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
Ziel and Intention can refer to the same undertaking. Ziel mainly names the desired result; Intention refers to the intention or plan behind an action. So consider whether the result or the underlying direction of someone’s will is what matters.
Intention
Die Intention hinter der Kampagne ist, junge Menschen zum Mitmachen zu bewegen.
The intention behind the campaign is to encourage young people to get involved.
Ziel
Das Ziel der Kampagne ist, tausend neue Mitglieder zu gewinnen.
The campaign’s goal is to attract one thousand new members.
In real life
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