schuldig
guilty
Bearing responsibility for a moral or legal wrongdoing or a crime.
EXAMPLE
Das Gericht sprach den Angeklagten des Diebstahls schuldig.
The court found the defendant guilty of theft.
schuldig
guilty / owing
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Meanings
jemandem etwas schuldig sein
to owe someone something
To be obligated to pay someone back money or provide some other service in return.
EXAMPLE
Ich bin dir noch zwanzig Euro für das Abendessen schuldig.
I still owe you twenty euros for dinner.
jemandem etwas schuldig sein
to owe someone something
In a figurative sense, to be obligated to give someone thanks, an explanation, or a favor.
EXAMPLE
Nach all seiner Hilfe war sie ihm eine Erklärung schuldig.
After all his help, she owed him an explanation.
Usage tips
Word family
'Schuldig' (guilty / owing) is the adjective corresponding to the noun 'die Schuld' (guilt / debt). Since 'die Schuld' can mean both 'wrongdoing' and 'debts', the adjective 'schuldig' also has these two main meanings.
EXAMPLE
Er hat seine Schulden bezahlt und ist jetzt nichts mehr schuldig.
He has paid his debts and doesn't owe anything anymore.
Sentence structure with genitive
In legal language, the crime for which someone is convicted is often stated using the genitive. This construction is very formal.
EXAMPLE
Der Angeklagte wurde des Betrugs schuldig gesprochen.
The defendant was found guilty of fraud.
Dative construction
When you owe someone something, the sentence structure is fixed: the person who owes something is in the nominative, the person to whom something is owed is in the dative, and the thing or amount is in the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Ich bin dir noch eine Erklärung schuldig.
I still owe you an explanation.
Context clue
If 'schuldig' (guilty / owing) stands alone or with 'an' (+ dative), it usually means 'morally or legally responsible'. If it appears with a person in the dative and a thing in the accusative, it means 'to owe someone something'.
EXAMPLE
Sie fühlt sich schuldig, weil sie nicht geholfen hat.
She feels guilty because she didn't help.
Compare with
schuldig vs Schuld
guilt / debt
With „schuld sein an“, you say who or what caused a negative event. „Schuldig“ describes a person who has committed a moral or legal wrongdoing. „Schuld“ is therefore often appropriate for an accident, while „schuldig“ is used for a wrongdoing that is being judged.
schuldig
Das Gericht erklärte Mara für schuldig, weil sie fremdes Eigentum absichtlich zerstört hatte.
The court found Mara guilty because she had intentionally destroyed someone else’s property.
Schuld
Mara ist schuld daran, dass die Vase beim Spielen zerbrach.
Mara is to blame for the vase breaking while they were playing.
In real life
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