Typical English Vocabulary Mistakes… and How to Avoid Them! Made just for Germans (and Austrians… and the Swiss…) By: Nick Vance www.EnglishWithNick.de
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Typical English Vocabulary Mistakes…
and How to Avoid Them! Made just for Germans (and Austrians… and the Swiss…)
By: Nick Vance
www.EnglishWithNick.de
How to Use this Book
Is this book right for you? Is is made for:
● beginner and intermediate English learners who can read some English
● people who speak German as a first language (if you don’t speak German, you can
stop reading here)
I have lived in Germany and worked as an English teacher here for many years. When speaking
with my German students and friends, I noticed that many of them make the same vocabulary
mistakes again and again. This book focuses on the mistakes that:
● occur often ● are important ● are easy to correct
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at [email protected] .
Page 1
Chapter 1 - Which word should I use?
Some German words have multiple meanings. Think about the word “Frau.” Sometimes it just
means any woman (she could be single, in a relationship, or married). Other times it means a
woman who is married.
If you look in a German-English dictionary, you will see both “woman” and “wife” under the
word “Frau.” So how do you know which to use? This chapter will help with this and other
similar problems.
I will show you 10 common German words that have multiple translations in English. You will
learn which of the two (or three, or four) words you should use in which situation.
What do you already know?
Read the following sentences. In each one, there is one incorrect word.
Which word is it? Also, what word should be used instead?
1 - I went on vacation with my woman to Thailand.
2 - Why didn’t you remember me to call my dad?!?!? It was his birthday yesterday!
3 - My girlfriend is Italian and often cooks great Italian kitchen for me. Yummy!
4 - Do you see the man she’s kissing? That’s her new friend.
5 - Please give me my money until Friday!
6 - Welcome to our restaurant. Here is a card for you.
7 - Can you borrow me 20 euros? I will pay you back tomorrow.
8 - I am so tired. I partied until 6 a.m. and then stood up at 8 a.m. for work.
9 - Tina was wearing a gun when she went into the bank and stole the money.
10 - It normally lasts 5 hours to drive from Berlin to Munich, but in my new car I can do it in 3
hours.
The solutions are on the next page
Page 2
Solutions (explanations are on the next page)
1 - woman → wife
2 - remember → remind
3 - kitchen → food, cuisine
4 - friend → boyfriend
5 - until → by
6 - card → menu
7 - borrow → lend
8 - stood up → got up, woke up
9 - wearing → carrying
10 - lasts → takes
Page 3
Explanations
Frau = Woman and Wife, Mann = Man and Husband
The German word “Frau” is sometimes translated as “woman” and sometimes as “wife.” Woman = any female adult (similar to the word “girl” for a female child)
Wife = a woman when talking about her being married
Similarly, “Mann” is sometimes translated as “man” and sometimes as “husband.” Man = any male adult (similar to the word “boy” for a male child)
Husband = a man when talking about him being married
Examples:
● The woman who sold me my car was very friendly.
● My brother and his wife have three children.
● Did you see the man in the blue hat? That’s my roommate.
● Mandy’s husband is my boss.
A happy couple:
He is standing next to his wife.
She is standing next to her husband.
Page 4
Erinnern = Remember and Remind The German word “erinnern” is sometimes “remember” and sometimes “remind.” Remind = When two people are involved. “Jemand erinnert jemand anderen…”
Remember = When one person is involved. “Jemand erinnert sich…”
Examples:
● My mom reminded me to call my sister on her birthday.
● When I arrived home, I remembered that I forgot my backpack in the park.
Photos can help you remember the past.
Page 5
Küche = Kitchen, Food, and Cuisine
The German word “Küche” is translated as “kitchen” when we are talking about a room where
food is prepared. However, a phrase like “Italienische Küche” would be translated as “Italian
food” or “Italian cuisine.” Examples:
● I am going into the kitchen. Do you want a beer?
● I want to go to that new restaurant that serves Thai food. ● My favorite part about Italy is the Italian cuisine.
Do you think this is typical German food?
Page 6
Freund = Friend, Boyfriend, and Girlfriend
Be careful with the word “friend” in English. When speaking about “ein Freund(in) von mir,” just use the word “friend.” When speaking about “mein(e) Freund(in),” use “boyfriend” or
“girlfriend.” Examples:
● I’d like you to meet my friend John. We went to university together. (no romantic
relationship)
● John’s girlfriend will arrive later. They have been dating for 10 years!
● I don’t have a boyfriend. I like being single.
She is kissing her boyfriend.
Page 7
Bis = By and Until
Be careful with the word “bis.” It sometimes is translated as “until” and sometimes as “by.” Until = a state that will continue to exist from now until the time mentioned (can often add “the
entire time until” to add emphasis)
By = something that needs to be completed before the time mentioned (can often be replaced
with “before”) Examples:
● I will sleep until 10 am tomorrow (I will sleep the entire time until 10 am tomorrow).
