German and English are close relatives, and that’s mostly good news for learners. Haus is a house, Hand is a hand and Finger is a finger. Then you walk into a café, say “Ich bekomme einen Kaffee,” and quietly wonder why you just announced that you’re turning into a coffee. You didn’t. Bekommen means “to get.”
Words like this are called false friends, or falsche Freunde. They look or sound like an English word but mean something else. Some of the mix-ups are harmless, while others can make a conversation awkward fast. Below are 25 of the most common ones, grouped by where you’re likely to run into them.
What is a false friend?
A false friend is a word in one language that looks like a word in another language but has a different meaning. English and German share a lot of history, so thousands of words still line up nicely. Over the centuries, though, some drifted apart in meaning while keeping a similar spelling.
There are two kinds to watch for:
- Full false friends have nothing to do with the English meaning. German Gift is poison, not a present.
- Partial false friends overlap in one meaning but not in others. German Chef is usually your boss, and only sometimes the person running a kitchen.
Everyday words that cause the funniest mistakes
1. bekommen = to get, to receive
This is the classic. Bekommen never means “to become.” For that, German uses werden.
- Ich bekomme ein Schnitzel, bitte. (I’ll have a schnitzel, please.)
- Ich werde Lehrer. (I’m becoming a teacher.)
2. das Gift = poison
Give someone ein Gift and you’re in serious trouble. A present is ein Geschenk. The adjective giftig means poisonous or toxic.
3. das Kind = child
You already know this one from “kindergarten,” literally a children’s garden. If you want to say someone is kind, use nett or freundlich: Sie ist sehr nett. (She’s very kind.)
4. der Rat = advice
Kannst du mir einen Rat geben? means “Can you give me some advice?” The animal is die Ratte.
5. der Mist = manure, or “darn!”
Literally, Mist is dung. In everyday speech, Mist! is a mild curse, roughly “Darn!” or “Rats!” If you mean fog or mist, say der Nebel.
6. der Pickel = pimple
Ask for a Pickel on your burger and you’ll get strange looks. A pickle is eine Gewürzgurke or eine saure Gurke.
7. sympathisch = likable, nice
Dein Bruder ist sehr sympathisch means your brother comes across as pleasant and easy to like. “Sympathetic,” in the sense of compassionate, is mitfühlend or verständnisvoll.
8. sensibel = sensitive
Er ist sehr sensibel means he’s sensitive or easily hurt. A sensible person is vernünftig.
False friends at work and school
9. der Chef = boss
In an office, der Chef or die Chefin is the person you report to. A cook is der Koch or die Köchin, and the head of a restaurant kitchen is der Küchenchef.
10. das Gymnasium = academic high school
A Gymnasium is the type of secondary school that leads to the Abitur, the exam you need for university. If you want to work out, go to das Fitnessstudio. A school gym is die Turnhalle or die Sporthalle.
11. der Brief = letter
Ich schreibe meiner Oma einen Brief. (I’m writing my grandma a letter.) “Brief” in the sense of short is kurz.
12. die Art = kind, type, way
Was für eine Art Film ist das? (What kind of movie is that?) Art as in painting and sculpture is die Kunst.
13. spenden = to donate
Ich spende jedes Jahr Blut. (I donate blood every year.) To spend money is Geld ausgeben, and to spend time is Zeit verbringen.
14. die Billion = trillion
This one matters in the news and in business. A German Milliarde is an American billion (1,000,000,000). A German Billion is a thousand times bigger, an American trillion.
Small words that trip up whole sentences
These are short and common, and they appear in almost every conversation, so mistakes with them are easy to make and easy to hear.
15. also = so, therefore
Also, was machen wir heute? (So, what are we doing today?) English “also” is auch: Ich komme auch. (I’m coming too.)
16. bald = soon
Bis bald! means “See you soon!” and has nothing to do with hair. Someone without hair is kahl or has eine Glatze.
17. fast = almost
Ich bin fast fertig. (I’m almost done.) Fast as in quick is schnell.
18. ich will = I want
Ich will nach Hause means “I want to go home.” For the future, German uses werden: Ich werde morgen anrufen. (I will call tomorrow.)
19. wer = who
Wer ist das? (Who is that?) “Where” is wo. Mixing up wer and wo is one of the most common beginner slips.
20. eventuell = possibly, maybe
Ich komme eventuell später. (I might come later.) “Eventually,” meaning in the end, is schließlich or irgendwann.
21. aktuell = current, up to date
Das ist die aktuelle Version. (That’s the current version.) “Actually” is eigentlich or tatsächlich.
Things you wear and carry
22. der Rock = skirt
Sie trägt einen roten Rock. (She’s wearing a red skirt.) A rock is der Stein or, if it’s big, der Felsen. Rock music is still Rockmusik, so this is a partial false friend.
23. die Hose = pants
Die Hose ist zu lang. (The pants are too long.) Notice that German uses the singular. A garden hose is der Schlauch.
24. das Handy = cell phone
Germans call a mobile phone a Handy, a word that sounds English but isn’t used this way in English. “Handy,” meaning useful, is praktisch or nützlich.
25. der Mantel = coat
Nimm deinen Mantel mit, es ist kalt. (Take your coat, it’s cold.) A mantel over a fireplace is der Kaminsims.
Quick reference table
| German word | Real meaning | Looks like | German for the English word |
|---|---|---|---|
| bekommen | to get | become | werden |
| das Gift | poison | gift | das Geschenk |
| der Chef | boss | chef | der Koch |
| also | so | also | auch |
| bald | soon | bald | kahl |
| fast | almost | fast | schnell |
| eventuell | possibly | eventually | schließlich |
| aktuell | current | actually | eigentlich |
| die Billion | trillion | billion | die Milliarde |
| der Rock | skirt | rock | der Stein |
How to stop falling for false friends
- Learn new words in a full sentence. Bis bald sticks better than bald = soon on a flashcard.
- Be suspicious when a German word looks exactly like an English one and the sentence still doesn’t make sense. That’s usually the moment to check a dictionary.
- Keep a short list of the false friends that have caught you personally. Most learners keep tripping over the same five or six.
- Don’t let them scare you off cognates in general. For every Gift there are dozens of words like Butter, Name and Winter that mean exactly what you expect.
Key takeaways
- False friends look like English words but mean something different.
- The ones beginners hit most often are bekommen, also, bald, fast, will and wer.
- Some are only partial false friends, like Chef and Rock, so context decides.
- A German Billion is an American trillion. An American billion is a Milliarde.
FAQ
What is the most famous German false friend?
Probably bekommen. English speakers who order with “Ich bekomme ein Bier” often worry they’ve said “I become a beer,” but the sentence is perfectly normal German for “I’ll have a beer.”
Is “Handy” an English word?
It looks English, but English speakers don’t call a phone a “handy.” The word is a German coinage, sometimes called a pseudo-anglicism. Germans use it every day, so it’s worth learning.
Are there false friends in both directions?
Yes. German speakers learning English run into the same pairs from the other side. A German who says “I become a coffee” when they mean “I’ll get a coffee” is making the mirror image of the mistake English speakers make with bekommen.
