relatives / kinship
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relatives
All the people who are related to one another by birth or marriage; family in the broader sense.
Zur Hochzeit kam die ganze Verwandtschaft aus Deutschland und Österreich.
The whole family came to the wedding from Germany and Austria.
'Verwandtschaft' (relatives / kinship) is derived from the adjective 'verwandt' (related). The ending '-schaft' forms a noun that describes a state or a group, similar to 'Freundschaft' (friendship) or 'Mannschaft' (team).
Die enge Freundschaft der beiden fühlt sich fast wie Verwandtschaft an.
The close friendship between the two feels almost like kinship.
The meaning depends on context. If one is speaking about people ('meine Verwandtschaft' — my relatives), it means relatives. In a scientific or formal context ('die Verwandtschaft zwischen den Arten' — the kinship between the species), it is about the relationship. With abstract things ('Verwandtschaft der Ideen' — affinity of ideas), it is about similarity.
Meine ganze Verwandtschaft trifft sich an Weihnachten.
All my relatives get together at Christmas.
In the meaning 'family members', 'Verwandtschaft' (relatives) is a collective noun. It is singular, but describes a group of several people. The plural 'Verwandtschaften' is not used in this meaning.
Die Verwandtschaft ist aus der ganzen Welt angereist.
The relatives have traveled from all over the world.
When it is about similarity, 'Verwandtschaft' (affinity) is often combined with adjectives such as 'eng' (close), 'deutlich' (clear), or 'geistig' (intellectual/spiritual). Typical verbs are 'erkennen' (to recognize), 'aufweisen' (to exhibit), or 'bestehen' (to exist).
Zwischen den beiden Theorien besteht eine enge geistige Verwandtschaft.
There is a close intellectual affinity between the two theories.
family
'die Familie' and 'die Verwandtschaft' both have to do with people who are related. 'Familie' is the more common everyday word and can mean parents with children or all relatives. 'Verwandtschaft' tends to mean the whole group of relatives, or the relationship between people who are related. It sounds a little more general and less personal than 'Familie'. The words can be confused when talking about many relatives. When talking about your own close people, 'Familie' usually fits. When you want to emphasize that someone is related to someone else or belongs to the wider group of relatives, 'Verwandtschaft' fits better.
Zur Hochzeit kommt fast die ganze Verwandtschaft aus der Türkei.
Almost all the relatives from Turkey are coming to the wedding.
Nach der Arbeit ruft Herr Klein seine Familie an.
After work, Mr. Klein calls his family.