● I will wake up by 10 am tomorrow (I will wake up before 10 am tomorrow)
● He will be at the restaurant until 5 pm. (He will not leave the restaurant before 5 pm)
● He will be at the restaurant by 5 pm. (He will arrive at some time before 5 pm)
Please call me by 5 pm this afternoon.
Page 8
Karte = Card, Map, Menu and Ticket
The German word “Karte” can be translated as “card,” “map,” “menu,” or “ticket.” Map = something that shows the location of things
Menu = tells you the food and drinks they have at a restaurant
Card = has a lot of different meanings. For example, you can have a birthday card, playing
cards (for poker), yellow or red card (in soccer), postcard (to send while on vacation), credit card
(for buying things), and many more.
Ticket = something that lets you get into an event
Examples:
● I have lived in Berlin for 5 years, but sometimes I still use a map to get around the city.
● After looking at the menu for 10 minutes, I decided to order a beer instead of wine.
● I can’t believe he got a red card in the World Cup final!
● I received many birthday cards at my party.
● How much does a ticket to the World Cup final cost?
The waiter is holding a menu.
Page 9
Leihen/Ausleihen = Borrow and Lend
7 - The words “leihen” and “ausleihen” are translated into English as two different words. And
they mean the exact opposite thing!
Lend = it means you give someone something (and hope they give it back to you in the future)
Borrow = it means you receive something (and give it back in the future)
Examples:
● My ATM card didn’t work, so my friend lent me 100 euros.
● A friend borrowed my car and got in an accident. Oh no!
Can you lend me some money, please?
Page 10
Aufstehen = Stand up, Get up, and Wake up
The German word “aufstehen” is sometimes “stand up,” but other times it is “get up” or “wake up.” Stand up = used when talking about going from sitting/laying to a standing position (nothing to
do with sleep)
Wake up = used when talking about going from asleep to awake (aufwachen)
Get up = Can be used both in the morning after sleeping, as well as moving from a sitting/laying
position to on your feet
Examples:
● The teacher asked the students to stand up and greet their guest.
● I woke up at 5 am today to take the train to Berlin.
● I normally get up at 9 o’clock every morning.
● The player injured his knee and couldn’t get up by himself.
What time did you wake up today?
Page 11
Tragen = Carry and Wear
The German word “tragen” sometimes means “carry” and sometimes “wear.” Carry - in your hands or in a bag
Wear - actually on your body (like clothes, jewelry, makeup, etc.)
Examples -
● It was difficult to carry all of the bags home from the supermarket.
● I wear hats in the winter when it gets cold.
In such cold weather it’s good to wear a hat, gloves, a warm jacket, and
comfortable shoes.
Page 12
Page 13
Dauern = Take and Last
The German word “dauern” sometimes means “take” and sometimes means “last.” Take - You need this amount of time to do something
Last - The duration of an activity
Examples -
● It takes 30 minutes to walk to the train station from here.
● The movie Titanic lasts 3 hours.
● It took me 4 hours to do all of my homework last night.
● The bread will last for 2 days before it goes bad.
It takes 5 hours to get to from Cologne to Berlin by ICE.
Page 14
Chapter 2 - German Words Used in America
While the German language has taken a lot of words from English, it doesn’t happen that often
the other way around. However, there are some German words that are used in everyday
language in English. All of these sentences would sound completely normal to an American.
(after someone sneezes) “Gesundheit!” “Thanks!”
Page 15
We have been friends since we first met in kindergarten.
Oh wow! He is so good at playing the piano! What a wunderkind!
Page 16
I am uber-tired today.
I’m quite sure we’ve met before. Or maybe I’ve just met your doppelganger.
Page 17
I haven’t been on vacation in 5 years. I feel wanderlust.
He eats sauerkraut, schnitzel, and a bratwurst every day for lunch.
Page 18
Chapter 3 - Problems with MACHEN
“Machen” is an extremely common verb in German. It is normally translated into English as
“make,” but sometimes that doesn’t work. It is sometimes translated as “do” or “have” as well.
And in certain cases, there is even a special verb just for that action.
What do you already know?
Read the following sentences and decide if the verb make is correctly used. If not, which word
would you replace it with?
1 - I like to make photos when I make vacation.
2 - That doesn’t make sense!
3 - My students never make their homework.
4 - I like to make videos and post them to YouTube.
5 - Winning the game made me really happy.
6 - I made a mistake when making the coffee.
7 - What did you make over the weekend?
8 - My wife and I made out last night but didn’t make love.
9 - It makes fun to make new experiences.
10 - The neighbors made a lot of noise while they made party last night.
The solutions are on the next page.
