5.26 False friends for advanced learners — Epoché
What you will be able to do Avoid sixty false friends that still catch learners at an advanced level: seriös , prägnant , konsequent , Personal , Stadium , Billion . Recognise German words that look English but are not used in English: Smoking , Oldtimer , Showmaster , Homeoffice . Tell the near-pairs apart: Tablett and Tablette , Stadium and Stadion , Billion and Milliarde . Know the real German word for what the English word means. Sentences from this lesson, before the explanation. Read the German aloud; all of them come back below. German English Man muss nur die Taste drücken, um eine Fahrkarte zu bekommen. [1] You just have to press the button to get a ticket. Wo habe ich mein Notebook gelassen? [2] Where have I left my laptop? Ich habe nicht allzu viele Freunde, die Französisch sprechen. [3] I don't have very many friends who can speak French. Meine Wohnung ist nicht allzu groß. [4] The apartment that I'm living in isn't very large. Eine Million ist tausend zum Quadrat. [5] One million is one thousand squared. Er hat noch immer eine weiße Weste. [6] He still has a clean record. Prerequisites : 5.25 — you need the first sixty false friends of 1.6 Cognates . In 1.6 Cognates you met the false friends that trip up beginners: Gift , bekommen , Chef , eventuell . The words in this lesson are harder, because they turn up in the kind of German you now read and write: newspapers, reports, letters of application, university life. Many of them are Latin or French words that German and English both borrowed and then used differently. Others are English words that German borrowed and changed, or invented outright. The rule for all of them is the same: when a German word looks like an English one, check before you trust it. For each word the table gives the real meaning and, in the last column, the German word for what the English word means. Word list Sixty words in five groups: at work and at university, adjectives and verbs, things at home and on the body, things in the world, and English words that English does not use. At work and at university Word (article, plural) Meaning Notes das Personal de staff, personnel Gender / part of speech neuter noun, no plural How English differs Not personal : that is persönlich . Wir brauchen zusätzliches Personal. [7] We need additional staff. der Dozent（-en） de university lecturer Gender / part of speech masculine noun How English differs Not a museum guide; weak noun: des Dozenten . Sind Sie Dozent oder Student? [8] Are you a lecturer or a student? die Provision（-en） de commission (on sales) Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs Food supplies are Vorräte or Proviant . Wir berechnen 3% Provision. [9] We charge a commission of 3%. die Pension（-en） de pension (of a civil servant); guesthouse Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs in Pension gehen , to retire ; also a small hotel. Wann bist du in Pension gegangen? [10] When did you retire? promovieren de to do a doctorate Gender / part of speech verb How English differs To promote someone at work is befördern . Man muss nicht promovieren, um einen guten Job zu bekommen. [11] You don't have to get a PhD to get a good job. das Engagement（-s） de commitment; booking (of an artist) Gender / part of speech neuter noun How English differs An engagement to marry is die Verlobung . Sie wollen Engagement, nicht wahr? [12] You want commitment, don't you? engagiert de committed, dedicated Gender / part of speech adjective How English differs Engaged to marry is verlobt . Ich bin engagiert. [13] I'm dedicated. der Akademiker（-） de university graduate Gender / part of speech masculine noun How English differs Any graduate, not only a scholar: a scholar is a Wissenschaftler . Er ist Akademiker, aber kein Wissenschaftler. He is a university graduate, but not a scholar. das Examen（-） de final university examination Gender / part of speech neuter noun How English differs An ordinary exam is die Prüfung . Sie lernt für das Examen. [14] She's revising for the exam. die Kompetenz（-en） de competence; area of responsibility Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs Also an authority's jurisdiction. Kompetenz und Performanz sind zwei verschiedene Dinge. [15] Competence and performance are two different things. Adjectives and verbs Word (article, plural) Meaning Notes konsequent de consistent, rigorous Gender / part of speech adjective How English differs Not consequent : it means sticking to a line. Du bist in deinem Handeln nicht konsequent. [16] You are not consistent in your actions. die Konsequenz（-en） de consequence; consistency Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs Both meanings; context decides. Konsequenz ist das letzte Refugium der Menschen ohne Einbildungskraft. [17] Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative. seriös de reputable, respectable Gender / part of speech adjective How English differs Not serious : that is ernst . Das ist ein seriöses Geschäft. [18] That is a reputable store. prägnant de concise, succinct Gender / part of speech adjective How English differs Not pregnant : that is schwanger . Der Bericht ist kurz und prägnant. [19] The report is short and pithy. selbstbewusst de self-confident Gender / part of speech adjective How English differs The opposite of English self-conscious , which is befangen or gehemmt . Er ist selbstbewusst und stark. [20] He's confident and strong. blank de shiny; (colloquial) broke Gender / part of speech adjective How English differs Not blank : that is leer . Ich bin total blank. [21] I'm totally skint. irritiert de confused, put off Gender / part of speech adjective How English differs Increasingly also annoyed ; the older sense is confused . Du siehst irritiert aus. [22] You look confused. kontrollieren de to check, to inspect Gender / part of speech verb How English differs Tickets and passports are kontrolliert ; to control is usually beherrschen or steuern . Diesmal kontrollieren sie. [2