01
der Freundeskreis
circle of friends
A group of people who are friends with one another.
example
Er feiert seinen Geburtstag nur im engsten Freundeskreis.
He is celebrating his birthday only with his closest circle of friends.
der Freundeskreis
circle of friends
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Meanings
Usage tips
Compound word
The word is made up of 'Freund' (friend), in the genitive 'Freundes', and 'Kreis' (circle). It describes a group of friends figuratively as a circle to which one belongs.
EXAMPLE
Mein Freundeskreis ist nicht sehr groß, aber dafür sehr eng.
My circle of friends is not very large, but it is very close.
Typical collocations
'Freundeskreis' is often combined with adjectives such as 'groß' (large), 'klein' (small), 'eng' (close), or 'weit' (wide). Typical verbs are 'einen Freundeskreis haben' (to have a circle of friends) or 'zum Freundeskreis gehören' (to belong to the circle of friends).
EXAMPLE
Sie hat einen großen Freundeskreis und ist immer unterwegs.
She has a large circle of friends and is always out and about.
Use with 'in'
To express that something happens or is known within the group of friends, the preposition 'in' with the dative is almost always used: 'im Freundeskreis' (within one's circle of friends).
EXAMPLE
Im Freundeskreis helfen wir uns immer gegenseitig.
In our circle of friends, we always help each other.
Compare with
Freundeskreis vs Umgang
handling / interaction
'der Umgang' and 'der Freundeskreis' can both have to do with social contacts. 'der Umgang' refers more to contact or a relationship with people in general. These people do not necessarily have to be friends. 'der Freundeskreis', on the other hand, is a specific group of friends. Learners may confuse the words when talking about people someone spends time with. If you mean the group, you say 'Freundeskreis'; if you mean the type or frequency of contact, 'Umgang' fits better.
Freundeskreis
In ihrem Freundeskreis feiern sie jeden Geburtstag zusammen.
In her circle of friends, they celebrate every birthday together.
Umgang
Der Umgang mit neuen Kollegen fällt ihr leicht.
She finds it easy to interact with new colleagues.
In real life
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