Page 19
Solutions and Explanations
1 - take photos/photograph things, go on vacation/take a vacation/vacation
In English, we take photos. Also, we can use the verbs “to go on vacation,” “to take a vacation,” or even “to vacation.” Examples:
● My brother sometimes takes photos of his food and posts them online.
● The last time I went on vacation was 2005.
● I hope that I can take a vacation really soon.
● My family likes to vacation at the beach.
2 - “Make sense” is correct!
3 - do their homework
In English, students “do” homework. If someone “made” homework, it would be the teacher
who created the homework assignment.
Example:
● Billy forgot to do his homework, and now his parents are really angry.
4 - “Make videos” is correct!”
5 - “Make someone happy/scared/angry/etc” is correct!
6 - “Make mistakes” is correct! Lots of Germans incorrectly say “do a mistake,” but that is
incorrect. “Make coffee” is also correct!
7 - do
When talking about activities in general (or an unknown activities),, use the verb “do.” Examples:
● I did nothing all day.
● Your mother is really angry. What did you do wrong?
Page 20
8 - “Make out” (rummachen) and “make love” (Liebe machen) are both correct!
9 - is fun, have new experiences/to experience new things
The phrase “spaß machen” can be translated as “to be fun,” and you can also rearrange the
sentence to say “I enjoy…” or “I like to…”
We also don’t “make” experiences. We “have experiences,” and we “experience” new things.
Examples:
● Jogging is fun! At least for me.
● My boyfriend enjoys cooking dinner for me.
● I like to go to the movies.
● Lots of people have great experiences traveling in Australia.
● Falling in love is a great thing to experience.
10 - “Make noise” is correct! But “make party” is not correct. Instead, say “to party” or “to have a party.” “To have a party” means “eine Party geben,” and “to party” means “feiern.”
Examples:
● I had a party at my apartment last night. The neighbors were not happy.
● He is really tired today because he partied so much last night.
Page 21
Chapter 4 - That’s not really English
German uses a lot of English words. Most of the time they are used in the same way, but
sometimes they’re not. Here are some examples of English-sounding words that aren’t really
English.
What do you already know?
Read the following sentences and find the word that isn’t actually English (or is used in the
wrong way).
1 - I lost my handy on the train. Please contact me via Facebook until I get a new one.
2 - Whenever it is sunny, I wear a basecap.
3 - I like to watch movies on my beamer.
4 - Let’s listen to some music. I can show you my new box.
5 - I like that bar because you can play kicker there.
6 - I’m going to do homeoffice today.
7 - My family and I did a photo shooting today.
Page 22
Solutions and Explanations
1 - In English, we call a “Handy” either a mobile, mobile phone, cell phone, or smartphone. Examples:
● I got a new smartphone for my birthday.
● What is your cell phone number?
● Can I borrow your mobile? I left mine at home
Page 23
2 - In English, a “Basecap” is called a hat, cap, or baseball cap. Hat is the most common term
used.
Examples:
● Lots of Americans wear baseball caps backwards.
● I lost my hat at the park.
● Do you see the man in the black cap?
Page 24
3 - In English, “beamer” is a nickname for a car from BMW. The German word “Beamer” actually refers to a “projector.” Example:
● Come over and watch a movie with me. I got a new projector! ● I got a new beamer. Let’s take a road trip!
Page 25
4 - In English, “box” only refers to something you can put stuff in. The things that play music are
called “speakers.” Examples:
● I put my things in some boxes and am now ready to move.
● My speakers broke so we can’t listen to any music today.
Page 26
5 - In English, the game “Kicker” is actually called “foosball.” Examples:
● I am really bad at foosball but it’s still fun to play.
Page 27
6 - In English, a “home office” is a room in a house or apartment where someone works.
Additionally, it is a synonym for headquarters. It isn’t used, like in German companies, to
describe working from home for a day.
Examples:
● I am going to work from home today because my child is sick.
● He has a beautiful home office with a nice desk and comfortable chair.
Page 28
7 - In English, it’s called a “photo shoot.” Example:
● After the long photo shoot, the photographer was extremely tired
Page 29
Now It’s Time to USE Your New Knowledge!
Write a story using as many of these words as possible - Try to include at least 10! When you
are done, send it to me at [email protected] and I will send you some feedback on how
you used these vocabulary words.
man
husband
woman
wife
remember
remind
kitchen
cuisine
friend
boyfriend
girlfriend
until
by
map
menu
card
ticket
lend
borrow
stand up
get up
wake up
carry
wear
take
last
take a photo
take a vacation
make sense
do my homework
make videos
make mistakes
make happy
do
make out
make love
have fun
be fun
have the experience
make noise
to party
doppelganger
Gesundheit!
kindergarten
wunderkind
uber
wanderlust
sauerkraut
schnitzel
bratwurst
cell phone
baseball cap
speakers
beamer
projector
foosball
work from home
photo shoot
Page 30
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