to terminate / to quit
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to terminate
To formally and unilaterally end a contractual relationship, such as an employment contract, rental agreement, or subscription.
Sie hat beschlossen, ihre Wohnung zum nächstmöglichen Zeitpunkt zu kündigen.
She has decided to terminate her rental agreement at the earliest possible date.
to quit
To leave one's job and end the employment relationship on one's own initiative.
Wenn sich die Arbeitsbedingungen nicht bald bessern, werde ich kündigen.
If the working conditions don't improve soon, I'm going to quit.
to end a friendship
To deliberately end a friendship or close relationship with someone.
Nach dem großen Verrat hat sie ihm die Freundschaft gekündigt.
After the great betrayal, she ended her friendship with him.
The verb 'kündigen' (to terminate / to quit) is related to the word 'kund' (known). When you 'kündigen' something, you officially make it known that you want to end an agreement.
Er hat seinen Handyvertrag schriftlich gekündigt.
He terminated his mobile phone contract in writing.
When you end a specific agreement, 'kündigen' needs an accusative object. But when talking about leaving your job, you can also use it without an object.
Ich habe mein Zeitschriften-Abo gekündigt.
I canceled my magazine subscription.
Common things you can 'kündigen' (terminate/cancel) are 'einen Vertrag' (a contract), 'ein Abonnement' (a subscription), 'eine Mitgliedschaft' (a membership), or 'eine Versicherung' (an insurance policy).
Man kann die Mitgliedschaft im Fitnessstudio meist nur zum Jahresende kündigen.
You can usually only cancel the gym membership at the end of the year.
The idiom 'jemandem die Freundschaft kündigen' (to end one's friendship with someone) is a fixed construction. The person whose friendship is being ended is always in the dative.
Er war so enttäuscht, dass er ihr die Freundschaft kündigte.
He was so disappointed that he ended his friendship with her.
to fly
Both words can occur in connection with the end of a job. „Fliegen“ is colloquial and means that someone is thrown out or dismissed, while „kündigen“ refers to the person's own decision to leave the job. Use „fliegen“ when someone is fired and „kündigen“ when the person leaves voluntarily.
Wegen seiner langen Arbeitszeiten kündigte er selbst im Betrieb.
Because of the long hours, he quit his job at the company.
Wegen seiner wiederholten Verspätungen flog er aus dem Betrieb.
Because of his repeated lateness, he was fired from the company.
