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.
memory / reminder
'die Erinnerung' and 'die Nostalgie' can both have to do with earlier times, but they do not mean the same thing. An 'Erinnerung' is something concrete from the past, for example an experience or an image in your mind. 'Nostalgie' is a feeling: you long for a past time and often see it as especially beautiful. Learners may confuse the words because nostalgia can be triggered by memories. If you are speaking neutrally about something from the past, 'Erinnerung' fits. If longing and a warm feeling are important, 'Nostalgie' fits.
Beim Hören der alten Lieder spürt Maria viel Nostalgie.
When listening to the old songs, Maria feels a lot of nostalgia.
Nach dem Klassentreffen hatte Tom viele neue Erinnerungen an seine Schulzeit.
After the class reunion, Tom had many new memories of his school days.