shared blame
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shared blame
Partial or shared responsibility for misconduct, a mistake, or a misfortune. It means that one is not guilty alone, but together with others.
Er gab zu, eine Mitschuld am Scheitern des Projekts zu tragen.
He admitted to bearing shared blame for the failure of the project.
The prefix 'mit-' here means 'together' or 'partly.' 'Mitschuld' (shared blame) is therefore the blame that one shares with others. The prefix is also found in words like 'Mitarbeiter' (coworker) or 'Mitbewohner' (roommate).
Der Fahrer des anderen Autos hat eine Mitschuld an dem Unfall.
The driver of the other car shares blame for the accident.
To express what someone shares blame for, the preposition 'an' is used with the dative.
Sie hat eine Mitschuld an der schlechten Stimmung im Team.
She shares blame for the bad mood in the team.
'Mitschuld' (shared blame) is often combined with the verbs 'haben' (to have), 'tragen' (to bear), or 'zugeben' (to admit).
Er weigert sich, seine Mitschuld zuzugeben.
He refuses to admit his shared blame.
guilt / debt
'die Schuld' and 'die Mitschuld' both have to do with responsibility for something negative. The difference is whether someone is solely responsible or only partly responsible. 'Schuld' can mean that one person bears the responsibility. 'Mitschuld' is used when several people or circumstances are involved and someone has only part of the responsibility. Learners may confuse the words because both sound negative. Pay attention to 'mit-': it shows that the responsibility is shared.
Der Trainer trägt eine Mitschuld an der Niederlage, weil er zu spät gewechselt hat.
The coach bears some of the blame for the defeat because he made substitutions too late.
Die Schuld für den Fehler liegt nicht bei der neuen Mitarbeiterin.
The new employee is not to blame for the mistake.