English-German Cognates
Genuine Cognates • F
Words that are identical or similar in English and German
ALSO SEE
> False Cognates (False Friends)
> Cognate Sound Shifts
Noun Genders: r (der, masc.), e (die, fem.), s (das, neu.)
Abbreviations: adj. adjective, adv. adverb, Am American English, Br British English, diff. used in a different or limited sense, f.c. false cognate, n. noun, pl. plural, pron. pronounced, v. verb
* = Less obvious cognates that may not closely resemble each other in both English and German, but are cognates
** = Words used in English that come from German
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I
J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q
R | S | T | U | V | W | XYZ
What's a COGNATE? > Grammar Glossary - C
F
fable e Fabel
fabrication, manufacture e Fabrikation
fabulous fabulös
face lift s Facelifting
facet e Facette
facsimile s Faksimile (also see "fax")
fact s/r Fakt
Anglicism: Fakt ist, dass... = the fact is, that...
faction e Fraktion*
factor r Faktor
faculty e Fakultät
diff. - the German word also refers to a "school" or "college" within a university
fair adj. fair
fairly adv. fair
Also: unfair = unfair(ly)
fairness e Fairness
fair play s Fairplay
fakir r Fakir (Indian mystic)
falcon r Falke*
falconer r Falkner
fall v. fallen
fall n. r Fall (waterfall, a fall [tumble])
f.c. r Fall = case > False Cognates
fallout r Fallout
false, wrong falsch
familiar familiär
diff. - the German word also means "having to do with family"
family e Familie
fan r Fan (supporter)
fan club r Fanklub
fanatic adj. fanatisch
fanatic n. r Fanatiker
fanatical adj. fanatisch
fanaticism n. r Fanatismus
fantastic adj. fantastisch
fantasy e Fantasie (imagination; false picture)
farce e Farce (theatrical)
farm e Farm
farmer r Farmer
farmhouse s Farmhaus
fascism r Faschismus
fascist adj. faschistisch
fascist n. r Faschist
fat n. s Fett (also "grease")
fat(ty) adj. fett
fat(ty) adj. fettig
father r Vater*
faux pax r Fauxpas (from French)
favorite r Favorit
fax (facsimile) s Fax
feather e Feder*
NOTE: The feather/Feder pair reflects the so-called "t-d shift" in which an English th or t is replaced by a German d, as in leather/Leder or thank/danken. This shift also works in the other direction: door/Tür.
fecal adj. fäkal
feces Fäkalien pl.
feed, fodder s Futter*
feel fühlen*
feeler (bug) r Fühler*
fenestration s Fenster* (both from Latin)
ferry e Fähre*
fetish r Fetisch
fever s Fieber*
fiasco s Fiasko
field s Feld
figure e Figur
filet, fillet s Filet
Filipina n. e Filipina
Filipino n. r Filipino
filling, stuffing e Füllung*
film n. r Film (also movie)
film v. filmen (make a movie)
film festival n. s Filmfest
filter n. r Filter
filter v. filtern
final adj. final
finance n. e Finanz (the German word refers to the "financial world")
financial adj. Finanz- (in compounds)
financial adj. finanziell
find v. finden
finder r Finder
finger r Finger
See Parts of the Body (Lesson 15)
finite (verb) finit (in grammatical sense only)
Finland s Finnland
Finn (person) r/e Finne
Finnish adj. finnisch
See Land & Leute - nationalities
fire n. s Feuer*
fire v. feuern*
firm, company e Firma
fish n. r Fisch
fish v. fischen
fisher(man) n. r Fischer
fish market r Fischmarkt
fish(ing) net s Fischernetz
fission e Fission
fit adj. fit
fitness e Fitness
fitness center s Fitnesscenter
fix n. r Fix (drug slang)
flag e Flagge
flame e Flamme
flamingo r Flamingo
Exception to the rule that nouns ending in -o are usually das - See German Noun Suffixes and Gender for more
flask e Flasche (s Flakon)
diff. - Flasche means "bottle," but the words are related
flat platt - See Consonant Sound Shifts (p-f)
flesh s Fleisch (also "meat")
flight r Flug*
flirt n. r Flirt (a flirtation)
flirt v. flirten
flora e Flora
flounder (fish) r Flunder
fluid, flowing adj. flüssig*
fodder, feed s Futter*
foible (weakness, liking) s Faible*
foil n. e Folie (metal, plastic)
fold v. falten > Cognate Sound Shifts (t-d, a-o)
folk s Volk* > Cognate Sound Shifts (v-f)
foot r Fuß*
football (soccer) r Fußball*
force v. forcieren
forced adj. forciert
forest r Forst (r Wald is more common)
forest v. forsten
forester r Förster
form n. e Form
form v. formen
formal adj. formal
formality n. e Formalität
formalize v. formalisieren
format s Format
formula e Formel*
formula-1 race s Formel-1-Rennen*
forum s Forum
forty vierzig* > Cognate Sound Shifts (v-f)
forward vorwärts* > Cognate Sound Shifts (v-f, d-t)
fossil n. s Fossil
fossil/fossilized adj. fossil
foul n. s Foul (sports)
four vier* > Cognate Sound Shifts (v-f)
forty vierzig*
fox r Fuchs*
France s Frankreich*
freeze v. frieren*
freight e Fracht*
French adj. französisch*
French (lang.) s Französisch*
French (man) r Franzose*
French (woman) e Französin*
See Land & Leute - nationalities
fresh adj. frisch
friend m. r Freund
friend f. e Freundin
frog r Frosch*
front e Front
frontal frontal
frost r Frost
frustration r Frust*
full voll* > Cognate Sound Shifts (v-f)
future (tense) s Futur (in grammatical sense only)
NEXT > Cognates - G
BACK > Cognates - E
MORE > Cognate Sound Shifts
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I
J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q
R | S | T | U | V | W | XYZ
German in English > You Already Know German
ALSO > False Cognates (false friends)
MORE > English-German Glossaries on many topics
MORE > Confusing Words and Expressions in German
German Newsletters
Our free online German course.
German for Beginners
Our free online German course.
OUR GERMAN FORUMS