das Betrachten
viewing
The act of looking attentively at someone or something.
EXAMPLE
Beim Betrachten des Gemäldes entdeckte sie immer neue Einzelheiten.
While viewing the painting, she kept discovering new details.
das Betrachten
viewing / consideration
das Betrachten
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Meanings
das Betrachten
consideration
The act of thinking about a topic or issue in order to understand or assess it.
EXAMPLE
Das Betrachten des Problems aus verschiedenen Perspektiven führte zu einer besseren Lösung.
Consideration of the problem from different perspectives led to a better solution.
Forms
At a glance
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| genitive | des Betrachtens |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Betrachten | – |
| accusative | das Betrachten | – |
| dative | dem Betrachten | – |
| genitive | des Betrachtens | – |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Nominalized verb
'Das Betrachten' (viewing / consideration) is the nominalized form of 'betrachten' (to view / to consider) and refers to the activity as a process. It therefore often appears in sentence patterns with prepositions such as 'beim' (while / when) or 'zum' (for).
EXAMPLE
Beim Betrachten der Skizze fielen ihm mehrere Fehler auf.
While viewing the sketch, he noticed several mistakes.
Specifying the object
The object being viewed or considered often appears in the genitive or after 'von' (of) with the dative. Both patterns directly connect 'das Betrachten' (viewing / consideration) with the object of the activity.
EXAMPLE
Das Betrachten des alten Fotos weckte viele Erinnerungen.
Viewing the old photo brought back many memories.
Das Betrachten von historischen Bildern war Teil der Führung.
Viewing historical pictures was part of the guided tour.
Context clue
Concrete things such as paintings, photos, or landscapes usually indicate the sense of looking at something. By contrast, words such as 'Problem' (problem), 'Thema' (topic), or 'Perspektive' (perspective) indicate that the sentence is about thinking about an issue.
EXAMPLE
Beim Betrachten der Landschaft bemerkte sie einen kleinen See.
While viewing the landscape, she noticed a small lake.
Erst beim genaueren Betrachten des Themas wurde ihr klar, wie vielschichtig es ist.
Only on closer consideration of the topic did she realize how complex it is.
Typical collocations
In the sense of looking at something, 'Betrachten' (viewing) often occurs with words such as 'Gemälde' (painting), 'Foto' (photo), 'Landschaft' (landscape), or 'Einzelheiten' (details). The phrase 'beim Betrachten etwas entdecken' (to discover something while viewing) is also very common.
EXAMPLE
Beim Betrachten des Fotos entdeckte er eine unbekannte Person im Hintergrund.
While viewing the photo, he discovered an unfamiliar person in the background.
Mentioning perspectives
In its sense of thinking about something, 'Betrachten' (consideration) is often combined with 'aus verschiedenen Perspektiven' (from different perspectives), 'kritisch' (critically), or 'genauer' (more closely). Typical objects are problems, topics, and issues.
EXAMPLE
Beim kritischen Betrachten des Plans aus verschiedenen Perspektiven erkannte das Team mehrere Schwächen.
Through critical consideration of the plan from different perspectives, the team identified several weaknesses.
In real life
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