wesentlich
essential
Of fundamental importance, very important or decisive; essential.
EXAMPLE
Gegenseitiges Vertrauen ist ein wesentlicher Bestandteil einer guten Freundschaft.
Mutual trust is an essential part of a good friendship.
wesentlich
essential / significantly
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
wesentlich
significantly
Used as an adverb to express a considerable difference; clearly, considerably, much.
EXAMPLE
Seit dem Training hat er sich wesentlich verbessert.
Since the training, he has improved significantly.
im Wesentlichen
essentially
A fixed expression meaning 'basically', 'mainly', or 'in the most important points'.
EXAMPLE
Der Plan bleibt im Wesentlichen unverändert, nur ein paar Details wurden angepasst.
The plan remains essentially unchanged; only a few details were adjusted.
Usage tips
Word family
The word 'wesentlich' (essential) derives from 'das Wesen' (the essence/nature), which means 'die Essenz' (the essence) or 'der Kern' (the core) of something. Something that is wesentlich therefore concerns the core and is thus fundamentally important.
EXAMPLE
Die wesentliche Frage ist, ob wir genug Zeit haben.
The essential question is whether we have enough time.
Context clues
You can recognize the function of 'wesentlich' (essential/significantly) by its position: as an adjective, it comes before a noun; as an adverb, it comes before another adjective (often in the comparative); and as a fixed expression, it appears as 'im Wesentlichen' (essentially).
EXAMPLE
Das ist ein wesentlicher Punkt in der Diskussion.
That is an essential point in the discussion.
Use as an adverb
As an adverb, 'wesentlich' (significantly) means something like 'deutlich' (clearly/significantly) or 'viel' (much) and is used to emphasize a large difference. It very often comes before a comparative.
EXAMPLE
Die Preise sind dieses Jahr wesentlich höher.
Prices are significantly higher this year.
Sentence position
The fixed expression 'im Wesentlichen' (essentially) can stand at the beginning of a sentence (position 1) or inside the sentence. If it stands at the beginning, the conjugated verb follows directly.
EXAMPLE
Im Wesentlichen geht es um eine finanzielle Frage.
Essentially, it's about a financial question.
Typical collocations
As an adjective, 'wesentlich' (essential) is often combined with abstract nouns to emphasize their importance. Typical examples are: 'ein wesentlicher Unterschied' (an essential difference), 'ein wesentlicher Beitrag' (an essential contribution), 'ein wesentlicher Aspekt' (an essential aspect), 'ein wesentlicher Grund' (an essential reason).
EXAMPLE
Er hat einen wesentlichen Beitrag zum Erfolg des Teams geleistet.
He made an essential contribution to the team's success.
Compare with
wichtignotwendigzentralerheblichentscheidendbedeutendprimärgrundlegendrelevantsignifikantbeträchtlichfundamentalessentiellintegral
wesentlich vs wichtig
important
Wichtig and wesentlich both describe something of great importance. Wichtig is the more general assessment. Wesentlich emphasizes more strongly that something is fundamental, decisive, or a necessary core component of the whole.
wesentlich
Eine gesicherte Finanzierung ist für die Durchführung des Projekts wesentlich.
Secured funding is essential to carrying out the project.
wichtig
Eine klare Zeitplanung ist für das Projekt wichtig.
A clear schedule is important for the project.
In real life
Loading video examples...