nostalgia
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nostalgia
A feeling of longing for a past time that is often remembered as more beautiful and better.
Beim Anblick der alten Fotos überkam ihn eine Welle der Nostalgie.
At the sight of the old photos, a wave of nostalgia came over him.
'Nostalgie' (nostalgia) is an international word that exists in many languages and has a similar meaning. That makes it easier to recognize and understand.
Diese Musik weckt bei mir immer eine gewisse Nostalgie.
This music always awakens a certain nostalgia in me.
Nostalgia is a feeling. Therefore, it is often used with verbs of feeling and experiencing, for example 'Nostalgie empfinden' (to feel nostalgia), 'Nostalgie verspüren' (to feel nostalgia), or 'in Nostalgie schwelgen' (to indulge in nostalgia).
Wenn er alte Lieder hört, schwelgt er in Nostalgie.
When he hears old songs, he indulges in nostalgia.
To describe the intensity of the feeling, fixed expressions such as 'ein Anflug von Nostalgie' (a touch of nostalgia), 'ein Hauch von Nostalgie' (a hint of nostalgia), or 'eine Welle der Nostalgie' (a wave of nostalgia) are often used.
Beim Betreten ihres alten Kinderzimmers spürte sie einen Hauch von Nostalgie.
When she entered her old childhood bedroom, she felt a hint of nostalgia.
When nostalgia is the reason for an action, the preposition 'aus' is used. You do something 'aus reiner Nostalgie' (out of pure nostalgia).
Er kaufte das alte Spielzeugauto aus reiner Nostalgie.
He bought the old toy car out of pure nostalgia.
longing
Die Sehnsucht can be directed toward many distant or unattainable people, places, and states, including things from the past. Die Nostalgie specifically refers to a past time that one often remembers as more beautiful. When the memory is idealized, Nostalgie is the better choice.
Sie betrachtete die alten Sommerfotos mit Nostalgie und erinnerte sich nur an die schönen Tage.
She looked at the old summer photos with nostalgia and remembered only the good days.
Sie spürte große Sehnsucht nach den gemeinsamen Sommern ihrer Kindheit.
She felt a deep longing for the summers she had spent with her family during her childhood.
