in essence / paraphrased
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in essence
Describes that something is reproduced or understood not word for word, but according to its meaning. The content or main message remains intact, even if the exact words are different.
Er gab das Gespräch nur sinngemäss wieder, nicht Wort für Wort.
He recounted the conversation only in essence, not word for word.
The word is made up of 'Sinn' (meaning/sense) and the suffix '-gemäß' (which means 'according to' or 'appropriate'). So it describes something that matches the meaning.
Bitte fassen Sie den Text sinngemäß zusammen.
Please summarize the text in essence.
'Sinngemäß' (in essence) is almost always used as an adverb that modifies a verb. Using it as an adjective before a noun, e.g. 'eine sinngemäße Wiedergabe' (a paraphrased rendering), is grammatically correct but less common.
Er hat die Anweisungen des Chefs nur sinngemäß wiedergegeben.
He only repeated the boss's instructions in essence.
Common verbs combined with 'sinngemäß' (in essence) are 'wiedergeben' (to reproduce/relay), 'zitieren' (to quote), 'übersetzen' (to translate), and 'zusammenfassen' (to summarize).
Der Dolmetscher übersetzte die Rede des Präsidenten sinngemäß.
The interpreter translated the president's speech in essence.
free
'frei' and 'sinngemäss' can both occur when reproducing texts or statements. In this context, 'frei' means that you are not strictly bound to the exact form or the original words. 'sinngemäss' is more precise: the exact wording is different, but the main message remains the same. Learners may confuse the words because neither means word for word. If it is important that the content stays correct, 'sinngemäss' fits better. 'frei' sounds more open and can differ more strongly from the original.
Kannst du mir sinngemäss sagen, was der Kunde geschrieben hat?
Can you tell me in essence what the customer wrote?
Die Lehrerin gibt den Text frei wieder, damit alle ihn verstehen.
The teacher paraphrases the text freely so that everyone can understand it.