You may have come across the phrase “false friends” or “false cognates” (as they are more accurately known) during your language training. So what does it mean? It has nothing to do with disloyal friends, although linguistic false friends can also be treacherous. They are words that sound similar or are spelled identically but have different meanings in their respective language.

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Here are some common German phrases with their English “false friend” below them.

Be careful what aktuell actually means:

German: aktuell – topical, current, up-to-date 

English: actually – eigentlich, tatsächlich, wirklich

Denn eigentlich stammt es aus dem aktuellen Album der Rocksängerin.

Because it actually comes from the rock singer's current album.

Caption 9, Liza - Ein Lied für Opel

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When Germans talk about the imminent future, you may think they're talking about someone's lack of hair:

German: bald – soon

English: bald – kahl

...die olympischen Winterspiele

...the Winter Olympic Games

die bald in Vancouver stattfinden werden.

that will soon take place in Vancouver.

Captions 2-3, Deutsche Sporthilfe - Ball des Sports

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Watch what you give someone on their birthday! 

German: das Gift – poison, venom

English: gift – das Geschenk 

Sein Gift ist vergleichbar mit einem Bienenstich.

His poison is comparable to a bee sting.

Caption 9, Summer Cheergirl - Fotoshooting mit Skorpionen

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If you want to make a marriage proposal to a German, pay attention to how you ask...

German: sich engagieren – to be committed, get involved 

English: to get engaged – sich verloben

Find' ich das immer gut, sich für solche Sachen zu engagieren.

I think [it's] always good to get involved in such things.

Caption 8, Luxuslärm - rockt gegen's Saufen

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The winter is dragging on and spring seems a long way off, but we all know it will come eventually. However, confusing “eventually” with the German eventuell makes spring seem far less likely:  

German: eventuell – possibly, perhaps

English: eventually – schließlich, endlich, irgendwann

Eventuell habe ich in der einen oder anderen Situation emotional überreagiert.

Possibly I overreacted emotionally in one or another situation.

Caption 28, Filmtrailer - Keinohrhasen

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You may describe a horse as being brav, but this has nothing to do with being brave! 

German: brav – well, well-behaved, dutifully

English: brave – mutig, tapfer

Die schönste Wiesnerfahrung?

The best Oktoberfest experience?

Dass immer die Pferdel [Pferdchen] brav gingen.

That the horses always went dutifully.

Caption 15, Oktoberfest München - Auf der Wiesn

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As you can see, using “false friends” in the wrong context can be embarrassing, but most of the time it is just a funny mistake. However, you should try to learn these deceitful words to avoid any faux pas!

In the lesson on The Many Ways to Say "Well" we covered one way to sound more like a German speaker. This time we'll talk about another: using slang or colloquial language. Tschüss (bye) is a good example of this. It's an informal way of saying goodbye and in many situations of even passing familiarity, it's how people part.

Let's look at some more slang you can sprinkle into your German speech.

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In the following example, we learn that:

Die Catwalks der Welt sind voll von schicken

The catwalks of the world are full of chic

und vor allem nicht ganz billigen Klamotten.

and, above all, not exactly inexpensive clothing.

Caption 2, Highend-Fashion aus dem Kloster - Ein Mönch als Maßschneider

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Klamotten is a very common colloquialism for "clothing." As with all such words, you might use it with a hip store clerk or a friend, but not with a complete stranger or even a less familiar coworker.

Another common slang word is blau, meaning "drunk":

Ich find' diese Aktion "bunt statt blau" total wichtig.

I think this campaign "Colorful Instead of Blue [Drunk]" is totally important.

Caption 3, Luxuslärm - rockt gegen's Saufen

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Slang can vary greatly according to region. The word Kiez, used in the following example, is fairly specific to Berlin, where it means a small, cohesive neighborhood. It is also used in Hamburg, and to a lesser extent in Hannover, where it is suggestive of prostitution. By contrast, it is entirely unfamiliar in most of southern Germany.

Gitarrist Jürgen Ehle wohnt seit fünfundzwanzig Jahren

Guitarist Jürgen Ehle has lived for twenty-five years

in dem Kiez und schwelgt in Erinnerungen.

in the neighborhood, and luxuriates in memories.

Captions 3-4, Pankow - Rolling Stones des Ostens

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That just about wraps things up for now. Tschüss and till next time!

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Learning Tip

Getting frustrated with the pace of your learning? Try this fun exercise. Watch a video that is a level of difficulty higher than usual and then go back to one you had to work particularly at to master. You will find that you have come a longer distance than you had thought.