Zusammen vs. gemeinsam

[dihydrogen monoxide]

How widespread and where are these two words spoken the most in German speaking area? The two words are zusammen and gemeinsam.

 

[berndf]

Both are normal German words. They are not specific to one region. Zusammen is an adverb and gemeinsam is an adjective. There are some contexts where the two are interchangeable but there are others where only one of them is possible.

If your question were motivated by the belief that the two words were competing with each other and that only one of them were used by any one speaker, you would be mistaken.

 

[dihydrogen monoxide]

Name the example where you cannot use gemeinsam and one where you cannot use zusammen. And if you can explain why is it so from synchronic point of view. I'm not interested in history of the use of the term, just why yes and why no.

 

[Kuestenwache]

If zusammen is part of a verb they are not interchangeable. compare:
"zusammenbauen - to assemble" vs "zusammen/gemeinsam bauen - to build together"
"Lass uns das gemeinsam/zusammen zusammenbauen - Let's assemble this together"
"zusammenlaufen - to converge (rivers aso)" vs "zusammen/gemeinsam laufen - to go/walk/run together"
"Lass uns zusammen an den Ort laufen, an dem Rhein und Main zusammenlaufen"
"Let's walk together to the place where Rhine and Main converge/merge"

 

[Hutschi]

Also as part of nouns, there is a difference:

das Zusammenspiel der Kräfte

As adjective you can only use "gemeinsam" in many cases:

Das gemeinsame Spiel der Kräfte. (*"Zusammene" does not exist.)

Wir kamen in Berlin zusammen. = Wir trafen uns. (Here "gemeinsam" does not work, because "zusammen" includes a direction and it is part of the verb.)
Wir kamen zusammen nach Berlin. = Wir kamen miteinander. (Here you can use "gemeinsam".)

 

[berndf]

I'm not interested in history of the use of the term, just why yes and why no.

Nothing to do with history. An adverb cannot take the position of an adjective. E.g., you cannot say "der zusammene Urlaub" instead of "der gemeinsame Urlaub".

There is some overlap because "gemeinsam" can also be an adverb. In German a derived adjective takes a form indistinguishable from the predicative form of the adjective from which it is derived (E.g. "Er ist langsam"="He is slow"; "Er geht langsam"="He walks slowly"). This might have confused you.

As you can see from Hutschi's and Küstenwache's examples, there are also semantic differences.

 

[jfbujalance]

What about these examples:

☻ We are together:
Wir sind zusammen or Wir sind gemeinsam.

☻ We live together:
Wir leben zusammen or Wir leben gemeinsam.

 

[Kajjo]

Wir sind zusammen
Wir sind gemeinsam.

In dem Sinne von "Wir sind ein Paar." funktioniert nur "Wir sind zusammen."

Der Satz "Wir sind gemeinsam." ergibt für sich genommen keinen Sinn, aber man könnte ihn ggf. sinnvoll fortsetzen.

Wir leben zusammen.
Wir leben gemeinsam.

"Wir leben zusammen (in einer Wohnung)."

 

[Hutschi]

Name the example where you cannot use gemeinsam and one where you cannot use zusammen. And if you can explain why is it so from synchronic point of view. I'm not interested in history of the use of the term, just why yes and why no.

It may change the meaning. "Zusammen" may be part of a separable verb.

Wir bauen das Radio gemeinsam.
Wir bauen das Radio (wieder) zusammen. This blocks the "gemeinsam"-meaning. Zusammenbauen means something like to put the parts together (again) If the context "unblocks" the meaning, you can use it. Blocking is not absolute.
You can see this also in "Wir bauen das Radio gemeinsam zusammen. - Both have very different syntax and meaning.

With "reparieren" it works without blocking the meaning.
Wir reparieren das Radio gemeinsam.=Wir reparieren das Radio zusammen.

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In all separable verbs with "zusammen" you cannot use "gemeinsam" even if the meaning is similar.


Edit: Duden | zusammenwohnen | Rechtschreibung, Bedeutung, Definition, Herkunft

Sie wohnen zusammen. means: Sie haben einen gemeinsamen Haushalt.

Die Familie wohnt wieder zusammen.
But: Die Familie wohnt wieder gemeinsam in einer Wohnung.
I am not sure if "wir wohnen gemeinsam" is wrong but I feel so. It requires the place.

Wir sind gemeinsam.

As Kajjo said this is wrong.

I want to add: it has a non-connected end

It works in following way:

Wir sind gemeinsam/zusammen unterwegs. (There is a very weak difference in connotations, but the main meaning is the same)
Wir sind gemeinsam ein Paar. (More poetically and emotionally than "Wir sind zusammen ein Paar." which just states the fact.)
I use here "poetically" as a kind of mood/feeling rather than part of literature like lyrics.