All German word comparisons · Back to the topic overview
Meaning, sentence patterns and examples
| Word | Core meaning | Typical context | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lehre | apprenticeship; doctrine; lesson | vocational learning, systems of thought | die Lehre; die Lehren |
| Ausbildung | training; professional preparation | job skills, structured qualifications | die Ausbildung; die Ausbildungen |
| Bildung | education; acquired knowledge | general knowledge, educational development | die Bildung; education sense has no plural |
Lehre
Meaning and usage: In a career context, eine Lehre is an apprenticeship. The noun also names a doctrine or system of teaching, and eine Lehre aus etwas ziehen means learning a lesson from experience. These meanings depend strongly on the surrounding topic.
Grammar: Feminine: die Lehre, plural die Lehren. Useful patterns are eine Lehre machen and eine Lehre als + profession. Lehren in the plural can refer to teachings or lessons; it is not automatically a list of apprenticeships.
Nach der Schule beginnt sie eine Lehre als Bäckerin.
After school she begins an apprenticeship as a baker.
Aus dem Fehler ziehen wir eine wichtige Lehre.
We learn an important lesson from the mistake.
Ausbildung
Meaning and usage: This is a broader word for training, particularly preparation for a profession or practical activity. It can describe vocational training as a whole, but not every Ausbildung must be the same kind of apprenticeship or use the same training model.
Grammar: Feminine: die Ausbildung, plural die Ausbildungen. Common phrases include eine Ausbildung machen/abschließen and eine Ausbildung zum/zur + profession.
Er hat eine Ausbildung zum Elektroniker abgeschlossen.
He completed training as an electronics technician.
Bildung
Meaning and usage: Use Bildung for education as a broad process or for a person's acquired general knowledge. It can include scientific, cultural or artistic knowledge. It does not by itself identify the specific vocational course someone completed.
Grammar: Feminine: die Bildung. The education and acquired-knowledge senses have no plural. Die Bildungen exists in other senses, such as formations, and should not be treated as the ordinary plural of someone's education.
Lesen kann zur allgemeinen Bildung beitragen.
Reading can contribute to general education.
Overlap and context
An apprenticeship contributes to someone's education and also provides training. The words can therefore describe related aspects of the same biography. Their career use also varies by region and institution. This comparison explains ordinary vocabulary; it does not classify a qualification's legal equivalence or promise that all training systems work alike.
Common mistakes
- Do not use Bildung alone when you need to specify a vocational training program.
- Lehre does not always mean apprenticeship; philosophy and experience use other senses.
- Use zur with feminine profession names: eine Ausbildung zur Köchin.
Memory aid: Lehre can be an apprenticeship; Ausbildung trains; Bildung broadens knowledge.
Try it
Which best names broad general knowledge: allgemeine Lehre, allgemeine Ausbildung or allgemeine Bildung?
Show the answer
allgemeine Bildung
The phrase concerns broad education and knowledge rather than a specific apprenticeship or training program.