offspring / young talent
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offspring
The children of a family or the young of animals. The term is often used generally for the next generation.
Die junge Familie freut sich über ihren Nachwuchs.
The young family is delighted about their new baby.
The word is made up of 'nach' (after) and 'Wuchs' (growth, from 'wachsen' (to grow)). So it literally describes what 'nachwächst' (grows after) — the next generation.
Die alten Bäume sind krank, aber der Nachwuchs im Wald ist gesund.
The old trees are sick, but the young growth in the forest is healthy.
'Nachwuchs' (offspring / young talent) is a collective noun and is almost always used in the singular, even when talking about several children or people. There is no plural form.
Der gesamte Nachwuchs der Musikschule gab ein Konzert.
All the young talent from the music school gave a concert.
In a family context, 'Nachwuchs' (offspring) is often used in fixed expressions, for example 'Nachwuchs bekommen' (to have a baby), 'Nachwuchs erwarten' (to be expecting a baby), or 'sich auf Nachwuchs freuen' (to look forward to a baby).
Unsere Freunde haben vor kurzem Nachwuchs bekommen.
Our friends recently had a baby.
When talking about young talents, 'Nachwuchs' (young talent) is frequently combined with the verb 'fördern' (to support/promote). The field is also often named with an adjective, e.g., 'der sportliche Nachwuchs' (young athletic talent).
Es ist wichtig, den wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchs früh zu fördern.
It is important to support young scientific talent early on.
child
'das Kind' and 'der Nachwuchs' can both mean the children in a family. However, 'Kind' is the normal word for an individual young person or for one's own son or daughter. 'Nachwuchs' sounds more general and often means the children as a group or the next generation. It is also used for animals. Learners may confuse the words because both have to do with children. If you are talking about a specific person, 'Kind' is usually more natural. If you are talking generally about a family's children or about a new generation, 'Nachwuchs' fits better.
Nach der Geburt des dritten Babys freute sich die ganze Familie über den Nachwuchs.
After the birth of the third baby, the whole family was happy about the new addition.
Im Zug hat eine Frau ihrem Kind ein Bilderbuch vorgelesen.
On the train, a woman read a picture book to her child.