commonality
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commonality
A feature, characteristic, or interest that two or more people or things share.
Trotz ihrer unterschiedlichen Herkunft fanden sie schnell viele Gemeinsamkeiten.
Despite their different backgrounds, they quickly found many commonalities.
The word is made up of the adjective 'gemeinsam' (common/shared) and the ending '-keit'. This ending forms feminine nouns from adjectives and describes a quality or state.
Die Gemeinsamkeit ihrer Interessen machte sie zu guten Freunden.
The commonality of their interests made them good friends.
'Gemeinsamkeit' (commonality) is very often used with the verbs 'haben' (to have), 'finden' (to find), and 'entdecken' (to discover). People often say that people or things 'Gemeinsamkeiten haben' (have commonalities).
Wir haben schnell eine Gemeinsamkeit entdeckt: Wir lieben beide die Berge.
We quickly discovered a commonality: we both love the mountains.
To express who or what has something in common, the preposition 'zwischen' (between) with the dative is often used. The structure is: 'die Gemeinsamkeit zwischen [A] und [B]' (the commonality between [A] and [B]).
Die größte Gemeinsamkeit zwischen den Geschwistern ist ihre laute Lache.
The biggest commonality between the siblings is their loud laugh.
parallel
Both words can name a feature that two cases share. Gemeinsamkeit refers generally to this shared feature, while Parallele tends to point to a comparable structure or development between different cases. Use Gemeinsamkeit for what is the same and Parallele for a corresponding development or structure.
Eine wichtige Gemeinsamkeit der beiden Städte ist ihre Nähe zu einem großen Fluss.
An important commonality between the two cities is their proximity to a major river.
Zwischen den beiden Städten gibt es eine Parallele: Beide entwickelten sich nach einer großen Krise neu.
There is a parallel between the two cities: both reinvented themselves after a major crisis.
