encouragement
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encouragement
Actions or words that give someone courage, hope, or confidence. It is a form of positive reinforcement used to motivate or support someone.
Seine Worte waren eine große Ermutigung für das ganze Team.
His words were a great encouragement to the whole team.
The word is a nominalization of the verb 'ermutigen' (to encourage). It consists of the prefix 'er-', the root 'Mut' (courage), and the ending '-ung', which describes an action or its result. Literally, then, it is 'Mut-Gebung' (giving courage).
Deine Worte waren eine echte Ermutigung für mich.
Your words were real encouragement for me.
'Ermutigung' (encouragement) is often combined with verbs such as 'geben' (to give), 'bekommen' (to receive/get), 'brauchen' (to need), or 'finden' (to find). It describes something that one can actively give or passively receive.
In schwierigen Zeiten braucht man die Ermutigung von Freunden.
In difficult times, one needs encouragement from friends.
When you want to express what someone is being encouraged to do, use the preposition 'zu' followed by the dative. This describes the goal or purpose of the encouragement.
Das Lob war eine Ermutigung zu weiterer harter Arbeit.
The praise was an encouragement to keep working hard.
support
'die Unterstützung' and 'die Ermutigung' can both help someone. 'Unterstützung' is broader: it can be practical, moral, or organizational. 'Ermutigung' is a specific form of it. It gives someone courage, hope, or confidence, often through words. Learners may confuse the words because encouragement is also support. But not all support is encouragement: someone who helps carry something or gives money is supporting, but not necessarily encouraging.
Die Ermutigung ihrer Freundin half ihr, die Bewerbung endlich abzuschicken.
Her friend's encouragement helped her finally send off the application.
Vor der Reise haben wir viel Unterstützung von unseren Nachbarn bekommen.
Before the trip, we received a lot of support from our neighbors.