Geduld
/ɡəˈdʊlt/feminine
The German word for patience is Geduld.
Geduld is the most common and direct way to express the quality of being patient. To say that someone possesses patience, you can use the phrase Geduld haben (to have patience). If you need to ask someone to be patient, the standard expression is um Geduld bitten (to ask for patience) using the preposition um.
Meaning: quality of being patient (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
Geduld is a feminine noun, meaning it is accompanied by the feminine article die when used with a definite article.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡəˈdʊlt/
Did you know?
- The English word 'thole', meaning to endure or bear, is a distant linguistic relative of Geduld.
- In German culture, there is a common idiomatic expression Geduld fassen, which literally means to 'grasp' or 'seize' patience.
- German distinguishes between Geduld (the capacity to wait) and Ausdauer (the stamina to keep going), whereas English often uses 'patience' for both.
Examples in context
- Er hat wenig Geduld.He has little patience.This sentence shows how to express that someone has a small amount of patience using Geduld.Tatoeba #1811571 by Tamy, translation #474596 by garyuichimongiri
- Tom hat viel Geduld.Tom has a lot of patience.This sentence shows how to express that someone has a large amount of patience using Geduld.Tatoeba #1946710 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1025476 by CK
- Ich bitte um Geduld.I ask for patience.This sentence shows the standard way to ask for patience using Geduld.Tatoeba #4861411 by al_ex_an_der, translation #4861672 by theupandup
- Ich habe GeduldI have patience
- Danke für Ihre GeduldThank you for your patience
- Hab Geduld mit mirHave patience with me
- Ich muss Geduld habenI have to have patience
- Kannst du dir etwas Zeit lassen?Can you be patient/take your time?
- Geduld ist eine TugendPatience is a virtue
- 174 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At a busy doctor's office waiting room.
- HannahWir brauchen hier viel Geduld.We need a lot of patience here.
- JulianDu hast recht, Hannah.You are right, Hannah.
- HannahJulian, bist du noch ungeduldig?Julian, are you still impatient?
- JulianNein, ich habe jetzt Geduld.No, I have patience now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “patience” translations and entries Geduld, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Geduld, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
