English and German share a massive amount of vocabulary due to their shared Germanic roots.

However, this shared history also creates a challenge for new learners.

Many words look and sound identical in both languages but mean completely different things.

Linguists call these tricky words “false friends” (falsche Freunde).

Memorizing these false friends will save you from making very confusing and sometimes embarrassing mistakes.

Using Talk In German is a great way to practice these vocabulary differences in a real conversational context.

Summary table of false friends

1. Gift

In English, a gift is something nice you give someone for their birthday.

In German, das Gift means poison.

If you want to give someone a present, you’ll need to use the word das Geschenk.

2. Bekommen

This is perhaps the most famous false friend in the entire German language.

The German verb bekommen means “to get” or “to receive”.

It absolutely doesn’t mean “to become”.

If you want to say “to become”, you must use the German verb werden.

3. Aktuell

The English word “actual” refers to something that’s real or factual.

The German word aktuell means “current” or “up to date”.

To say “actual” or “actually” in German, you should use tatsächlich or eigentlich.

4. Spenden

You might think this verb means to spend time or money.

In reality, spenden specifically means “to donate” to charity or a good cause.

To express spending money, use the verb ausgeben.

To express spending time, use the verb verbringen.

5. Rat

In English, a rat is a rodent.

In German, der Rat (or Ratschlag) means advice or counsel.

If you want to talk about the animal, you’ll need to use the word die Ratte.

6. Gymnasium

An English gym is where you go to lift weights or run on a treadmill.

In Germany, das Gymnasium is the highest level of secondary school.

If you’re looking for a place to work out, you’ll need to ask for a Fitnessstudio.

7. Chef

An English chef is a professional cook who works in a kitchen.

The German word der Chef simply means the boss or manager.

If you need to speak to the cook at a restaurant, you should ask for der Koch.

8. Art

English art refers to paintings, music, and creative works.

The German word die Art translates to “kind”, “type”, or “manner”.

When talking about paintings and museums, the German word you need is die Kunst.

9. Also

This tiny word causes a lot of confusion for beginners.

The English word “also” means “in addition” or “too”.

The German word also means “so” or “therefore”.

To say “also” in German, use the word auch.

10. Billion

Numbers can be very tricky when translating between these two languages.

The English word “billion” means one thousand million.

The German word die Billion actually means a trillion (a million million).

If you want to say “billion” in German, use the word die Milliarde.

11. Rente

You don’t pay die Rente to your landlord every month.

The German word die Rente means pension or retirement.

If you want to talk about paying rent for your apartment, use die Miete.

12. Wand

A wand in English is a magical stick used by a wizard.

In German, die Wand simply means an interior wall of a room or building.

The correct word for a magic wand is der Zauberstab.

13. Brief

The English word “brief” is an adjective meaning short or quick.

The German word der Brief is a noun that means “letter” (as in mail).

If you want to say something’s brief in German, use the word kurz.

14. Fabrik

Fabric is the material you use to make clothing in English.

The German word die Fabrik means factory.

If you’re looking for clothing material, you should ask for der Stoff.

15. Eventuell

The English word “eventually” means something will happen finally or in the end.

The German word eventuell means “possibly” or “perhaps”.

To say “eventually” in German, you’ll need to use schließlich or irgendwann.