will / Testament
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will
A legal document in which a person specifies what should happen to their assets and possessions after their death. It is also called the 'letzter Wille' (last will).
Er hat in seinem Testament verfügt, dass sein Haus an eine gemeinnützige Stiftung gehen soll.
In his will, he specified that his house should go to a charitable foundation.
The meaning of 'Testament' (will/Testament) is easy to recognize from context. If it appears with 'Altes' (Old) or 'Neues' (New), it refers to the Bible. In all other contexts, especially with verbs like 'machen' (to make) or 'errichten' (to draw up), it is about one's last will.
Das Buch Hiob ist Teil des Alten Testaments.
The Book of Job is part of the Old Testament.
In the legal sense, 'Testament' (will) is often combined with certain verbs. The most common are 'ein Testament machen' (to make a will, general), 'ein Testament errichten' (to draw up a will, formal/legal), and 'sein Testament ändern' (to change one's will).
Man kann sein Testament bei einem Notar hinterlegen.
You can deposit your will with a notary.
To talk about the contents of the document, you use the preposition 'in'. You can 'im Testament festlegen' (specify in the will) something or read what 'im Testament steht' (is written in the will).
In seinem Testament stand, dass seine Kinder das Haus erben sollen.
In his will, it said that his children should inherit the house.
will
'letzter Wille' and 'Testament' mean the same thing in a legal context: a person specifies what should happen to their possessions after their death. 'Testament' is the normal word for the document. 'letzter Wille' sounds a bit more personal or formal and emphasizes that it is about the deceased person's wishes. This can be confused with the general word 'Wille', which can also simply mean inner strength or will. If you are clearly talking about the document, 'Testament' is usually the most unambiguous choice.
Nach dem Tod der Tante wurde das Testament beim Notar geöffnet.
After the aunt's death, the will was opened at the notary's office.
Die Familie wollte den letzten Willen des Großvaters respektieren.
The family wanted to respect the grandfather's last will.