have an idea
To have an idea or understanding of something. Often used in the negative.
EXAMPLE
Er hat keinen Begriff davon, wie viel Arbeit das wirklich ist.
He has no idea how much work it really is.
schwer von Begriff sein
to be slow on the uptake
Informal for being slow to understand; to grasp something only with difficulty.
EXAMPLE
Muss ich es dir noch mal erklären oder bist du heute so schwer von Begriff?
Do I have to explain it to you again, or are you just slow on the uptake today?
Usage tips
Word family
'Der Begriff' (term/concept) is closely related to the verb 'begreifen' (to understand, or literally 'to grasp with the hands'). So a Begriff is an idea that one has understood or 'grasped'.
EXAMPLE
Ich glaube, ich habe das Problem jetzt begriffen.
I think I've understood the problem now.
Sentence structure with infinitive
The expression 'im Begriff sein' (to be about to) is always used with an infinitive construction with 'zu'. It expresses that an action is immediately imminent.
EXAMPLE
Wir waren gerade im Begriff, das Haus zu verlassen, als es an der Tür klingelte.
We were just about to leave the house when the doorbell rang.
Use with negation
The phrase 'einen Begriff von etwas haben' (to have an idea of something) is very often negated: 'keinen Begriff von etwas haben' (to have no idea of something). It is always used with the preposition 'von' and the dative.
EXAMPLE
Sie hat überhaupt keinen Begriff davon, wie schwierig diese Aufgabe ist.
She has absolutely no idea how difficult this task is.
Informal expression
The idiom 'schwer von Begriff sein' (to be slow on the uptake) is an informal way of saying that someone understands something slowly or only with difficulty. It is used as a fixed unit.
EXAMPLE
Muss ich es wirklich noch einmal erklären? Du bist heute aber schwer von Begriff.
Do I really have to explain it again? You're really slow on the uptake today.
Typical collocations
In its main meaning, 'Begriff' is often used to refer to a concept from a specific field. Typical formulations are 'ein Begriff aus der/dem...' (a term from...) or 'ein Fachbegriff' (a technical term).
EXAMPLE
„Photosynthese“ ist ein Begriff aus der Biologie.
'Photosynthesis' is a term from biology.
Compare with
Begriff vs Wort
word
Wort and Begriff can both refer to a linguistic unit. Wort primarily means the specific form that you hear or read, whereas Begriff emphasizes the idea or concept denoted by it. Use Wort for the language itself and Begriff for the content referred to by that term.
Begriff
Der Begriff „Brücke“ kann auch eine Verbindung zwischen Menschen beschreiben.
The term „Brücke“ can also describe a connection between people.
Wort
Das Wort „Brücke“ steht in diesem Satz zweimal.
The word „Brücke“ appears twice in this sentence.
In real life
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