mercy
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mercy
A deep feeling of pity for someone who is suffering, often combined with the desire to help or show mercy.
Ohne jedes Erbarmen ließ er die Familie aus der Wohnung werfen.
Without any mercy, he had the family thrown out of the apartment.
to have mercy on
To show pity toward someone and show mercy.
Der Lehrer hatte ein Erbarmen mit dem Schüler und gab ihm eine zweite Chance.
The teacher had mercy on the student and gave him a second chance.
'Erbarmen' (mercy) is the noun related to the verb 'sich erbarmen' (to have mercy). Both are part of a word family with the adjective 'barmherzig' (merciful), which describes a compassionate and forgiving person.
Er war ein barmherziger König, der seinen Feinden verzieh.
He was a merciful king who forgave his enemies.
'Erbarmen' (mercy) is an uncountable noun and is therefore almost always used in the singular and often without an article. A plural form practically does not exist.
Sie flehte um Erbarmen, aber der Richter blieb hart.
She begged for mercy, but the judge remained firm.
In the general meaning, 'Erbarmen' (mercy) is often combined with certain verbs. Typical phrases are 'Erbarmen zeigen' (to show mercy), 'um Erbarmen bitten' (to beg for mercy), or the negative expression 'kein Erbarmen kennen' (to know no mercy).
Der Bösewicht in dem Film kannte kein Erbarmen.
The villain in the film knew no mercy.
The most common use is the fixed expression 'ein Erbarmen haben mit' (to have mercy on) + dative. Remember that the person one feels pity for is always in the dative.
Hab doch ein Erbarmen mit dem armen Hund und gib ihm etwas Wasser!
Have mercy on the poor dog and give him some water!
pity / compassion
Mitleid and Erbarmen both refer to a feeling for a suffering person. Mitleid may remain at the level of simply sharing someone's feelings. Erbarmen feels deeper and is often connected with the desire to help or show mercy. When there is such a response, Erbarmen is therefore more appropriate.
Der Besitzer hatte Erbarmen mit dem erschöpften Mann und ließ ihn eintreten.
The owner took pity on the exhausted man and let him in.
Der Besitzer empfand Mitleid mit dem erschöpften Mann vor seiner Tür.
The owner felt pity for the exhausted man outside his door.
