respectful
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respectful
Showing behavior or an attitude characterized by respect and appreciation toward another person, an institution, or a thing.
Er sprach immer sehr respektvoll mit seinen Großeltern und Lehrern.
He always spoke very respectfully with his grandparents and teachers.
The adjective 'respektvoll' (respectful) is made up of the noun 'der Respekt' (respect) and the ending '-voll'. The ending '-voll' means 'full of' and forms adjectives from nouns.
Sein Verhalten war von Anfang an sehr respektvoll.
His behavior was very respectful from the beginning.
If you want to express whom someone is respectful toward, you use the preposition 'gegenüber' with the dative. This preposition can stand before or after the noun.
Bitte seien Sie den anderen Teilnehmern gegenüber respektvoll.
Please be respectful toward the other participants.
'Respektvoll' (respectful) is often used to describe a type of interaction or communication. Common combinations are 'ein respektvoller Umgang' (respectful treatment/interaction), 'eine respektvolle Kommunikation' (respectful communication), or 'jemanden respektvoll behandeln' (to treat someone respectfully).
Ein respektvoller Umgang miteinander ist die Basis für gute Teamarbeit.
Respectful interaction with one another is the basis for good teamwork.
polite
'höflich' and 'respektvoll' are close in meaning because both have to do with good behavior toward others. 'höflich' refers more to the outward form: speaking kindly, saying please and thank you, and not interrupting anyone. 'respektvoll' is more strongly about respect and appreciation. You can also speak respectfully about a person, an opinion, or a tradition. Learners may confuse the words because polite behavior is often respectful as well. But someone can seem polite without really showing much respect. 'höflich' fits manners, while 'respektvoll' fits attitude and respect.
Zur Vorbereitung auf das Gespräch habe ich mir überlegt, wie ich respektvoll Kritik äußern kann.
To prepare for the conversation, I thought about how I could express criticism respectfully.
Im Wartezimmer fragte das Kind höflich, ob der Platz noch frei ist.
In the waiting room, the child politely asked whether the seat was still free.