sin
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sin
An action, thought, or state that, in a religious context, is considered a violation of divine commandments or moral principles.
Im Christentum gilt die Habgier als eine der sieben Todsünden.
In Christianity, greed is considered one of the seven deadly sins.
'Die Sünde' (sin) is the noun related to the verb 'sündigen' (to sin; to commit a sin) and the adjective 'sündig' (sinful; full of sin). The person who sins is called 'der Sünder' (male sinner) or 'die Sünderin' (female sinner).
Er hat in seinem Leben oft gesündigt.
He has often sinned in his life.
In a religious context, the verb 'begehen' (to commit) is used to express that someone commits a sin. Other typical verbs are 'Sünden bekennen' (to confess sins) or 'Sünden vergeben' (to forgive sins).
Er ging zur Beichte, um seine Sünden zu bekennen.
He went to confession to confess his sins.
This meaning is often used humorously or ironically for high-calorie food. Typical phrases are 'eine kleine Sünde' (a little indulgence) or 'eine süße Sünde' (a sweet indulgence).
Ein Stück Schokoladenkuchen ist heute meine kleine Sünde.
A piece of chocolate cake is my little indulgence today.
In the meaning of 'regrettable action', the fixed structure 'Es ist (eine) Sünde, ...' (It is a sin/shame to ...) is almost always used. It is followed either by a 'dass' clause or a 'zu' + infinitive construction.
Es ist eine Sünde, so viel gutes Essen wegzuwerfen.
It's a shame to throw away so much good food.
mistake / error
'der Fehler' and 'die Sünde' can both refer to something one should not do. 'der Fehler' is general and more neutral: something is wrong, inappropriate, or leads to a bad result. 'die Sünde' is much stronger when it is about religion or morality. In everyday language, 'Sünde' is also used playfully, for example with food, or in sentences like 'Es ist eine Sünde, ...' (it's a sin/shame to ...), when something seems very unfortunate or wrong. Learners should not simply use 'Sünde' for every mistake. For normal wrong decisions, 'Fehler' usually fits better.
Jonas sagt, ein Stück Kuchen nach dem Sport ist heute seine kleine Sünde.
Jonas says that a piece of cake after exercising is his little indulgence today.
Bitte sagt mir den Fehler, bevor ich die E-Mail abschicke.
Please tell me the mistake before I send the email.