gönnen
German
Etymology
From Middle High German gunnen, from Old High German giunnan, from unnan, from Proto-West Germanic *unnan. Compare Dutch gunnen, Yiddish פֿאַרגינען (farginen).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɡœnən/
Audio (file)
Verb
gönnen (weak, third-person singular present gönnt, past tense gönnte, past participle gegönnt, auxiliary haben)
- (ditransitive) to bestow, to indulge (someone's wishes), to treat to
- Ich würde meinen Kindern gerne einen speziellen Leckerbissen gönnen.
- I'd like to give my children a special treat.
- (ditransitive) to be happy for someone because of their good fortune
- Sie hatten so viel Pech im Leben; ich gönne ihnen den Lottogewinn.
- They've had so much bad luck in life; I don't begrudge them the lottery win.
Usage notes
- Often used ironically, meaning that what is given has little value considering the reluctance with which it is given.
- Er liebte sie von ganzem Herzen, wofür sie ihm gelegentlich ein Nicken gönnte.
- He loved her dearly, for which she bestowed upon him an occasional nod.
- This leads to a number of colloquial expressions which are, allowing for hyperbole, self-explanatory. For example:
- jemandem das Schwarze unter den Nägeln nicht gönnen ― to not grant the dirt under someone's fingernails.
Conjugation
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Derived terms
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