crime
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crime
A serious criminal offense that is prohibited by law and punished, such as murder, robbery, or fraud.
Einbruch in ein bewohntes Haus wird als schweres Verbrechen gewertet.
Breaking into an occupied house is classified as a serious crime.
'Das Verbrechen' (the crime/the act) is part of a word family with 'der Verbrecher' (the criminal/the person) and the verb 'verbrechen' (to commit a crime/the action). If you know one word, you can understand the others more easily.
Der Verbrecher wurde für sein Verbrechen zu einer langen Haftstrafe verurteilt.
The criminal was sentenced to a long prison term for his crime.
The word contains the verb 'brechen' (to break), as in 'ein Gesetz brechen' (to break a law). The prefix 'ver-' intensifies the negative meaning here and indicates that something was done wrongly or badly.
Er hat mit seinem Handeln das Gesetz gebrochen.
Through his actions, he broke the law.
The most important verb in this context is 'ein Verbrechen begehen' (to commit a crime). Other common combinations are 'ein Verbrechen aufklären' (to solve a crime, used of police) or 'ein Verbrechen verhindern' (to prevent a crime).
Die Polizei konnte das Verbrechen schnell aufklären.
The police were able to solve the crime quickly.
You often recognize the figurative meaning from the structure 'Es ist ein Verbrechen, ... zu tun' (It is a crime to do ...). This criticizes an action as morally wrong or as a great waste, without it necessarily being illegal.
Es ist ein Verbrechen, so viel gutes Essen wegzuwerfen.
It is a crime to throw away so much good food.
deed / act
'das Verbrechen' and 'die Tat' can both mean a criminal act. However, 'das Verbrechen' is stronger and usually means a serious crime, for example murder or robbery. 'die Tat' is more general: it can be any action, but in a police context it can also mean a punishable act. Learners may confuse the words because news reports often speak of 'der Tat' even when a crime is meant. As a practical rule: if you want to emphasize the seriousness, 'Verbrechen' fits better. If you are speaking neutrally about what happened or about the act, 'Tat' is more natural.
Die Polizei untersucht ein schweres Verbrechen in der Innenstadt.
The police are investigating a serious crime in the city center.
Nach der Tat lief der Mann schnell zur nächsten Straße.
After the crime, the man quickly ran to the next street.