die Information
information
A message, knowledge, or information about a particular matter, person, or event.
EXAMPLE
Ich benötige dringend Informationen zu den neuen Öffnungszeiten.
I urgently need information about the new opening hours.
die Information
information
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Meanings
die Information
informing
The act of informing; the passing on of knowledge or news to someone.
EXAMPLE
Die Information der Bevölkerung erfolgte durch eine Pressemitteilung.
The informing of the public was carried out through a press release.
die Information
information
A technical term from computer science and information theory that refers to an interpretable arrangement of signs that changes the recipient's state of knowledge.
EXAMPLE
Die kleinste Einheit der Information ist das Bit.
The smallest unit of information is the bit.
Usage tips
Word family
'Information' belongs to the word family of 'informieren' (to inform) and 'informativ' (informative). The ending '-ation' is typical for nouns derived from verbs and often have a Latin origin.
EXAMPLE
Der Zweck der Veranstaltung ist es, die Bürger zu informieren.
The purpose of the event is to inform the citizens.
Countable noun
In German, 'Information' is a countable noun. You can use 'eine Information' (one piece of information) in the singular for a single detail and 'Informationen' (information / pieces of information) in the plural for several facts or general information.
EXAMPLE
Das war eine sehr nützliche Information für mich.
That was a very useful piece of information for me.
Typical prepositions
When you want to state the topic of the information, you usually use 'über' with the accusative or 'zu' with the dative. 'Über' describes the topic more broadly, while 'zu' often refers to a specific point.
EXAMPLE
Ich suche Informationen über die Geschichte der Stadt.
I'm looking for information about the history of the city.
Typical verbs
Common verbs used with 'Information' are 'Informationen bekommen/erhalten' (to get/receive information), 'Informationen suchen/finden' (to look for/find information), 'Informationen sammeln' (to gather information), and 'Informationen weitergeben' (to pass on information).
EXAMPLE
Wo kann ich verlässliche Informationen zu diesem Thema finden?
Where can I find reliable information on this topic?
Context clue: technical language
The technical meaning from computer science can be recognized from the context. When there is talk of 'Bits' (bits), 'Datenverarbeitung' (data processing), 'Speicherung' (storage), or 'Signalen' (signals), 'Information' is meant as a theoretical concept.
EXAMPLE
Ein Computer verarbeitet Informationen in Form von Nullen und Einsen.
A computer processes information in the form of zeros and ones.
Compare with
Information vs Nachricht
message / news
Information mainly refers to factual content, while Nachricht refers to a short unit of communication sent to someone. A Nachricht therefore contains information; when the content itself is important, Information is appropriate, whereas Nachricht is more suitable when the focus is on sending it to a person.
Information
Die Information, dass das Konzert ausfällt, ist für alle Gäste wichtig.
The information that the concert has been canceled is important to all the guests.
Nachricht
Ich schicke allen Gästen eine Nachricht über den Ausfall des Konzerts.
I am sending all the guests a message about the concert being canceled.
In real life
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