die Erledigung
completion
The completion or carrying out of a task, a piece of work, or a duty.
EXAMPLE
Die Erledigung dieser Aufgabe hat den ganzen Vormittag gedauert.
The completion of this task took the whole morning.
die Erledigung
completion / elimination
die Erledigung, die Erledigungen
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Meanings
die Erledigung
elimination
Colloquially and often euphemistically used for the killing or final defeat of a person.
EXAMPLE
Im Film übernahm der Auftragskiller die Erledigung des unliebsamen Zeugen.
In the film, the contract killer took over the elimination of the unwanted witness.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Erledigung, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Erledigungen |
| genitive | der Erledigung |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Erledigung | die Erledigungen |
| accusative | die Erledigung | die Erledigungen |
| dative | der Erledigung | den Erledigungen |
| genitive | der Erledigung | der Erledigungen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Connection to the verb
'Die Erledigung' (completion) is the noun corresponding to the verb 'erledigen' (to get something done, to complete a task). If you know the verb, you can easily work out the meaning of the noun.
EXAMPLE
Ich muss heute noch einige wichtige Dinge erledigen.
I still have to take care of some important things today.
Typical tasks
In normal usage, 'Erledigung' (completion) usually refers to everyday or professional duties. Typical combinations are the completion of tasks, housework, shopping, or formalities.
EXAMPLE
Die schnelle Erledigung der Formalitäten hat mich überrascht.
The quick completion of the formalities surprised me.
Use with genitive/von
To express what is being completed, German usually uses the genitive or the preposition 'von' with the dative. The genitive often sounds somewhat more formal.
EXAMPLE
Die Erledigung der Steuererklärung ist sehr komplex.
The completion of the tax return is very complex.
Context clue
You can clearly recognize the meaning 'Tötung' (killing) from the context. It is used almost only in stories about crime or in action films and often sounds like a cold, impersonal order.
EXAMPLE
Der Boss befahl die sofortige Erledigung des Verräters.
The boss ordered the immediate elimination of the traitor.
Compare with
Erledigung vs Durchführung
implementation / feedthrough
Both Durchführung and Erledigung can refer to working on a task. Durchführung emphasizes the organized process or implementation, whereas Erledigung emphasizes successfully getting something finished. Use Durchführung for a project and Erledigung for an individual duty or task.
Erledigung
Die Erledigung der letzten Aufgabe dauerte nur zehn Minuten.
Completing the last task took only ten minutes.
Durchführung
Die Durchführung des Arbeitsplans dauerte mehrere Wochen.
Implementation of the work plan took several weeks.
In real life
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