tact / sensitivity
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tact / sensitivity
The ability to understand sensitive situations or other people's feelings well and respond to them tactfully. It describes a high degree of empathy and social intelligence.
Er hat die schlechte Nachricht mit sehr viel Feingefühl überbracht.
He delivered the bad news with a great deal of tact.
The word is made up of 'fein' (fine/subtle) and 'Gefühl' (feeling). It literally describes the ability to have a 'feines Gefühl' (subtle feeling) for a situation or for other people.
Für diesen Job im diplomatischen Dienst braucht man sehr viel Feingefühl.
For this job in the diplomatic service, you need a great deal of tact.
'Feingefühl' (tact/sensitivity) is often used with verbs such as 'haben' (to have), 'zeigen' (to show), or 'beweisen' (to demonstrate). You can also have 'viel' (a lot of), 'wenig' (little), or 'kein' (no) Feingefühl.
Er hat in dem schwierigen Gespräch großes Feingefühl bewiesen.
He showed great tact in the difficult conversation.
To specify what the Feingefühl relates to, you use the preposition 'für' followed by the accusative.
Eine gute Lehrkraft braucht Feingefühl für die Probleme ihrer Schüler.
A good teacher needs sensitivity to their students' problems.
beat / tact
Takt and Feingefühl both refer to social sensitivity in a delicate situation. Takt mainly emphasizes an appropriate response that does not hurt anyone, while Feingefühl places more emphasis on the ability to perceive subtle feelings and differences. Use Takt for the behavior and Feingefühl for the particular sensitivity involved.
Für die schwierige Entscheidung zeigte sie im Gespräch viel Feingefühl.
She showed a great deal of sensitivity during the conversation about the difficult decision.
Mit großem Takt erklärte sie der Familie die schwierige Entscheidung.
With great tact, she explained the difficult decision to the family.
