side effect
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side effect
An additional, often unintended effect that occurs alongside the actual main effect. The term is frequently used for the unwanted accompanying effects of medications, but it can also be neutral or positive.
Ein angenehmer Nebeneffekt des neuen Hobbys war, dass er viele neue Leute kennenlernte.
A pleasant side effect of the new hobby was that he met many new people.
The word is made up of 'Neben-' and 'Effekt'. 'Neben-' here means 'additional' or 'secondary'. A Nebeneffekt is therefore an effect that occurs alongside the main effect.
Eine schnellere Produktion war ein willkommener Nebeneffekt der neuen Maschine.
Faster production was a welcome side effect of the new machine.
'Nebeneffekt' (side effect) is often combined with adjectives such as 'unerwünscht' (unwanted), 'positiv' (positive), 'angenehm' (pleasant), or 'schädlich' (harmful). Typical verbs are 'einen Nebeneffekt haben' (to have a side effect) or 'einen Nebeneffekt mit sich bringen' (to bring about a side effect).
Das Medikament hat leider einige unerwünschte Nebeneffekte.
Unfortunately, the medication has some unwanted side effects.
The term is used very frequently in medical contexts for accompanying effects of medications. However, it can also be used in everyday life for any kind of additional, unintended consequence.
Ein Nebeneffekt des Homeoffice ist, dass ich morgens mehr Zeit habe.
One side effect of working from home is that I have more time in the morning.
consequence / episode
'die Folge' and 'der Nebeneffekt' can both describe an effect that results from something. 'die Folge' is more general and means a result or consequence, often also the most important one. 'der Nebeneffekt' is an additional effect alongside the actual main effect. Learners may confuse the words because both occur after an event. If the effect itself is the main focus, 'Folge' fits better. If it happens only incidentally, 'Nebeneffekt' is more precise.
Ein angenehmer Nebeneffekt des neuen Jobs ist, dass Nele jetzt näher bei ihren Freunden wohnt.
A pleasant side effect of the new job is that Nele now lives closer to her friends.
Die Folge der falschen Planung war, dass das Team den Termin verpasste.
The consequence of the poor planning was that the team missed the deadline.