conscience
das Gewissen, die Gewissen
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conscience
A person's inner sense of what is morally right or wrong, and the inner voice that judges their behavior.
Mein Gewissen verbietet mir, die Wahrheit zu verschweigen.
My conscience forbids me from concealing the truth.
to have a clear conscience
To be sure that you have done nothing morally wrong and therefore feel at ease inside.
Nach der Spende hatte sie ein gutes Gewissen.
After making the donation, she had a clear conscience.
to have a guilty conscience
To feel that you have done something wrong or hurt someone and therefore feel guilty inside.
Ich habe ein schlechtes Gewissen, weil ich ihn angelogen habe.
I have a guilty conscience because I lied to him.
to appeal to someone's conscience
To urge someone insistently to change their behavior and take moral responsibility.
Seine Mutter redete ihm ins Gewissen, damit er sich bei seiner Schwester entschuldigte.
His mother appealed to his conscience so that he would apologize to his sister.
to the best of one's knowledge and belief
To act or make a decision in the way that, after honest consideration and in accordance with one's own moral convictions, one believes is right.
Ich habe nach bestem Wissen und Gewissen entschieden.
I made the decision to the best of my knowledge and belief.
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| plural | die Gewissen |
| genitive | des Gewissens |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Gewissen | die Gewissen |
| accusative | das Gewissen | die Gewissen |
| dative | dem Gewissen | den Gewissen |
| genitive | des Gewissens | der Gewissen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
'Gewissen' (conscience) is frequently used with verbs such as 'beruhigen' (to ease), 'erleichtern' (to relieve), and 'folgen' (to follow). The expression 'dem Gewissen folgen' (to follow one's conscience) also describes a decision guided by one's own moral convictions.
Mit seiner Entschuldigung konnte er sein Gewissen beruhigen.
With his apology, he was able to ease his conscience.
Sie folgte ihrem Gewissen und meldete den Fehler.
She followed her conscience and reported the error.
The expression 'ein gutes Gewissen haben' (to have a clear conscience) is often used after an action or decision. The adjective 'gut' (good) refers to the conscience, not to the action itself.
Er hat den gefundenen Geldbeutel bei der Polizei abgegeben und hat jetzt ein gutes Gewissen.
He handed the wallet he found to the police and now has a clear conscience.
The expression 'ein schlechtes Gewissen haben' (to have a guilty conscience) is often explained with 'weil' (because) or 'nachdem' (after). It can refer to a specific action or to an action that was not carried out.
Er hatte ein schlechtes Gewissen, weil er den Geburtstag seiner Freundin vergessen hatte.
He had a guilty conscience because he had forgotten his girlfriend's birthday.
In the expression 'jemandem ins Gewissen reden' (to appeal to someone's conscience), the person being addressed is in the dative. 'Ins Gewissen' expresses the set direction of the earnest admonition.
Der Trainer redete dem Spieler ins Gewissen, nachdem dieser absichtlich zu spät gekommen war.
The coach appealed to the player's conscience after the player had deliberately arrived late.
'Nach bestem Wissen und Gewissen' (to the best of one's knowledge and belief) is frequently used with verbs such as 'handeln' (to act), 'entscheiden' (to decide), and 'beurteilen' (to assess). The expression signals that someone has considered the matter honestly and acted without deliberately deceiving anyone.
Die Ärztin beurteilte die Situation nach bestem Wissen und Gewissen.
The doctor assessed the situation to the best of her knowledge and belief.
