das Talent
talent
A special, innate gift or ability for a particular activity, for example in art, sports, or music.
EXAMPLE
Sie hat ein außergewöhnliches Talent für das Klavierspielen.
She has an extraordinary talent for playing the piano.
das Talent
talent
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
das Talent
talent
A person who has a special gift.
EXAMPLE
Der junge Fußballer gilt als das größte Talent seines Jahrgangs.
The young soccer player is considered the greatest talent of his year group.
das Talent
talent
An ancient unit of weight and currency used mainly in Greece and the Roman Empire.
EXAMPLE
In der Antike war ein Talent eine sehr große Summe Geldes.
In antiquity, a talent was a very large sum of money.
Usage tips
Correct preposition
To express the area in which a gift lies, 'Talent' (talent) is almost always used with the preposition 'für' followed by the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Er hat ein großes Talent für Sprachen und lernt sehr schnell.
He has a great talent for languages and learns very quickly.
Context clue
You can distinguish between the ability and the person: 'Talent haben' (to have talent) refers to the ability. 'Ein Talent sein' (to be a talent) or 'als Talent gelten' (to be considered a talent) describes a person.
EXAMPLE
Sie hat Talent, aber sie übt nicht genug.
She has talent, but she doesn't practice enough.
Typical collocations
Common verbs used with 'Talent' (talent) as an ability are 'ein Talent haben' (to have a talent), 'ein Talent entdecken' (to discover a talent), 'sein Talent fördern' (to foster one's talent), or 'sein Talent verschwenden' (to waste one's talent).
EXAMPLE
Gute Lehrer helfen Schülern dabei, ihre Talente zu entdecken.
Good teachers help students discover their talents.
Context clue: history
The meaning as a unit of currency is historical. It appears only in texts that refer to antiquity, for example the Roman Empire or biblical stories.
EXAMPLE
Im Geschichtsunterricht lernten wir, dass ein Talent damals unvorstellbar viel wert war.
In history class, we learned that a talent was worth an unimaginable amount back then.
Compare with
Talent vs Geschenk
gift
Both words can refer to a special natural ability. Talent directly describes the ability. Geschenk adds the evaluation that the same ability is something very positive and not to be taken for granted, something the person has received.
Talent
Lenas außergewöhnliches musikalisches Gehör zeigt ihr großes Talent.
Lena's extraordinary musical ear shows her great talent.
Geschenk
Lenas außergewöhnliches musikalisches Gehör ist ein Geschenk.
Lena's extraordinary musical ear is a gift.
In real life
Loading video examples...