livable / worth living
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livable
Describes a place or environment where one can live well and comfortably, often because of a high quality of life.
Wien wird regelmäßig als eine der lebenswertesten Städte der Welt ausgezeichnet.
Vienna is regularly recognized as one of the most livable cities in the world.
worth living
Describes a life that is felt to be meaningful, fulfilling, and desirable.
Trotz der Schwierigkeiten war sie überzeugt, ein glückliches und lebenswertes Leben zu führen.
Despite the difficulties, she was convinced that she was leading a happy life worth living.
The adjective is made up of 'leben' (to live) and 'wert' (worth) and literally means 'worth being lived.' This structure is very productive in German, as in 'sehenswert' (worth seeing) or 'lesenswert' (worth reading).
Der Reiseführer empfiehlt viele sehenswerte Orte in der Region.
The travel guide recommends many places worth seeing in the region.
A common construction is 'etwas lebenswert machen' (to make something livable / worth living). Here you describe which factors improve the quality of life of a place or of a life.
Gute soziale Kontakte machen das Leben lebenswert.
Good social connections make life worth living.
The meaning of 'lebenswert' (livable / worth living) depends on the noun. If it refers to a place (city, country, neighborhood), it is about a high quality of life. If it refers to 'das Leben' (life) itself, it is about a philosophical or emotional sense of meaning.
München ist eine sehr lebenswerte Stadt.
Munich is a very livable city.
desirable
Lebenswert describes a life that one considers meaningful and fulfilling. Erstrebenswert, on the other hand, describes a positive goal that is worth making an effort to achieve. A life can therefore be lebenswert (worth living), while a particular way of life can be erstrebenswert (desirable).
Ein Leben mit Zeit für Familie und Freunde ist für sie lebenswert.
For her, a life with time for family and friends is worth living.
Ein Leben mit mehr Zeit für Familie und Freunde ist für sie erstrebenswert, deshalb arbeitet sie weniger.
For her, a life with more time for family and friends is desirable, so she works less.
