Confusing Words: English > German
Different German Meanings
An Annotated Glossary
An annotated German-English Glossary of
Confusing Words and Misleading Expressions
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2. German > Different Genders
3. German > Different Meanings in English
4. English > Different Meanings in German
ALSO SEE: English Index of Confusing Words
4. E N G L I S H - Different Meanings in German
Same or similar English word with various translations in German
anyhow, anyway >
sowieso anyhow, anyway (in any case)
trotzdem anyhow, anyway (regardless)
jedenfalls anyhow, anyway (in any case)
Examples:
Da sie sowieso einverstanden sind, gibt es kein Problem.
Since they agree anyway, it's not a problem.
Ich habe nein gesagt, aber er hat es trotzdem gekauft.
I said no, but he bought it anyway.
ask >
fragen ask (a question)
eine Frage stellen ask a question
bitten um ask for, request
Examples:
Sie hat mich gefragt.
She asked me (a question).
Ich bitte um Verständnis.
I ask for (request) your understanding.
capital >
der Großbuchstabe (-n) capital (letter)
die Hauptstadt (-städte) capital (city)
das Kapital capital (financial)
das Kapitell capital (architecture)
Examples:
Berlin ist die Hauptstadt von Deutschland.
Berlin is the capital of Germany.
Man schreibt deutsche Substantive immer mit einem Großbuchstaben.
You always write German nouns with a capital letter.
NOTE: das Kapitel chapter
save >
retten to save (rescue)
schonen to save (spare someone, something)
sparen, ersparen to save (money, time)
speichern to save (on a computer)
Examples:
Er schont sich für das nächste Mal.
He's saving himself for the next time.
Wenn du fliegst, kannst du dir viel Zeit ersparen.
If you fly, you can save (yourself) a lot of time.
spend >
ausgeben to spend (money)
verbringen to spend (time)
Examples:
Er gibt zu viel Geld aus.
He spends too much money.
Wir haben eine Woche in der Karibik verbracht.
We spent a week in the Caribbean.
Achtung! spenden to donate (money, blood)
Achtung! spendieren to buy something for someone
useless >
nutzlos useless (of no use, in vain)
unbrauchbar useless (unusable)
Examples:
Er ist völlig nutzlos. Er taugt zu gar nichts.
He's worse than useless. He's no good at anything.
Ohne Strom ist das Ding total unbrauchbar.
Without electricity the thing is totally useless.
English Index of Confusing Words
An English-to-German list to help you find confusing German words like those on this page.
C O N T E N T S > Confusing Words | False Friends
Related Pages
Confusing Words and Expressions
Part One of our confusing words section.
False Friends/falsche Freunde
An article about these tricky little devils.
English Index of Confusing Words
An English-to-German list to help you find confusing German words.
When the Plural is Singular
German and English nouns don't always follow the same rules when it comes to singular and plural forms.
False-Friend Flashcards
Vocabulary practice for the German false cognates.
Glossary A-to-Z Index
Find more annotated English-German glossaries by keyword.
Das Wort des Tages
A new German word or expression each day.
Online Dictionaries
Links and info for dictionaries and glossaries.
Web Links
Anglizismen und Übersetzungsfallen
Eine deutsche Liste von gesammelten Übersetzungsfallen - zusammengestellt von Stefan Winterstein.
False Friends
A look at German-English false friends from the German perspective: "Waiter, when will I become a beefsteak?" (become/bekommen/werden).
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