Definition
Als false friends („falsche Freunde“) bezeichnet man jene englischen Wörter, die deutschen Wörtern sehr ähneln, aber etwas ganz anderes bedeuten. Wenn du etwas über confusables (leicht verwechselbare Wörter) erfahren willst, klicke hier.
| Deutsch | Englisch | Deutsch | Englisch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chefkoch / Koch Der Koch hier hat viele Preise gewonnen. |
chef The chef here has won a lot of prizes. |
Chef Mein Chef ist häufig geschäftlich verreist. |
boss / head of My boss is often away on business. |
Beispiele für "false friends"
In der linken Spalte steht das deutsche Wort, in der Mitte die richtige englische Entsprechung im Kontext und in der rechten Spalte der typische Fehler.
| aktuell | Global warming is a current problem. | actual |
| bemerken | I'm sorry. I didn't notice you. | remark |
| brav | I'm afraid Bonzo isn't very well-behaved. | brave |
| dezent | Please wear discreet/subdued clothing. | decent |
| desinteressiert | John's uninterested in school. | disinterested |
| dick | The doctor said I'm too fat. | thick |
| eventuell | Maybe we'll call in at the weekend. | eventually |
| irritieren | Don't distract Ann. She's counting. | irritate |
| komfortabel | They live in a luxurious flat in Berlin. | comfortable |
| Land | Bavaria is the biggest state in Germany. | land |
| machen | Have you done your homework yet? | made |
| meinen | Tom thinks Sally is fantastic. | means |
| Menü | The set meal costs $4.50. | menu |
| miserabel | This steak is absolutely awful. | miserable |
| nächste | The nearest post office is in Cherry Road. | next |
| neueste | Is this the latest version of Word? | newest |
| Pension | Guest houses are cheaper than hotels. | pension |
| Politik | The government's rail policy is crazy. | politic(s) |
| Preis | Our school won a prize of £1000. | price |
| Rente | I can't live on such a small pension. | rent |
| Rezept | Take this perscription to the chemist's. | recipe |
| sensibel | Jim's very sensitive about his big feet. | sensible |
| seriös | We only do business with reputable firms. | serious |
| spenden | Germans donate a lot of money to charity. | spend |
| starten | The plane took off two hours late. | started |
| sympathisch | Mrs Todd is a likeable woman. | sympathetic |
| übersehen | The driver overlooked a red light. | oversaw |