“Vacation” or “Vacation”

In my German textbook there is a sentence with "vacation".

"Royal vacation in the shadow of castles and palaces."

I consulted my dictionary and found "vacation". I am curious which word of these two is more common according to you.

5 Answers 5

Holidays and vacation can have slightly different meanings.

Employees have vacation (paid time off). Teachers, pupils and non-college students have holidays (vacation, holidays). College students are always busy, they only have lecture-free time (no classes).

In combination with driving or flying, you can use either holiday or vacation:

We go on vacation. / We’re going on vacation.

When used to designate a time or place, there is a difference:

I want to read a lot of books during the holidays.

This means you want to read a lot of books, maybe staying at home. You could also travel and read.

I want to read a lot of books on vacation.

This implies (to me) that you go somewhere on vacation.

You can also say "to go on vacation" as a synonym for going on vacation, but "Go on vacation" sounds odd to me.

I hope it’s ok when I answer in German. (I can express myself better in my mother tongue)

vacation

The word was borrowed from the Latin "fēriae" (Plur.) In the 15th century (festive days; holidays on which no business is carried out; days of rest).

Pupils and students are on vacation. Holidays (which, by the way, are also only available in plural in German) are the lesson-free time of pupils and students.

Since the times when teaching at schools and universities are prescribed by law, there are holidays only at certain times, and individual holidays are also designated after the time in which they take place:

• Summer vacation = vacation in summer. In the case of pupils between two school years and for students after the end of the summer semester and before the start of the winter semester.
• Semester break: For students between the 1st and 2nd half of the same school year, for students after the end of the winter semester and before the start of the summer semester. (There are also schools where the school year is divided into three trimesters, e.g. the Vienna Boys’ Choir, where there are triple term breaks instead)
• Christmas holidays: those holidays in which Christmas falls. The Christmas holidays end after January 6th (January 6th = Epiphany).
• Easter holidays: those holidays in which Easter falls.

(There are other vacations, partly depending on the region and / or school or university)

However, there are also holidays in large companies. These are times when the plant is typically idle for a week or two, which is often the case around the turn of the year, i.e. at Christmas time. Then one speaks of company holidays (even without joint-s: company holidays).

vacation

The Old German word »urloub«, which was documented in the 8th century, developed on the one hand into »vacation«, but on the other hand also into »permission«. Because the urloub was the permission of a soldier or other servant to temporarily remain off duty.

In its original meaning, holidays can only be taken by employed persons. This permission is granted individually. This means that every worker or employee takes vacation at very individual times, regardless of everyone else.

Under certain conditions (e.g. funeral of a close relative), students who are actually only on vacation but not on vacation can also be given leave.

So the main difference is:

Vacation: The time is determined externally and applies to a large group.
Vacation: Everyone determines the time themselves (in consultation with the supervisor) and it applies completely individually.

In addition, both terms have also established themselves as a term for leisure time that one spends traveling: one goes on vacation in Greece, or one goes on vacation in Spain. You also go on or on vacation or on vacation.

One more question remains:

Have teachers vacation or vacation?

Teachers have a free time that they cannot determine themselves and that is prescribed for all of them. Therefore teachers (and kindergarten teachers and university lecturers) have holidays.

If the lecturer at the university is also employed as a research assistant at the university, only his teaching work is suspended during the holidays. But if he wants to stay away from the university altogether, he still has to apply for vacation.

Abbreviated English translation

The essential difference is:

Holiday: The time is determined by others, such as the society or country, and applies to a large group.

Vacation: The time of determined by a person himself (in consultation with the supervisor) and it applies completely individually.

In addition, both terms have been established as a term for leisure, the time one spends traveling (or not).

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