der Dank
thanks
A feeling or expression of gratitude for help received, a gift, or a kindness.
EXAMPLE
Als Dank für seine Mühe erhielt er einen Gutschein.
As thanks for his effort, he received a gift certificate.
der Dank
thanks
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Meanings
Gott sei Dank
thank God
An expression of relief that something good has happened or something bad has been avoided.
EXAMPLE
Gott sei Dank ist bei dem Unfall niemand verletzt worden!
Thank God no one was injured in the accident!
der Dank
reward
The payment or reward for an action, often used in a negative or ironic sense.
EXAMPLE
Er hat ihr immer geholfen, und der Dank dafür war, dass sie ihn ignorierte.
He had always helped her, and his reward for that was that she ignored him.
Usage tips
Word family
'Der Dank' (thanks/gratitude) belongs to the word family of 'danken' (to thank) and 'dankbar' (grateful). All of these words relate to the concept of gratitude.
EXAMPLE
Ich möchte dir für deine Hilfe danken.
I would like to thank you for your help.
Correct preposition
To express the reason for gratitude, German uses the preposition 'für' (for) followed by the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Vielen Dank für die schönen Blumen!
Many thanks for the beautiful flowers!
Typical expressions
'Dank' (thanks) is part of many fixed expressions. Common phrases are 'Vielen Dank' (many thanks), 'Herzlichen Dank' (heartfelt thanks), 'zum Dank' (as thanks), or 'Dank sagen' (to say thanks).
EXAMPLE
Zum Dank für ihre Hilfe lud er sie zum Essen ein.
As thanks for her help, he invited her out to eat.
Fixed expression
'Gott sei Dank' (thank God) is a fixed expression of relief. If it appears at the beginning of a sentence, the conjugated verb follows directly after it (inversion).
EXAMPLE
Gott sei Dank habe ich den Zug noch erwischt!
Thank God I still caught the train!
Ironic use
The meaning 'Lohn' (payment) or 'Belohnung' (reward) is almost always used ironically or negatively. You can recognize it when a good deed leads to a bad result.
EXAMPLE
Ich habe stundenlang auf ihn gewartet, und der Dank dafür war, dass er gar nicht kam.
I waited for him for hours, and my reward for that was that he didn’t come at all.
Compare with
Dank vs wegen
because of
„Wegen“ and „der Dank“ can both occur in situations where a reason or help is mentioned, but they are not interchangeable. „Wegen“ states the objective cause, while „der Dank“ refers to gratitude or an expression of it. Use „wegen“ for the reason and „der Dank“ for the reaction to it.
Dank
Mein Dank gilt der Nachbarin, die mir geholfen hat, den Zug noch zu erreichen.
My thanks go to the neighbor who helped me catch the train.
wegen
Wegen der schnellen Hilfe konnte ich den Zug noch erreichen.
Because of the quick help, I was still able to catch the train.
In real life
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