gratitude
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gratitude
The feeling of being thankful to someone for help, a gift, or a good deed, and also wanting to show it.
Er drückte seine tiefe Dankbarkeit für die schnelle Hilfe aus.
He expressed his deep gratitude for the quick help.
'Dankbarkeit' (gratitude) belongs to a word family. It is derived from the adjective 'dankbar' (grateful), which in turn comes from the noun 'der Dank' (thanks). The ending '-keit' is often used to form abstract nouns from adjectives.
Ich bin dir sehr dankbar für deine Hilfe.
I am very grateful to you for your help.
To name the reason for the gratitude, you use the preposition 'für' (for) followed by the accusative.
Sie zeigte ihre Dankbarkeit für das großzügige Geschenk.
She showed her gratitude for the generous gift.
'Dankbarkeit' (gratitude) is often combined with verbs that express a feeling. Typical phrases are 'Dankbarkeit zeigen' (to show gratitude), 'Dankbarkeit ausdrücken' (to express gratitude), or 'Dankbarkeit empfinden' (to feel gratitude).
Mit einer kleinen Geste wollte er seine Dankbarkeit zeigen.
With a small gesture, he wanted to show his gratitude.
thanks
'der Dank' and 'die Dankbarkeit' are closely related because both have to do with the feeling that someone has done something good for you. 'Dank' often means the expression of this feeling, such as a word, a gesture, or an action. 'Dankbarkeit' refers more to the inner feeling itself. Learners may confuse the words because in both cases you are responding positively to help or kindness. In practical terms: you feel 'Dankbarkeit' and show or express your 'Dank'.
Wegen der großen Unterstützung fühlte sie tiefe Dankbarkeit.
Because of the great support, she felt deep gratitude.
Nach der Hilfe brachte er seiner Nachbarin einen kleinen Dank vorbei.
After receiving help, he brought his neighbor a small thank-you gift.