grief / sorrow
Loading your saved state.
grief / sorrow
A deep feeling of sadness, worry, or emotional pain that often lasts for a longer period of time. Kummer is usually caused by worries, loss, or disappointments.
Sie hat großen Kummer wegen ihrer kranken Mutter.
She is filled with deep sorrow because of her sick mother.
to be used to hardship
An idiom expressing that someone has already experienced many difficulties and worries in life and is therefore hardened by them.
Nach all den Schicksalsschlägen ist er Kummer gewohnt.
After all those blows of fate, he is used to hardship.
'Der Kummer' (grief/sorrow) belongs to the word family of 'kümmern' (to care / to take care of). While 'der Kummer' describes a negative feeling or worry, 'sich kümmern um' means that you actively try to solve a problem or look after a person's well-being.
Der Verlust des Arbeitsplatzes bereitete ihm großen Kummer.
The loss of his job caused him great sorrow.
'Kummer' (grief/sorrow) is usually used as an uncountable noun and therefore generally has no plural. It also often appears without an article, especially after prepositions such as 'vor' or 'aus'.
Sie konnte vor lauter Kummer kaum noch essen.
She could hardly eat because of all her sorrow.
Common verbs used with 'Kummer' (grief/sorrow) are 'Kummer haben' (to be troubled / to have sorrow) or 'jemandem Kummer bereiten/machen' (to cause someone sorrow). The latter means to be the cause of another person's sorrow.
Sein rücksichtsloses Verhalten bereitet seinen Eltern viel Kummer.
His inconsiderate behavior causes his parents a lot of sorrow.
The expression 'Kummer gewohnt sein' (to be used to hardship) is a fixed unit. It describes a person who has been hardened by many negative experiences and can deal with difficult situations.
Als Kind von Flüchtlingen ist sie von klein auf Kummer gewohnt.
As the child of refugees, she has been used to hardship from an early age.
suffering
„Das Leid“ is the broader term and can refer to physical pain, emotional pain, or general misfortune. „Der Kummer“ refers to personal emotional pain, usually caused by worries, a loss, or a disappointment.
Die Sorge um seine schwer kranke Tochter bereitete ihm großen Kummer.
Worrying about his seriously ill daughter caused him great sorrow.
Die schwere Krankheit brachte der ganzen Familie großes Leid.
The serious illness caused the whole family great suffering.
