pity / compassion
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pity / compassion
The feeling of sympathy and compassion for another person's suffering or misfortune.
Als sie seine traurige Geschichte hörte, empfand sie tiefes Mitleid.
When she heard his sad story, she felt deep compassion.
The word 'Mitleid' (pity/compassion) is made up of 'mit' (with) and 'Leid' (suffering). So it literally means sharing in another person's suffering emotionally.
Sein Gesichtsausdruck zeigte echtes Mitleid.
His facial expression showed genuine compassion.
Besides 'Mitleid haben' (to have pity), the noun is often combined with other verbs that express a feeling. Common phrases are 'Mitleid empfinden' (to feel pity), 'Mitleid fühlen' (to feel pity), or 'Mitleid zeigen' (to show compassion).
Er konnte kein Mitleid für den Betrüger empfinden.
He could not feel any pity for the fraudster.
The preposition 'aus' (out of) is often used with 'Mitleid' (pity/compassion) to state the reason for an action. The construction is 'aus Mitleid etwas tun' (to do something out of pity).
Er hat dem Obdachlosen aus Mitleid etwas Geld gegeben.
He gave the homeless man some money out of pity.
The fixed expression 'Mitleid haben mit' (to feel pity for) always requires the preposition 'mit' (with), followed by a person or thing in the dative.
Wir haben großes Mitleid mit den Opfern der Flutkatastrophe.
We feel great compassion for the victims of the flood disaster.
suffering
'das Leid' and 'das Mitleid' belong together, but they do not mean the same thing. 'Leid' is the pain or sorrow that someone experiences themselves. 'Mitleid' is the feeling another person has when they see this suffering and feel sympathy. Learners may confuse the words because both contain 'Leid'. The important point is: a person has 'Leid' when they themselves are suffering. Another person has 'Mitleid' with them.
Jonas hat Mitleid mit dem Hund, weil er verletzt ist.
Jonas feels pity for the dog because it is injured.
Das Leid der alten Frau berührte alle im Haus.
The old woman's suffering touched everyone in the house.