prison sentence
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prison sentence
A legal punishment that consists of depriving a convicted person of their freedom for a certain period of time, usually by placing them in prison.
Wegen des Diebstahls wurde er zu einer Freiheitsstrafe von zwei Jahren verurteilt.
Because of the theft, he was sentenced to a prison sentence of two years.
The word is a compound made up of 'die Freiheit' (freedom), the linking -s, and 'die Strafe' (punishment). So it literally means a punishment in which you lose your freedom.
Eine Freiheitsstrafe ist die schwerste Form der Bestrafung im deutschen Rechtssystem.
A prison sentence is the most severe form of punishment in the German legal system.
When saying what someone is sentenced to, you use the preposition 'zu' followed by the dative. The length of the sentence is added with 'von' or directly with the time expression.
Der Angeklagte wurde zu einer Freiheitsstrafe von drei Jahren verurteilt.
The defendant was sentenced to a prison sentence of three years.
A very important and common combination is 'Freiheitsstrafe auf Bewährung' (suspended prison sentence). This means the person does not have to go to prison if they do not commit any new crimes within a certain period of time.
Da es seine erste Straftat war, erhielt er eine Freiheitsstrafe auf Bewährung.
Since it was his first offense, he received a suspended prison sentence.
prison
In everyday language, Gefängnis can also refer to the punishment of being imprisoned, while Freiheitsstrafe explicitly refers to this judicial sanction. Freiheitsstrafe is therefore particularly suitable in legal or factual statements, while Gefängnis is more common in a general everyday description.
Das Gericht verhängte wegen des schweren Diebstahls eine Freiheitsstrafe von mehreren Jahren.
The court imposed a prison sentence of several years for the serious theft.
Wegen des schweren Diebstahls muss er für mehrere Jahre ins Gefängnis.
Because of the serious theft, he has to go to prison for several years.
