municipality / community
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municipality
A political-administrative unit; a town or village with its own administration.
Die Gemeinde investiert in den Bau eines neuen Kindergartens.
The municipality is investing in the construction of a new kindergarten.
The word 'Gemeinde' (municipality/community) is closely related to the adjective 'gemeinsam' (shared/common). It always describes a group of people who share something—whether a place of residence, a faith, or a common interest.
Alle Mitglieder der Gemeinde haben ein gemeinsames Ziel.
All members of the community have a common goal.
The context makes clear which kind of 'Gemeinde' (municipality/community) is meant. Words like 'Rathaus' (town hall) or 'Bürgermeister' (mayor) point to the political unit, while 'Kirche' (church) or 'Gottesdienst' (church service) refer to the religious community.
Der Bürgermeister sprach zu den Bürgern seiner Gemeinde.
The mayor spoke to the citizens of his municipality.
In the political and administrative sense, 'Gemeinde' (municipality) is often combined with verbs and nouns from administration. Typical phrases are 'einer Gemeinde angehören' (to belong to a municipality), 'Steuern an die Gemeinde zahlen' (to pay taxes to the municipality), or 'Einwohner einer Gemeinde sein' (to be a resident of a municipality).
Jeder, der hier wohnt, ist offiziell Einwohner der Gemeinde.
Everyone who lives here is officially a resident of the municipality.
To describe a group with shared interests, 'Gemeinde' (community) is often combined with an adjective or another noun. Common examples are 'die wissenschaftliche Gemeinde' (the scientific community), 'die Fangemeinde' (the fan community), or 'die Online-Gemeinde' (the online community).
Die internationale Fangemeinde der Serie diskutiert online über das Finale.
The series' international fan community is discussing the finale online.
city
'die Stadt' and 'die Gemeinde' can both mean a place where people live with its own administration. 'Stadt' mainly describes the type of place: it is larger and urban. 'Gemeinde' describes the political and administrative unit more. A 'Gemeinde' can be a village, several villages, or even a city. The words can be confused especially in forms, at government offices, or in official texts. In everyday language, people usually say 'Stadt' when they mean the place as a living environment. 'Gemeinde' sounds more natural when talking about administration, responsibility, or local politics.
Die Gemeinde baut einen neuen Kindergarten am Marktplatz.
The municipality is building a new kindergarten on the market square.
Ich kenne die Stadt gut, weil ich dort drei Jahre gearbeitet habe.
I know the city well because I worked there for three years.