contest / competition
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contest / competition
A contest or competitive situation in which two or more parties try to outdo each other or be better.
Zwischen den beiden Sportlern entbrannte ein spannender Wettstreit um den ersten Platz.
An exciting contest for first place broke out between the two athletes.
The word is made up of 'Wett-' (from 'Wette' (bet), 'Wettbewerb' (competition)) and 'Streit' (dispute). So it describes a conflict or dispute that takes place within the framework of a competition.
Der Wettstreit der beiden Firmen um die Marktführerschaft wird immer intensiver.
The contest between the two companies for market leadership is becoming more and more intense.
To name the participants, use 'zwischen' (between) with the dative. To describe the goal of the competition, use 'um' (for) with the accusative.
Es gab einen Wettstreit zwischen den Geschwistern um das größte Stück Kuchen.
There was a contest between the siblings for the biggest piece of cake.
'Wettstreit' (contest/competition) is often used with verbs like 'entbrennen' (to break out) or 'austragen' (to hold/carry out). Typical adjectives are 'spannend' (exciting), 'hart' (tough), or 'fair' (fair).
Die beiden Teams trugen einen fairen Wettstreit aus.
The two teams held a fair contest.
argument / dispute
'der Streit' and 'der Wettstreit' sound similar, but they do not mean the same thing. 'Der Streit' is an argument or dispute in which people get annoyed, disagree, or raise their voices. 'Der Wettstreit', on the other hand, is a contest or competition: several people or groups want to be better than the others. Learners may confuse the words because 'Streit' appears in both. A practical tip: for anger and conflict, say 'Streit'; for rivalry and competition, say 'Wettstreit'.
Beim Training entstand ein freundlicher Wettstreit, weil alle schneller laufen wollten.
During training, a friendly competition developed because everyone wanted to run faster.
Nach dem Einkauf gab es einen Streit, weil die Rechnung viel höher war als erwartet.
After the shopping trip, there was an argument because the bill was much higher than expected.