die Gesundheit
health
The state of physical, mental, and social well-being; the absence of illness or infirmity.
EXAMPLE
Regelmäßiger Sport ist wichtig für die Gesundheit.
Regular exercise is important for health.
die Gesundheit
health
die Gesundheit
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Meanings
die Gesundheit
cheers / bless you
Used as an exclamation or toast to wish someone well-being, often when clinking glasses with drinks.
EXAMPLE
Er hob sein Glas und sagte: „Auf deine Gesundheit!“
He raised his glass and said, "To your health!"
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Gesundheit, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| genitive | der Gesundheit |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Gesundheit | – |
| accusative | die Gesundheit | – |
| dative | der Gesundheit | – |
| genitive | der Gesundheit | – |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Word structure
The noun 'Gesundheit' (health) is derived from the adjective 'gesund' (healthy) with the ending '-heit'. This pattern is often used to form abstract nouns from adjectives.
EXAMPLE
Freiheit, Schönheit und Gesundheit sind wichtige Güter im Leben.
Freedom, beauty, and health are important things in life.
Context clue
As an exclamation ('Gesundheit!' — bless you/cheers), it is a reaction to someone sneezing or a toast. In a sentence structure, it refers to physical or mental condition.
EXAMPLE
Als sein Kollege nieste, sagte er sofort: „Gesundheit!“
When his colleague sneezed, he immediately said, "Bless you!"
Typical collocations
Common verbs related to the state of health are 'auf die Gesundheit achten' (to pay attention to one's health), 'die Gesundheit schädigen' (to damage health), 'die Gesundheit fördern' (to promote health), or 'vor Gesundheit strotzen' (to be bursting with health).
EXAMPLE
Rauchen kann die Gesundheit ernsthaft schädigen.
Smoking can seriously damage your health.
Situational use
When someone sneezes, it is a polite and very common custom in Germany to say 'Gesundheit!' (bless you) to wish the person well.
EXAMPLE
„Hatschi!“ – „Gesundheit!“
"Achoo!" — "Bless you!"
Compare with
Gesundheit vs Wohlbefinden
well-being
Gesundheit and Wohlbefinden can both express that a person is doing well. Gesundheit focuses more on the actual condition and freedom from illness, while Wohlbefinden mainly describes a person’s subjective feeling. When talking about a medical examination, Gesundheit is the better choice; when talking about how someone feels, Wohlbefinden fits better.
Gesundheit
Die Untersuchung zeigte, dass seine Gesundheit trotz der Müdigkeit in Ordnung war.
The examination showed that his health was fine despite his tiredness.
Wohlbefinden
Trotz der guten Untersuchung war sein Wohlbefinden wegen der Müdigkeit noch eingeschränkt.
Despite the good examination results, his well-being was still affected by his tiredness.
In real life
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