handover / surrender
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handover
The act in which something (e.g., an object, an apartment, a task) is handed over to another person.
Die Übergabe der Geschäftsführung findet nächsten Monat statt.
The handover of the management will take place next month.
surrender
The capitulation and handing over of a place, such as a city or fortress, to an enemy.
Die Übergabe der Festung erfolgte nach monatelanger Belagerung.
The surrender of the fortress took place after months of siege.
'Die Übergabe' is the noun form of the separable verb 'übergeben' (to hand over). The word therefore describes the action or process of handing something over.
Der alte Chef bereitet die Übergabe seiner Aufgaben vor.
The old boss is preparing the handover of his tasks.
The context determines the meaning. In business or everyday life (apartment, project), it means 'handover'. In a military or historical context, it means 'surrender'.
Die Übergabe der Wohnung an den neuen Mieter dauerte eine Stunde.
The handover of the apartment to the new tenant took an hour.
Common combinations in the sense of 'handover' are 'die Übergabe der Schlüssel' (the handover of the keys), 'die Übergabe der Verantwortung' (the handover of responsibility), or 'die Übergabe eines Projekts' (the handover of a project).
Bei der Schlüsselübergabe wurde ein Protokoll geschrieben.
A written record was made during the key handover.
To describe the time or event of the handover, the preposition 'bei' is often used. It answers the question 'Wann?' (When?).
Bei der Übergabe der Wohnung sollten Sie alle Räume genau prüfen.
During the handover of the apartment, you should check all rooms carefully.
takeover / assumption
Both words can be used when responsibility for a task changes hands. Übernahme describes the new person taking it on, while Übergabe highlights the previous person responsible for handing it over. Choose the word according to the perspective on the same change.
Bei der Übergabe der Aufgabe erklärte der bisherige Leiter Lea alle wichtigen Schritte.
When handing over the task, the previous manager explained all the important steps to Lea.
Nach der Übernahme der Aufgabe kümmerte sich Lea um den weiteren Ablauf.
After taking on the task, Lea took care of the rest of the process.
