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
'der Takt' and 'das Feingefühl' are very close in meaning when it comes to dealing with other people. Both words fit when someone senses what is appropriate in a situation. 'Takt' places more emphasis on the right behavior and suitable choice of words so that no one is hurt. 'Feingefühl' places more emphasis on someone perceiving other people's feelings well and reacting sensitively. Learners can easily confuse the words because they often appear in similar situations. As a guide: 'Takt' is more about appropriate behavior, while 'Feingefühl' is more about a fine sense for people and situations.
Die Ärztin erklärte die Diagnose mit großem Feingefühl.
The doctor explained the diagnosis with great sensitivity.
Nach der schlechten Nachricht sprach der Chef mit viel Takt mit dem Team.
After the bad news, the boss spoke to the team with a lot of tact.