punishment
Loading your saved state.
punishment
A negative consequence or sanction imposed in response to misconduct, a rule violation, or a crime.
Als Bestrafung für das Zuspätkommen musste er nachsitzen.
As punishment for being late, he had to stay after school.
punishment
A negative event or stroke of fate that is perceived as a just consequence of a particular negative behavior or attitude.
Dass er den Bus verpasst hat, war die gerechte Bestrafung für seine Trödelei.
The fact that he missed the bus was the just punishment for his dawdling.
The word is derived from the verb 'bestrafen' (to punish). The ending '-ung' turns the verb into a feminine noun, a very common pattern in German.
Die schnelle Bestrafung des Schuldigen war ihm wichtig.
The swift punishment of the guilty person was important to him.
The preposition 'für' (+ accusative) gives the reason for the punishment. With 'als' (+ nominative), the type of punishment is described.
Er bekam eine Strafe für das Falschparken.
He got a fine for parking illegally.
Common verbs used with 'Bestrafung' (punishment) are 'einer Bestrafung entgehen' (to escape punishment), 'eine Bestrafung fürchten' (to fear punishment), or 'eine Bestrafung verhängen' (to impose a punishment).
Der Dieb konnte seiner Bestrafung nicht entgehen.
The thief could not escape his punishment.
You can often recognize the figurative meaning from evaluative adjectives such as 'gerecht' (just) or 'verdient' (deserved). This is not about an official punishment, but rather a kind of fate.
Dass er jetzt im Stau steht, ist die verdiente Bestrafung dafür, dass er so spät losgefahren ist.
The fact that he is now stuck in traffic is the deserved punishment for leaving so late.
punishment / penalty
Strafe mainly refers to the negative consequence someone receives for misconduct. Bestrafung places more emphasis on imposing this consequence in response to the misconduct. In a specific case, both words can refer to the same event.
Die Bestrafung des Spielers erfolgte direkt nach dem Regelverstoß.
The player was punished immediately after breaking the rules.
Die Strafe für den Regelverstoß war eine Woche ohne Training.
The punishment for breaking the rules was one week without training.
