das Zutun
involvement
A person's participation or involvement in an action or process; often implies help or influence.
EXAMPLE
Die Reparatur gelang ohne sein Zutun.
The repair was successful without his involvement.
das Zutun
involvement
das Zutun
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Zutun, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| genitive | des Zutuns |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Zutun | – |
| accusative | das Zutun | – |
| dative | dem Zutun | – |
| genitive | des Zutuns | – |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Prepositions and case
'Zutun' (involvement) is mainly used with the prepositions 'ohne' (without) and 'durch' (through), both of which take the accusative. A possessive determiner or an adjective usually follows: 'ohne sein Zutun' (without his involvement), 'durch ihr Zutun' (through her involvement), 'ohne eigenes Zutun' (without any involvement of one's own).
EXAMPLE
Das Ergebnis kam ohne ihr Zutun zustande.
The result came about without her involvement.
Durch sein Zutun wurde der Streit beigelegt.
Through his involvement, the dispute was resolved.
Typical collocations
Common phrases include 'ohne eigenes Zutun' (without any involvement of one's own), 'ohne fremdes Zutun' (without anyone else's involvement), 'ohne menschliches Zutun' (without human involvement), and 'durch eigenes Zutun' (through one's own involvement). These often explicitly indicate whether someone was involved in bringing about a result.
EXAMPLE
Der Fehler wurde ohne menschliches Zutun automatisch korrigiert.
The error was corrected automatically without human involvement.
Formal register
'Zutun' (involvement) has a somewhat elevated tone and occurs especially in written or formal texts. The focus is often on whether someone was involved in a process or had an influence on it.
EXAMPLE
Die Entscheidung wurde ohne Zutun der betroffenen Abteilung getroffen.
The decision was made without the involvement of the department concerned.
In real life
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