I. Theory
In German, there is a wide variety of words that look and sound similar to words we have in English. When these words share a common meaning in both languages, they are known as cognates. However, words that look similar and don’t have the same meaning are known as false cognates or falsche Freunde.In the following examples, we see that the meaning of the German words in question are not what they seem.
| Das Gespräch dreht sich um aktuelle Themen. The conversation involves current topics. Die Studenten bekommen gute Noten. The students get good grades. Ich habe diese Kleinigkeit übersehen. I overlooked this small detail. |
II. Falsche Freunde
This lesson will focus on four false cognates: aktuell, übersehen, bekommen, and, Chef. For each false cognate, the English definition is provided along with the word it may be confused with. The word in parenthesis is the correct German word for the word in quotation marks.Aktuell: current, not “actual” (eigentlich)
| Dieses Almanach ist nicht aktuell. This almanac isn’t current. Was ist die aktuelle politische Lage im Land? What is the current political situation in the country? |
Übersehen: to overlook, not “oversee” (überwachen)
| Der Lektor hat den Fehler im Text übersehen. The editor overlooked the error in the text. Ich habe den Zettel von dir übersehen. I overlooked your note. |
Bekommen: to obtain/get/receive, not “become” (werden)
| Mein Buch hat gutes Feedback bekommen. My book received good feedback. Ich habe keine SMS von ihm bekommen. I didn’t get a text from him. |
Chef: boss, not “chef” (Koch)
| Unsere Chefin hat uns eine Gehaltserhöhung gegeben. Our boss gave us a raise. Ich muss dieses Projekt mit meinem Chef diskutieren. I must discuss this project with my boss. |