Miscellaneous:Falsche Freunde
Since English and German both belong to the family of Germanic languages, there are many word similarities, or cognates, between them. These similarities can be really helpful, enabling you to easily recognize words you may have never seen or heard before!
der Frosch | = | frog |
die Prinzessin | = | princess |
das Wasser | = | water |
schwimmen | = | to swim |
sich wünschen | = | to wish |
golden | = | golden |
But the fact that there are so many similarities between English and German can also lead you to mistakenly recognize words in the two languages that may look similar but are actually different. These words are known as false friends.
der Tag | != | tag |
der Rat | != | rat |
die Wand | != | wand |
tasten | != | to taste |
blamieren | != | to blame |
groß | != | gross |
As you can imagine, false friends like these can make for some pretty humorous miscommunications between English speakers and German speakers! Take for example the following exchange between an American movie director and the Frog King:
amerikanischer Filmregisseur | Guten Tag, Herr Froschkönig. Ich bin kurios - möchten Sie vielleicht in unserem Film spielen? | Good afternoon, Mr. Frog King. I'm odd - would you perhaps like to act in our film? |
der Froschkönig | Ahem ... Sie meinen, Sie sind neugierig, ob ich Filmstar werden will? | Ahem ...You mean you're curious if I'd like to be a movie star? |
amerikanischer Filmregisseur | Ja, wir wollen einen Film über Sie machen! Dieses Gift ist für Sie - mit freundlichen Empfehlungen von Disney. | Yes, we want to make a movie about you! This poison is for you - with kind regards from Disney. |
der Froschkönig | Was, Gift?!? Ach so!! Sie meinen Geschenk. Mensch, Sie sollen Ihr Deutsch üben! | What, poison?!? Oh, I see!! You mean present. Gosh, you should really practice your German! |
Below is an alphabetical list of the 75 most notorious English-German false friends:
German false friends
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English false friends
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False friend (German) | English translation | False friend (English) | German equivalent |
aktuell | current | actually | Eigentlich |
also | thus, therefore | also | Auch |
die Art | kind (type) | art | die Kunst |
das Bad | bath, spa, bathroom | bad | Schlecht |
bald | soon | bald | kahl, glatzköpfig |
bekommen | to get, receive | to become | werden |
die Billion | trillion | billion | die Milliarde |
blamieren | to embarrass | to blame | beschuldigen |
der Brand | fire, blaze | brand | die Marke |
brav | well-behaved | brave | mutig |
der Chef | boss | chef | der Chefkoch |
der Dom | cathedral | dome | die Kuppel |
die Dose | can, tin | dose | die Dosis |
das Etikett | tag (price) | etiquette | die Etikette |
eventuell | possibly, potentially | eventually | endlich, schliesslich |
die Fabrik | factory | fabric | der Stoff, das Gewebe |
der Fall | case | fall (autumn) | der Herbst |
familiär | family-related, informal | familiar | bekannt, vertraut |
die Fantasie | imagination | fantasy | der Tagtraum |
fast | almost | fast | schnell |
der Fotograf | photographer | photograph | das Foto |
das Gift | poison | gift | das Geschenk |
das Gymnasium | high school | gymnasium | die Turnhalle |
das Handy | cell phone | handy | handlich |
herb | bitter, harsh | herb | das Kraut |
der Herd | stove | herd | die Herde |
die Hochschule | college, university | high school | das Gymnasium |
die Hose | trousers, pants | hose | der Schlauch |
der Hut | hat | hut | die Hütte |
das Kind | child | kind (type) | die Art |
der Kollege | colleague | college | die Hochschule, die Universität |
komisch | strange, odd | comical | lustig |
die Konkurrenz | competition | concurrence | das Zusammentreffen, die Gleichzeitigkeit |
konsequent | consistent | consequent | folglich |
die Kritik | criticism | critic | der Kritiker |
kurios | odd, queer | curious | neugierig |
das Labor | laboratory | labor | die Arbeit |
der Lack | paint, lacquer | lack | der Mangel |
die List | cunning | list | die Liste |
das Lokal | pub | local | örtlich |
der Mist | dung | mist | der Nebel |
mobben | to harass, bully | to mob | herfallen über, belagern |
der Mörder | murderer | murder | der Mord |
die Noten | grades (school) | notes | die Notizen |
das Objektiv | camera lense | objective | das Ziel |
der Oldtimer | classic car | oldtimer | der alte Hase |
pathetisch | solemn | pathetic | armselig |
der Paragraph | section of a law | paragraph | der Absatz |
die Pension | inn, small hotel | pension | die Rente |
die Pest | plague | pest (insect) | der Schädling |
die Pralinen | chocolates (in a box) | praline | der Krokant |
das Präservativ | condom | preservative | das Konservierungsmittel |
der Prospekt | brochure | prospect | die Erwartung, die Perspektive |
das Publikum | audience | public | die Öffentlichkeit |
der Rat | advice, council | rat | die Ratte |
realisieren | to carry out | to realize | erkennen, begreifen |
die Rente | pension | rent | die Miete |
das Rezept | recipe, prescription | receipt | die Quittung, die Rechnung |
der Roman | novel | Roman | der Römer |
der Sekt | sparkling wine | sect (religious) | die Sekte |
der Sender | broadcaster | sender | der Absender |
sensibel | sensitive | sensible | vernünftig |
seriös | respectable, honest | serious | ernst |
der Smoking | tuxedo, dinner jacket | smoking | das Rauchen |
spenden | to donate | to spend | ausgeben |
der Stern | star | stern | streng, hart |
der Stock | floor (level), cane/walking stick | stock | die Aktie (stock exchange), der Bestand (goods) |
sympathisch | likeable, nice, pleasant | sympathetic | mitfühlend |
der Tag | day | tag | das Etikett |
tasten | to feel around for something | to taste | kosten, schmecken |
übersehen | to overlook | to oversee | überwachen |
der Unternehmer | businessman, entrepreneur | undertaker | der Leichenbestatter |
die Wand | wall | wand (magic) | der Zauberstab |
das Warenhaus | department store | warehouse | die Lagerhalle |
winken | to wave | to wink | blinzeln |