enemy
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enemy
A person who has an attitude of hatred, rejection, and opposition toward someone else and wants to harm them.
Im Laufe seines Lebens hatte er sich einige Feinde gemacht.
Over the course of his life, he had made himself a few enemies.
The word family includes the adjective 'feindlich' (hostile, like an enemy) and the noun 'die Feindschaft' (enmity/hostility, the state of being enemies). These words help you understand the concept.
Die beiden Länder standen sich lange feindlich gegenüber.
The two countries were hostile toward each other for a long time.
The word 'Feind' (enemy) is very strong and emotional. It describes deep, often hate-filled opposition and is rarely used in everyday life for normal conflicts.
Nach dem Streit betrachtete er seinen ehemaligen Freund als seinen größten Feind.
After the argument, he regarded his former friend as his greatest enemy.
A common expression is 'sich jemanden zum Feind machen' (to make an enemy of someone). It means behaving in such a way that another person becomes an enemy.
Mit dieser unfairen Aktion hast du dir den Chef zum Feind gemacht.
With that unfair action, you made an enemy of the boss.
In a military context, 'der Feind' (the enemy) is the standard term for the opposing side in a conflict or war. Words like 'Soldaten' (soldiers), 'Angriff' (attack), or 'Armee' (army) are clear signals for this meaning.
Die Soldaten beobachteten die Bewegungen des Feindes.
The soldiers observed the enemy's movements.
In the figurative meaning, 'Feind' (enemy) is often used in the structure 'der Feind + genitive' (the enemy of + noun). This describes an abstract threat or obstacle.
Aufschieben ist der Feind der Produktivität.
Procrastination is the enemy of productivity.
friend / boyfriend
'der Freund' and 'der Feind' are clear opposites. A friend is someone you trust and have a good relationship with. An enemy is someone who is against a person and wants to harm them or strongly rejects them. In everyday life, 'Feind' is a very strong word. For small conflicts, people therefore often say 'Gegner' (opponent) or 'jemand, mit dem ich Streit habe' (someone I have an argument with) instead.
In der Geschichte wird der alte Nachbar plötzlich zu seinem Feind.
In the story, the old neighbor suddenly becomes his enemy.
Nach dem Umzug hat mir ein Freund beim Streichen geholfen.
After the move, a friend helped me paint.