Sein
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German[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Noun formed from sein (“to be”)
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
Sein n (strong, genitive Seins, no plural)
- existence, being, essence (the state and the conditions of being, existing, occurring)
- 1798, August Wilhelm Schlegel, transl., Hamlet[1], translation of Hamlet by William Shakespeare, [Act III, scene i]:
- Sein oder Nichtsein, das ist hier die Frage
- To be, or not to be, that is the question
Usage notes[edit]
- While Existenz means only the fact of being, Sein includes the how and why of being.
Declension[edit]
Declension of Sein [sg-only, neuter, strong]