Sometimes, the right moment just opens up—an internship, a date, a once-in-a-lifetime deal. In German, that’s a Gelegenheit. It’s the word for opportunity, chance, and occasion—whether you're seizing it or missing it.

The noun Gelegenheit means opportunity, chance, or occasion, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. It shows up in everyday speech, professional contexts, and polite invitations alike.

It’s a feminine noun, so we say die Gelegenheit.

Pronunciation

Gelegenheit is pronounced [guh-LAY-gen-hite].

• The first syllable “Ge-” is soft, like “guh.”
• The “-legen-” part has a long “ay” sound like in “say.”
• The final “-heit” rhymes with “height.”

Example sentences:

• Ich hatte nie die Gelegenheit, ihn zu fragen.
  I never had the opportunity to ask him.
• Das ist die perfekte Gelegenheit für ein Gespräch.
  This is the perfect opportunity for a conversation.

Nuance and usage tips

Gelegenheit can describe:

• A specific moment or occasion:
  Zur nächsten Gelegenheit sprechen wir darüber. – “We’ll talk about it at the next opportunity.”
• A chance to do something:
  eine Gelegenheit nutzen – to seize an opportunity
  eine Gelegenheit verpassen – to miss a chance
• A polite way to say “sometime”:
  Bei Gelegenheit rufe ich dich an. – “I’ll call you when I get a chance.”

It’s not used for gambling-style “chances” (that would be Chance or Zufall)—Gelegenheit implies a context or situation, often one you can act on.

Grammatical case examples:

• Nominative: Die Gelegenheit war günstig.
  The opportunity was favorable.
• Accusative: Ich habe die Gelegenheit ergriffen.
  I seized the opportunity.
• Dative: Mit der Gelegenheit kam auch die Verantwortung.
  With the opportunity came responsibility.
• Genitive: Wegen der Gelegenheit konnte sie früher abreisen.
  Because of the opportunity, she was able to leave earlier.

Feminine article pattern: die, die, der, der

Word variations and language tidbits

Variation Station:

• Gelegenheitskauf – bargain purchase
• Gelegenheitsarbeit – casual or occasional work (as in, work whenever the opportunity arises)
• Gelegenheitsbesucher – occasional visitor
• bei Gelegenheit – at some point / when the chance arises

You’ll also find Gelegenheit in marketing phrases like:

• Nur für kurze Zeit – verpassen Sie nicht diese Gelegenheit!
  “Only for a short time—don’t miss this opportunity!”

📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Gelegenheit

🎥 Learn Gelegenheit and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free online video course:
https://deutschable.com/nouns/

Redz 4 more German words of the day? Just kidding - but if you're up for one or two more, check out the word "Genie" (does it mean what you think?), and how in the world would we talk about kindness in German?