Free, free, for free: what are the differences?
Free, free, for free - everything sounds good. However, there are differences in the meaning of the individual terms, although they are usually equated. We explain what these are in the following article.
Free of charge - as a thank you and free of charge
- "Free" comes from Latin and means something like "free of charge" or "without payment".
- The grammatical form "free" can also be traced back to the word "gratus", which means something like "grateful", "pleasant", "graceful", "desired" or "welcome".
- The genitive of the word "grates" is also "free" and is translated as "thanks".
- If you get something for free, you don't have to pay anything for it. You don't get it just like that, but as a token of thanks.
Free of charge - it costs nothing
- The German word "free" is self-explanatory.
- If you get something for free, there are no costs. For example, you will find numerous free software to download in our download area.
In vain - clearly ambiguous
The word "for free" has different meanings.
- "Free" is mostly used in connection with "free" and "free" and would like to express that something costs nothing.
- However, "free" has two other meanings: Firstly, "free" also means "without reason" and "without purpose".
- Furthermore, "in vain" expresses that something is "in vain" or "in vain", that is, the expected or hoped-for effect does not materialize.
- A typical sentence for the difference between "free" or "free" and "free" is: "My schooling was free / free - yours was free".
In everyday use and also when shopping, there is no difference between the three terms. Whether you get something for free, for free or for free - it doesn't cost anything