hypothetical
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hypothetical
Based on an assumption or supposition; not real or proven, but assumed only for the purpose of a discussion or thought experiment.
Rein hypothetisch gefragt: Was würdest du tun, wenn du eine Million Euro finden würdest?
Purely hypothetically: What would you do if you found a million euros?
The adjective 'hypothetisch' (hypothetical) belongs to the word family of 'die Hypothese' (the hypothesis). A hypothesis is an unproven assumption, so 'hypothetisch' means something like 'based on an assumption.'
Seine ganze Argumentation basiert auf einer Hypothese.
His entire argument is based on a hypothesis.
'Hypothetisch' (hypothetical) is very often used to introduce an unreal or assumed situation. The sentence that describes the consequence is then typically in the Konjunktiv II.
Nehmen wir einmal hypothetisch an, du hättest unendlich viel Zeit. Was würdest du dann tun?
Let's hypothetically assume you had an infinite amount of time. What would you do then?
To emphasize that something is only a thought experiment, 'hypothetisch' (hypothetical) is often combined with adverbs like 'rein' (purely) or 'nur' (only). The expression 'rein hypothetisch' (purely hypothetically) is especially common.
Das ist jetzt nur eine hypothetische Frage, aber was wäre, wenn wir umziehen würden?
This is just a hypothetical question, but what if we moved?
theoretical
Theoretisch and hypothetisch can both refer to something that has not yet been put into practice. Hypothetisch, however, primarily marks an assumed situation used for consideration, while theoretisch emphasizes a connection to a theory or the lack of practical testing. Use hypothetisch for a thought experiment and theoretisch for a model or possibility without practical proof.
Hypothetisch angenommen, der Plan scheitert, müssten wir eine andere Lösung suchen.
Assuming hypothetically that the plan fails, we would have to look for another solution.
Theoretisch könnte dieser Plan funktionieren, aber praktisch wurde er noch nicht erprobt.
Theoretically, this plan could work, but it has not yet been tested in practice.
