German Phrase
Seine Worte haben mir ein schlechtes Gewissen gemacht.
Meaning
This phrase literally translates to 'His words have made me a bad conscience.' It means that something someone said caused you to feel guilty or remorseful about your actions or inactions. It implies that their words highlighted a fault or wrongdoing on your part.
When to use
You would use this phrase when someone's comments or observations cause you to reflect on your own behavior and feel a sense of guilt or regret. It's often used when you realize you've done something wrong or haven't met an expectation, and their words brought that realization to light.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Seine Wortehabenmirein schlechtes Gewissengemacht
Seine Worte (His words)
'Seine' is the possessive pronoun for 'his'. 'Worte' is the plural of 'Wort' (word). Note that 'Wort' has two plurals: 'Wörter' (individual words) and 'Worte' (words in a context, like a speech or statement).
haben gemacht (Perfekt tense)
This is the Perfekt (present perfect) tense of 'machen' (to make). It's formed with the auxiliary verb 'haben' and the past participle 'gemacht'. This tense is commonly used in spoken German for past actions.
mir (Dative case)
'Mir' is the dative form of 'ich' (I). The idiom 'jemandem ein schlechtes Gewissen machen' (to make someone feel guilty) requires the person who feels guilty to be in the dative case.
ein schlechtes Gewissen (a bad conscience)
'Gewissen' is a neuter noun meaning 'conscience'. 'Schlechtes' is the adjective 'schlecht' (bad) in its strong declension, agreeing with the neuter noun 'Gewissen' in the accusative case (as it's the direct object of 'machen').
🗨In Conversation
Ich habe vergessen, meine Mutter anzurufen. Jetzt hat mein Bruder es ihr erzählt.
I forgot to call my mother. Now my brother told her.
Oh, das ist ärgerlich. Seine Worte haben mir ein schlechtes Gewissen gemacht.
Oh, that's annoying. His words made me feel guilty.
✕Common Mistakes
Seine Worte haben mich schuldig gefühlt.
While 'schuldig fühlen' means 'to feel guilty', the construction 'jemandem ein schlechtes Gewissen machen' is the idiomatic way to express that someone *caused* you to feel guilty. 'Mich schuldig gefühlt' would imply you felt guilty on your own.
Seine Worte machten mir ein schlechtes Gewissen.
In spoken German, the Perfekt tense ('haben gemacht') is much more common than the Präteritum ('machten') for completed actions, especially when referring to recent events or experiences.
↔Alternatives
Ich habe mich schuldig gefühlt wegen seiner Worte.
I felt guilty because of his words.
Er hat mir ein schlechtes Gewissen eingeredet.
He talked me into having a bad conscience (made me feel guilty).
Seine Kritik hat mich zum Nachdenken gebracht.
His criticism made me think.
Cultural Tip
The concept of 'Gewissen' (conscience) is taken quite seriously in German culture. Having a 'schlechtes Gewissen' is a strong internal feeling of moral discomfort or regret. Germans tend to be quite direct, and sometimes this directness can lead to others feeling a 'schlechtes Gewissen' if they perceive a wrongdoing. It's a common and well-understood idiom.