merit
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merit
A commendable achievement or special contribution that deserves praise and recognition. In contrast to 'der Verdienst' (earnings/income), it refers to ideal or non-material value.
Es ist Ihr Verdienst, dass das Projekt trotz der Schwierigkeiten erfolgreich war.
It is your merit that the project was successful despite the difficulties.
The neuter gender ('das') is crucial here. 'Das Verdienst' always refers to an ideal, commendable achievement. The masculine form ('der Verdienst'), on the other hand, refers to material pay or income.
Die Rettung der alten Bibliothek ist allein Ihr Verdienst.
Saving the old library is your merit alone.
A very common construction is 'Es ist jemandes Verdienst, dass ...' (It is someone's merit that ...). This attributes recognition for a positive result to a person.
Es ist das Verdienst der gesamten Mannschaft, dass wir das Spiel gewonnen haben.
It is the merit of the entire team that we won the game.
Another fixed expression is 'sich Verdienste um etwas (Akkusativ) erwerben' (to earn merit/recognition for something). This means that someone has earned recognition through their achievements in a certain field.
Die Forscherin hat sich große Verdienste um den Schutz der Umwelt erworben.
The researcher has earned great recognition for protecting the environment.
contribution / post
Beitrag and Verdienst can both refer to a person’s contribution to a shared success. Beitrag initially describes this contribution neutrally, while Verdienst emphasizes that it deserves special recognition and attributes the success to the person. So Verdienst is more suitable when explicit praise is intended.
Dass das gemeinsame Projekt erfolgreich war, ist auch ihr Verdienst.
The joint project’s success is also due to her.
Ihre neue Idee war ein wichtiger Beitrag zum Erfolg des gemeinsamen Projekts.
Her new idea made an important contribution to the success of the joint project.
