bravery
Loading your saved state.
bravery
The quality of being courageous and fearless, especially in a dangerous, difficult, or painful situation. It shows itself in overcoming fear.
Der Feuerwehrmann wurde für seine außerordentliche Tapferkeit bei dem Einsatz ausgezeichnet.
The firefighter was honored for his extraordinary bravery during the operation.
The word is derived from the adjective 'tapfer' (brave). The ending '-keit' is often added to adjectives to form a noun that describes the quality.
Ihre Ehrlichkeit ist eine Eigenschaft, die ich sehr schätze.
Her honesty is a quality that I value very highly.
'Tapferkeit' (bravery) is often combined with verbs that express showing or acknowledging this quality. Typical verbs are 'Tapferkeit beweisen' (to prove/show bravery), 'Tapferkeit zeigen' (to show bravery), or 'jemandes Tapferkeit bewundern' (to admire someone's bravery).
Die Soldaten mussten im Kampf große Tapferkeit beweisen.
The soldiers had to show great bravery in battle.
To express whose bravery is meant, German usually uses the genitive or the preposition 'von' with the dative. Both are correct and common.
Die Tapferkeit des Kindes beim Arzt war beeindruckend.
The child's bravery at the doctor's office was impressive.
courage
Mut and Tapferkeit both describe someone doing something difficult despite fear or danger. Mut focuses more on the inner willingness to overcome one’s fear, while Tapferkeit refers more strongly to visible, steadfast behavior in a difficult situation. The choice therefore depends on whether the willingness or the behavior is the main focus.
Seine Tapferkeit zeigte sich darin, dass er den Verletzten trotz der Gefahr nicht allein ließ.
His bravery was evident in the fact that he did not leave the injured man alone despite the danger.
Sie hatte den Mut, trotz ihrer Angst vor vielen Menschen zu sprechen.
She had the courage to speak in front of many people despite her fear.
