to repay / erase
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to repay
To pay back a debt or a loan completely through installment payments or other payments.
Er hat hart gearbeitet, um sein Studiendarlehen innerhalb von fünf Jahren zu tilgen.
He worked hard to repay his student loan within five years.
to erase
To remove, delete, or wipe out something written or stored, or a memory.
Nach Ablauf der Frist werden die Daten aus dem System unwiderruflich getilgt.
After the deadline expires, the data will be irreversibly erased from the system.
'Tilgen' (to repay/to erase) is a formal word that you mainly find in written language, official documents, or an elevated style. It is used less often in everyday conversation.
Der Vertrag legt fest, wie die Restschuld zu tilgen ist.
The contract specifies how the remaining debt is to be repaid.
The difference between the meanings becomes clear through the object. If it is about money, e.g. 'Schulden' (debts) or 'Kredit' (loan), 'tilgen' means to repay. If it is about information, e.g. 'Daten' (data) or 'Eintrag' (entry), it means to delete.
Sie konnte den Kredit schneller tilgen als erwartet.
She was able to repay the loan faster than expected.
In a financial context, 'tilgen' (to repay) is almost always combined with words for monetary debts. Typical examples are: 'Schulden tilgen' (to repay debts), 'einen Kredit tilgen' (to repay a loan), or 'ein Darlehen tilgen' (to repay a loan).
Mit dem neuen Job kann er seine Schulden endlich tilgen.
With the new job, he can finally repay his debts.
In the meaning 'löschen' (to delete), 'tilgen' (to erase) is often used for abstract or digital things. Common combinations are: 'Daten tilgen' (to erase data), 'einen Eintrag tilgen' (to erase an entry), 'Spuren tilgen' (to erase traces), or also 'eine Erinnerung tilgen' (to erase a memory).
Er versuchte, die schmerzhafte Erinnerung aus seinem Gedächtnis zu tilgen.
He tried to erase the painful memory from his mind.
to extinguish / delete
Löschen is the usual general verb for removing data, entries, or written text. Tilgen also means to remove something, but it sounds more elevated and can emphasize deliberately eliminating something completely. For everyday file operations, löschen is therefore usually the better choice.
Die Mitarbeiterin tilgt jede Spur des falschen Eintrags aus dem Archiv.
The employee erases every trace of the incorrect entry from the archive.
Die Mitarbeiterin löscht den falschen Eintrag aus der Datei.
The employee deletes the incorrect entry from the file.
