engagement
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engagement
The official promise of two people to marry each other. The Verlobung (engagement) marks the period between the marriage proposal and the wedding.
Sie feierten ihre Verlobung mit einem großen Fest im Kreise der Familie.
They celebrated their engagement with a big party among family.
'Die Verlobung' (the engagement) belongs to a word family. The corresponding verb is 'sich verloben' (to get engaged), and the people who get engaged are called 'die Verlobten' (the engaged couple/the fiancés).
Meine Cousine hat sich letztes Wochenende verlobt.
My cousin got engaged last weekend.
Both the noun and the verb are used with the preposition 'mit' (with) to name the partner. You say 'die Verlobung mit jemandem' (the engagement to someone) and 'sich mit jemandem verloben' (to get engaged to someone).
Ihre Verlobung mit einem berühmten Schauspieler war eine große Überraschung.
Her engagement to a famous actor was a big surprise.
There are fixed expressions around Verlobung (engagement). You can 'feiern' (celebrate) or 'bekannt geben' (announce) an engagement. If the relationship ends, you can 'lösen' (break off) or 'auflösen' (call off) the engagement.
Sie haben ihre Verlobung im engsten Familienkreis gefeiert.
They celebrated their engagement with only their closest family.
marriage
'die Ehe' and 'die Verlobung' both belong to the topic of marriage and partnerships. 'die Verlobung' is the official promise to marry later. It comes before the wedding. 'die Ehe' begins only with the wedding and is a legally or socially recognized life partnership. The words can be confused because both describe a committed relationship. The important thing is the order: first the engagement, then the marriage.
Im Sommer feiern Tom und Maria ihre Verlobung bei den Eltern.
In the summer, Tom and Maria are celebrating their engagement at their parents' house.
In ihrer Ehe teilen sie viele Aufgaben im Alltag.
In their marriage, they share many everyday tasks.