01
die Intention
intention
An intention, goal, or plan that someone pursues with an action.
example
Meine Intention war es, zu helfen, nicht, Probleme zu verursachen.
My intention was to help, not to cause problems.
die Intention
intention
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Meanings
Usage tips
Sentence structure with infinitive
Very often, an intention is expressed with an infinitive construction using 'zu' (to). The pattern is: 'die Intention haben, etwas zu tun' (to have the intention of doing something).
EXAMPLE
Er hatte die Intention, sein Studium im Ausland fortzusetzen.
He had the intention of continuing his studies abroad.
Register and style
'Intention' (intention) is a word used in elevated or more formal language. It sounds more educated and is often used in written or official contexts.
EXAMPLE
Bitte erklären Sie die Intention hinter Ihrem Vorschlag.
Please explain the intention behind your proposal.
Typical adjectives
To describe an intention more precisely, 'Intention' (intention) is often combined with adjectives such as 'klar' (clear), 'gut' (good), 'böse' (evil), 'eigentlich' (actual), or 'ursprünglich' (original).
EXAMPLE
Seine ursprüngliche Intention war gut, aber das Ergebnis war leider schlecht.
His original intention was good, but the result was unfortunately bad.
Compare with
Intention vs Ziel
goal / destination / target
'das Ziel' and 'die Intention' can both have to do with the purpose of an action. 'das Ziel' more often names the result you want to achieve. 'die Intention' refers more to the intention behind an action: why is someone doing something? The word sounds somewhat more formal and fits well when talking about motives, for example in a conversation, text, or plan. Learners may confuse the words because an intention is often directed toward a goal. Put simply: the goal lies ahead of you; the intention is behind the action.
Intention
Meine Intention war nicht, dich zu kritisieren, sondern dir zu helfen.
My intention was not to criticize you, but to help you.
Ziel
Mit dem neuen Kurs verfolgt sie das Ziel, schneller eine Arbeit zu finden.
With the new course, she is pursuing the goal of finding a job more quickly.
In real life
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