parallel
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parallel
A similarity or comparable point between two different things, people, or situations.
Es gibt erstaunliche Parallelen zwischen seiner Kindheit und der seines Vaters.
There are amazing parallels between his childhood and his father's.
To express a similarity between two or more things, you use the structure 'Parallelen zwischen [something in the dative] und [something in the dative]' (parallels between ... and ...).
Der Historiker sieht Parallelen zwischen der damaligen und der heutigen Zeit.
The historian sees parallels between that time and the present day.
In the sense of 'Ähnlichkeit' (similarity), 'Parallele' (parallel) is often combined with verbs like 'sehen' (to see), 'erkennen' (to recognize), 'aufweisen' (to show/exhibit), or adjectives like 'deutlich' (clear), 'erstaunlich' (amazing), and 'offensichtlich' (obvious).
Die Biografien der beiden Künstler weisen erstaunliche Parallelen auf.
The biographies of the two artists show amazing parallels.
The most common use is the fixed expression 'eine Parallele ziehen' (to draw a parallel). It means to make a comparison.
In seiner Rede zog der Politiker eine Parallele zur Wirtschaftskrise.
In his speech, the politician drew a parallel to the economic crisis.
You can recognize the geometric meaning from the context. If there is talk of 'Linien' (lines), 'zeichnen' (to draw), 'Abstand' (distance), or 'schneiden' (to intersect), it is about geometry.
Zeichnen Sie eine Gerade und dazu eine Parallele im Abstand von 3 cm.
Draw a straight line and then a parallel line 3 cm away from it.
comparison / settlement
'der Vergleich' and 'die Parallele' both have to do with relating two things to each other. 'der Vergleich' is the whole process: you look at similarities and differences. 'die Parallele' is usually a single similar point between two things. When you use 'eine Parallele ziehen' (to draw a parallel), you deliberately point out a similarity. Learners may confuse the words because a parallel is often found through a comparison. Remember: a 'Vergleich' can have many points, while a 'Parallele' mainly emphasizes one similarity.
Im Gespräch erkennt ihr schnell eine Parallele zu eurem alten Projekt.
In the conversation, you quickly recognize a parallel to your old project.
Nach der Nachricht macht Tom einen Vergleich zwischen den beiden Situationen.
After the news, Tom makes a comparison between the two situations.