der Ratschlag
advice
A recommendation or suggestion given to someone to help them with a decision or problem.
EXAMPLE
Ich danke dir für deinen guten Ratschlag, er hat mir sehr geholfen.
Thank you for your good advice; it helped me a lot.
der Ratschlag
advice
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word composition
The word is made up of 'Rat' (advice) and 'Schlag' (strike, blow). The meaning is not literal, but rather an old expression for 'a kind of advice' or 'a suggestion'.
EXAMPLE
Sein Ratschlag war wie ein Weckruf für mich.
His advice was like a wake-up call for me.
Typical verbs
'Ratschlag' (advice) is often combined with certain verbs. You can 'geben' (give) someone a piece of advice, 'bekommen' (get) advice from someone, or 'befolgen' (follow) a piece of advice.
EXAMPLE
Er hat mir den guten Ratschlag gegeben, mich mehr zu entspannen.
He gave me the good advice to relax more.
Sentence structure
When you want to describe the content of the advice, you often use an infinitive construction with 'zu' (to) or a subordinate clause with 'dass' (that).
EXAMPLE
Ich gab ihr den Ratschlag, sich direkt bei der Firma zu bewerben.
I gave her the advice to apply directly to the company.
Compare with
Ratschlag vs Rat
advice / council
Both words can refer to advice about a decision or problem. Rat also fits when someone is generally asking for support; Ratschlag refers more to a single, explicitly stated piece of advice. Use Rat when asking for help and Ratschlag for the specific suggestion.
Ratschlag
Der Ratschlag meiner Schwester war, vor der Entscheidung alle Möglichkeiten zu prüfen.
My sister's advice was to consider all the options before making the decision.
Rat
Vor der Entscheidung bat ich meine Schwester um Rat.
Before making the decision, I asked my sister for advice.
In real life
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