You may already know that the English language is related to German. This might have led you to think that German would be a cakewalk to learn, just to be shocked by how different the two are. The languages disconnected off from each other over a thousand years ago, and they have both transformed quite a bit in the meantime.
And yet, they still have a certain camaraderie, being descended from the Germanic family tree. And that could be why there are quite a few English words exported to German, and vice versa. But prior to throwing out German, it is worth making certain you are not accidentally saying German phrases that native speakers never use.
Brat
What do you need to say in German? Bratwurst
Several; Germans love meat simply as much as beer, and you will certainly be invited to a barbecue (“Grillparty”) at some point. But if you wish to bring something, do not go looking for brats at the supermarket — since that word does not mean anything in German, it is just the first part of the German word Bratwurst. If German speakers were to shorten it, they would rather use the latter part of the word: Wurst. That goes for most shortened compound nouns, by that way. The last part of the word contains the core meaning.
Teen angst
What do you need to say in German? Gefühle der Furcht und Angst bei Adoleszenten, Existenzangst bei Teenagern
As you can see from the translation provided above, the word Angst, though generally, used in German, does not imply the same feeling of anxiety or depression as it does in English. Rather, Angst means genuine fear of spiders, heights, clowns, opting for the wrong ice cream flavor in an extra-large cone and then having to eat all of it since you are not going to throw away that ice cream.
Wanderlust
What do you need to say in German: Reisefieber
Alright, so this word does exist in German, but it is a bit outdated. Modern Germans would perhaps like to say Reisefieber (“traveling fever”).
Dachshund
What do you need to say? Dackel
While the earlier German word for the small furry sausages was indeed Dachshund (literally “badger dog”), it was interchanged by the short and diminutive form, Dackel more than a century ago. Presently, most people perhaps do not know that Dackel were originally bred to hunt badgers, so people would ot understand you if you use the old terminology.