condolences
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condolences
The sympathy and compassion that one expresses toward someone who has suffered a serious loss, especially a death.
Ich möchte Ihnen mein herzliches Beileid zum Tod Ihrer Mutter aussprechen.
I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to you on the death of your mother.
The word is made up of the preposition 'bei' (with/by) and the noun 'Leid' (sorrow, pain). So it literally expresses that you are with someone in their sorrow and feel compassion.
Er hat mir geschrieben, um mir sein Beileid zu schicken.
He wrote to me to send me his condolences.
'Beileid' (condolences) is almost always used with certain verbs. Typical formal expressions are 'sein Beileid aussprechen' (to express one's condolences), 'sein Beileid bekunden' (to convey one's condolences), or 'sein Beileid übermitteln' (to send one's condolences).
Der Bundespräsident sprach den Hinterbliebenen sein tiefes Beileid aus.
The Federal President expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved.
The person to whom you offer condolences is always in the dative. So you express your condolences to 'jemandem' (someone, dative).
Wir möchten der ganzen Familie unser herzliches Beileid aussprechen.
We would like to express our heartfelt condolences to the whole family.
In a direct, personal situation, you can also simply say 'Mein Beileid!' (My condolences!). This is a shortened but very common form of condolence.
Als er mir die Hand schüttelte, sagte er nur: „Mein Beileid!“
As he shook my hand, he simply said, 'My condolences!'
congratulation
'der Glückwunsch' and 'das Beileid' are both fixed forms used to respond to important events in another person's life. But they fit opposite situations. You say a 'Glückwunsch' on a happy occasion, for example a birthday, a wedding, or a success. You express 'Beileid' after a serious loss, especially after a death. The words can be confused because both are often used in serious or polite situations. The occasion is important: joy and success call for congratulations, while grief and loss call for condolences.
Beim Termin spricht er seiner Kollegin sein Beileid aus.
At the meeting, he expresses his condolences to his colleague.
Morgen schickt meine Nachbarin Glückwünsche zur Hochzeit ihrer Schwester.
Tomorrow my neighbor will send congratulations for her sister's wedding.