If you are an English speaker who has spent any amount of time exploring the German language, you are perhaps aware that there is a specific amount of floating it you can get away with if you are, say, in Hamburg for a work trip and require to order something fast off the menu (Yes, er, one kaffee for me, and she’ll have der Salat.). But in spite of sharing, so much in common, English and German will sometimes be deceptively analogous, and you may not always wish to guess at meanings. Enter is the list of German false friends.
False friends or false cognates are words in two separate languages that look and sound similar, but mean entirely different. If you are already a German language student or you are looking to learn German, you are supposed to need to tread carefully.
Because English and German both belong to the West Germanic language family, they have plenty of linguistic history and exchange in common, and they both borrowed plenty of words from Latin and other languages. But simply because certain words have a common origin does not mean they are interchangeable.
Simply imagine of them as siblings separated at an early age, post growing up in vastly different households, they are irrevocably moulded and shaped by two completely different cultural environments. One sibling may hold onto specific traits or habits they had prior to the separation, and the other may evolve in a totally different direction.
Such is the manner of linguistic drift, and it has brought us the following wonders. Here are some of the most interesting German false friends.
German False Friends One Must Keep in Mind
Oldtimer
Do not worry your German buddies are not talking about taking grandpas for a spin. In Germany, a vintage car is referred to as Oldtimer. Not a senior citizen.
Smoking
Do you find smoking in that, Smoking? In a German word, Smoking means “tuxedo.” Bear in mind that you are probably being asked related to the dress code, not your unhealthy lifestyle or say smoking of cigarettes.
Handy
No, it has nothing to do with how properly you wield a drill, or how convenient the bottle opener is. In German language, Handy is a common word for “mobile phone.” Few people say this came from Motorola’s Handie-Talkie, introduced during the Second World War but the etymology of the word “Handy” is not certain. Linguists deem this theory improbable, and few people say it is originally German.
Gymnasium
It has nothing to do with body fitness? It is true that brains require workouts too, but somehow there is simply something truly German about referring to a grammar school as a Gymnasium.
Gift
This is probably the most cunning word trick amongst all. In German, a Gift is not a thing most people wish to be on the receiving end of. It means “poison,” which is sort of deep when you think about it. Several experiences in life are, in their own manner, both a poison and a gift. But if you are attending a birthday party and you do not wish to creep everyone out, the correct word is das Geschenk.
Chef
There is something vaguely captivating about using “boss” and “chef” interchangeably. But in German, Chef is the word for a person overseeing the metaphorical kitchen, not the real one. Chef refers to any kind of boss or supervisor.
Kind
If you need to tell someone how nice they are, the word you are searching for is nett. But Kind is actually the German word used for “child,” which, if you have ever been on a playground before, you will perhaps realize is not every time synonymous with kindness.