gutmachen

Gutmachen is a German verb that means to compensate, to make up for a fault or loss, or to repair and restore a situation. It can refer to tangible damages as well as intangible wrongs, such as an error, a delay, or a loss of trust, with the sense of putting things right.

Etymology and form: The word is a compound built from gut (good) and machen (to make). It behaves as a ordinary verb and has the past participle gutgemacht. The act itself can be expressed as das Gutmachen, though in practice people usually say etwas wieder gutmachen or das hat er wieder gutgemacht.

Usage and constructions: Gutmachen takes a direct object describing what is being compensated or repaired, for example: einen Fehler gutmachen, Schäden gutmachen, eine Ungerechtigkeit gutmachen. The prefix wieder is often used to emphasize reversal of a wrong or loss, as in etwas wieder gutmachen. In many contexts, synonyms include ausgleichen oder wiedergutmachen, while the more formal or legal language might use begleichen or kompensieren.

Notes: Gutmachen is common in everyday speech as well as in formal contexts and covers both practical repair actions and moral or relational reconciliation. The noun form das Gutmachen exists but is relatively rare; more common are phrases that describe the act of compensating or repairing.

Examples:

- Er hat den Fehler schnell gutgemacht.

- Die Versicherung hat den Schaden gutgemacht.

- Durch eine großzügige Geste hat er das Vertrauen wieder gutgemacht.