entlohnen
to remunerate
To pay someone for work performed or for a service; to pay compensation or wages.
EXAMPLE
Das Unternehmen ist bekannt dafür, seine Angestellten fair zu entlohnen.
The company is known for remunerating its employees fairly.
entlohnen
to remunerate
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Meanings
entlohnen
to reward
In a figurative sense: to reward or compensate someone for an effort, a sacrifice, or a good deed. The reward does not have to be financial.
EXAMPLE
Seine jahrelange harte Arbeit wurde schließlich mit dem Nobelpreis entlohnt.
His years of hard work were finally rewarded with the Nobel Prize.
Usage tips
Word structure
The verb “entlohnen” (to remunerate) is made up of the prefix “ent-” and the noun “der Lohn” (wage/pay). Here, the prefix “ent-” has the function of expressing an action in which something is given or granted—in this case, a wage.
EXAMPLE
Gute Arbeit sollte auch gut entlohnt werden.
Good work should also be well remunerated.
Inseparable verb
The prefix “ent-” is inseparable. It remains firmly attached to the verb stem “lohnen” in all tenses and sentence constructions.
EXAMPLE
Die Firma entlohnte die Praktikanten für ihre Mithilfe.
The company remunerated the interns for their help.
Sentence structure with accusative
The verb “entlohnen” (to remunerate) is typically used with two accusative objects or with a prepositional construction: “jemanden (Akkusativ) für etwas (Akkusativ) entlohnen” (to remunerate someone for something).
EXAMPLE
Sie entlohnten den Helfer für seine schnelle Unterstützung.
They remunerated the helper for his quick support.
Register
“Entlohnen” (to remunerate) belongs more to formal written language, especially in economic or legal contexts. It sounds more formal than the everyday word “bezahlen” (to pay).
EXAMPLE
Im Arbeitsvertrag ist genau festgelegt, wie die Mitarbeiter entlohnt werden.
The employment contract specifies exactly how the employees are remunerated.
Use in the passive
In the figurative meaning, “entlohnen” (to reward) is very often used in the passive to express that an effort was rewarded. The subject is then the effort or the deed.
EXAMPLE
Am Ende wurde all seine Mühe mit dem ersten Platz entlohnt.
In the end, all his effort was rewarded with first place.
Compare with
entlohnen vs lohnen
to be worth it / to reward
Lohnen and entlohnen can both mean that a person is paid for their work. Transitive lohnen is formal or outdated in this sense today. Entlohnen is the usual modern choice when payment for work or a service is meant.
entlohnen
Der landwirtschaftliche Betrieb entlohnt die Erntehelfer heute nach Tarif.
Today, the agricultural business pays the harvest workers according to the collective agreement.
lohnen
Der Gutsherr lohnte die Erntehelfer damals mit wenigen Münzen.
At that time, the estate owner paid the harvest workers with just a few coins.
In real life
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