fundamental / basic
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fundamental
Forming the basis or foundation for something; of central and essential importance.
Das Recht auf freie Meinungsäußerung ist ein grundlegendes Prinzip der Demokratie.
The right to freedom of expression is a fundamental principle of democracy.
The word is made up of 'Grund' (ground/basis) and 'legend' (from 'legen', to lay). The literal meaning is 'laying the ground' or 'laying a foundation'. This helps you understand the central meaning of 'fundamental'.
Wir müssen über einige grundlegende Dinge sprechen.
We need to talk about a few fundamental things.
'Grundlegend' (fundamental/basic) belongs to a word family around 'der Grund' (the reason/ground). Related words are 'die Grundlage' (the basis) and the verb 'gründen' (to found/establish something). All these words have to do with a basis or foundation.
Eine gute Ausbildung ist die Grundlage für den beruflichen Erfolg.
A good education is the basis for professional success.
'Grundlegend' can also be used as an adverb to intensify a verb or another adjective. It then means something like 'from the ground up' or 'completely'.
Die Pläne wurden grundlegend geändert.
The plans were fundamentally changed.
In the meaning 'fundamental', 'grundlegend' is often combined with abstract nouns. Typical examples are 'ein grundlegendes Recht' (a fundamental right), 'ein grundlegendes Problem' (a fundamental problem), 'ein grundlegender Unterschied' (a fundamental difference), or 'eine grundlegende Reform' (a fundamental reform).
Zwischen den beiden Theorien gibt es einen grundlegenden Unterschied.
There is a fundamental difference between the two theories.
simple / just
'einfach' and 'grundlegend' can both occur with easy or introductory content in a subject. 'einfach' means that something is not difficult or not complicated. 'grundlegend' means that something belongs to the basics of a subject and is important, even if it is not always easy. Learners may confuse the words because basic things are often learned at the beginning and therefore seem easy. But 'grundlegend' emphasizes importance for understanding, not just difficulty.
Für den Kurs brauchst du grundlegende Kenntnisse in Mathematik.
For the course, you need basic knowledge of mathematics.
Die Anleitung ist einfach, deshalb versteht sie jeder sofort.
The instructions are simple, so everyone understands them right away.