10 False Friends Between German and English
Falsche Freunde (false friends) are one of the most entertaining traps in language learning. Some cause harmless confusion; others cause genuine embarrassment. Here are ten you'll almost certainly encounter.
| German word | What it looks like | What it actually means |
|---|---|---|
| das Gift | "gift" (present) | poison |
| der Chef | "chef" (cook) | boss / manager |
| aktuell | "actually" | current / up-to-date |
| sympathisch | "sympathetic" | likeable / nice |
| sensibel | "sensible" | sensitive |
| das Handy | "handy" (convenient) | mobile phone |
| komisch | "comic" | strange / odd |
| eventuell | "eventually" | possibly / perhaps |
| der Smoking | "smoking" (verb) | tuxedo / dinner jacket |
| nervös | "nervous" | anxious / on edge (same meaning, but used more broadly) |
Deutsch
Das ist ein komisches Geschenk — Vorsicht, es könnte Gift sein!
English
That's a strange gift — watch out, it could be poison!
The most dangerous one
💡Ich bin sympathisch does NOT mean "I am sympathetic." It means "I am likeable." To express sympathy, say Ich fühle mit dir / Ich fühle Mitgefühl or Das tut mir leid für dich.