Dasselbe vs. das Gleiche, what's the difference?

Question

How should one best interpret the difference between "dasselbe" and "das Gleiche" ? When should one use one or the other?Is it correct that "dasselbe" is appropriate for concrete things, and "das Gleiche" is for the abstract idea? Is there much more to it?I have trouble for instance, drawing the line between phrases like:> "Wir wollten alle das Gleiche."and > "Er sagt in jeder Vorlesung dasselbe."both of which are examples from my dictionary (so I assume they are correct) and both of which seem to refer to the same (dasselbe/das Gleiche??) thing...Your help is appreciated!

Answer 1

Well, here is a simple way to remember the difference:

1. dasselbe → one and the same thing
2. das gleiche → two things that are alike

For example:

Imagine two children both wearing the same style of T-shirt:

1. If they are wearing das gleiche T-Shirt, they each have their own T-shirt, but it looks the same.
2. If they are wearing dasselbe T-Shirt, they are sharing one T-shirt (perhaps taking turns or both squeezed into it).

Hope this helps??

Answer 2

Interesting question, I am sure many native speakers would not really know the difference. "Dasselbe" (also derselbe, dieselbe, etc.) indicates that it is the same (person, thing, idea, etc.), there is only ONE of them. "Das gleiche" (also der gleiche, die gleiche, etc) means that there are several (or many) of the same kind, for example cars, shirts, pens, etc). Using your examples from the dictionary - "Er sagt in jeder Vorlesung dasselbe." means he repeats the same lecture each time, most likely reading a script or something. "Wir wollen alle das Gleiche" - we want "the same", for example a good meal at a restaurant, more days off, new shoes - these things are "the same" as they fit into a category but they will be more or less different for everyone who wants whatever "it" is.