English word used in german

German learners often have to put up with native speakers who only ever speak English to them.

After all, if you go up to a stranger in Berlin and start speaking English only, there’s a good chance you’ll hear English in response – often quite fluent English at that!

But it’s not enough that you have to speak excellent German in order to get people to speak German with you at all.

You’ve got to speak the right amount of English as well. Hence, our English words in German list. 

You see, if you’re going to take part in German society at this point in the 21^st century, you’ve got to reckon with the fact that Germans are international enough to already speak English at a high level.

German-speakers from Cologne to Zurich can even be found sprinkling choice English turns of phrase into their speech with other Germans! In fact, this is a phenomenon so widespread that it even has its own name: Denglish, from Deutsch + English.

Most media coverage of Denglish is either heavily critical of the whole concept or just goes over a couple of words you should be aware of. However, it’s not going away, and so it’s better to learn it well when you can!

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Denglish
2. Denglish Examples
3. Loan Words vs. Denglish
4. How These Names are Said in German
5. English Words Derived From German
6. Conclusion

Introduction to Denglish

German and English are, of course, related languages. They’re both part of the West Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, and there’s a ton of shared vocabulary between the two languages just by virtue of this part of their history. Adapting English words to German doesn’t often take a lot of mental gymnastics.

However, there’s a distinct difference between these “old roots” and new English borrowings into German. 

German was actually a really well-respected international language of science and philosophy for many centuries in Europe, surpassing the English language in popularity in many aspects. 

It wasn’t until around the 1960s to the 1980s that English started becoming the “international language” even in Germany. This took shape slowly, but by the time of the fall of the Berlin wall, many West Germans were regularly using English words in their conversations even with other Germans. After the wall fell, everyone started following suit. 

Today, English is still seen as quite prestigious in German culture. Many Germans take pride in the fact that a majority of the population can speak English well enough to get by – plus at least one other language thanks to the German primary and secondary education systems. 

That’s not even counting the influence of the Internet. Although German is well-represented on YouTube, the sheer amount of English-langauge content overpowers it on Youtube, Instagram, and other social media. Just from interacting with this kind of media, Germans get comfortable with plenty of English words and they even feel comfortable introducing them back into their own informal German use.

Today, a mixture of German and English (or Denglish) is no longer the mark of imperfect German or English that it once was. It’s a cultural marker. 

Denglish Examples

With all this adoption into the German language, you might expect that these words would be preserved in their original meanings as a mark of difference from German. Although that’s often the case, it also happens that the opposite occurs: a word comes originally from English but has shifted its meaning after being adopted into German. 

Probably the best-known example of that phenomenon is the word das Handy. This is clearly an English word in origin as German words don’t end in -y like that, but instead of an adjective meaning “useful,” this word is a noun meaning “mobile phone.” And it’s not like how in English people refer to your “phone,” your “cell phone,” or your “mobile” – it’s all Handy, all the time. Many Germans even insist to English speakers that the word must be the same in English too!

Up next is the word das or der Evergreen, meaning “classic song that never goes out of style.” The German word for “a tree that is green all year” is actually a direct translation of the English – immergrün.

In the same vein, the word der Oldtimer refers to a classic car, not an old person – that’s an alter Hase “old rabbit.”

This extends to verbs as well. Trampen means “to hitchhike,” which makes sense if you’re familiar with older literature about people riding the rails (probably where the term came from!) and anturnen does not mean to turn something on, but is a word meaning “to get hyped.”

Another common way of implementing English words into German is creating compound words out of an English and a German word. This might sound like creating a Frankenstein monster, although due to the relation between English and German, this works actually fine. An example of such a word is die Teamarbeit or “teamwork,” which consists from the English word “team,” and the German word Arbeit meaning “work.” 

Loan Words vs. Denglish

In German, there are also a ton of words borrowed directly from English, often with the English pronunciation kept totally intact. These loan words have the same meaning in German and English and would be understood by listeners even without any German knowledge.

And in fact, there are hundreds.

Plenty of them pop up in the business world as trendy alternatives to pure German words. One such example of an outdated word is die Besprechung which has been replaced in the business jargon by its English equivalent – “meeting.” 

In the same way, die Leitung has turned into der Manager

You can take a bunch of English verbs related to computers and e-mail and simply conjugate them as if they were German to begin with – so you’ll have googlen, forwarden, clicken, downloaden, and so on instead of what you might find in a dictionary. A lot of Germans find this really annoying, but it really does happen all the time. Just check out a couple of German YouTube channels to see how people talk about tech and software in German, since there’s not really any textbook that can help you with this kind of vocabulary.

How These Names are Said in German

Interestingly enough, most pop culture from other countries is dubbed into German instead of just coming with subtitles. Dubbing is a huge deal in German film culture, and usually one actor sticks with a single dubbing target for their entire career.

Because of this, movie and TV series titles are localized into German in their entirety, as it’d be a bit weird to have a whole cast and high-quality dubbing but with a foreign-language title.

Star Wars becomes Krieg der Sterne “War of the Stars” while Lord of the Rings is translated directly as Herr der Ringe. Many German learners have loved Harry Potter und der Stein der Weisen “the Philosopher’s Stone,” in both book and movie formats.

Fun fact: Sometimes Germans tend also to keep English names, since it appears “cool,” but they would change the name for the German market. So in Germany you won’t find for example Marvels “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” but instead you can watch “The Return of the First Avenger.”

These cool-sounding German names are unfortunately the exception rather than the rule. For quite some time in the 1980s through the 2000s, German dubs came with totally different titles from the original films – so the Dreamworks Animation classic “A Bug’s Life” ended up as Das große Krabbeln “the big crawling!”

Brand names such as Starbucks, McDonalds, and Burger King are simply spoken as normal German words, with German accents of course. Sometimes, a brand like “Xbox One” will be said exactly as it is in English, but the “Playstation 4” would be pronounced as Playstation Vier. There’s not really a system to this; it’s just something you have to pick up over time.

English Words Derived From German

The exchange of ideas and vocabulary didn’t just happen in one direction between the English and German languages. Thanks to a great deal of migration from Europe to the United States in the 19^th century, many Americans can trace their roots back to the German Old Country, and with it their heritage languages as well.

Although there has been cultural exchange between Germans and residents of other English-speaking countries, Americans seem to have picked up the most words related to German food.

Therefore, everybody from New York to Los Angeles knows that a Strudel is a pastry with fruit filling, a Bratwurst is a barbecued sausage, a bagel is a round and chewy roll with a hole in the middle, a pretzel (originally Brezel) is a long and thin piece of sourdough tied in a knot, and a delicatessen is where you go to buy all of these things!

Philosophy and sociology have benefited from German terms as well, such as übermensch or “superman,” or wunderkind “gifted child.” Even the everyday word Kindergarten comes from German, literally meaning “child garden!”

Conclusion

Earlier in this article we said that there isn’t really a good way to study Denglish. And it’s true, you won’t find many resources that treat it seriously.

This is even a good thing, because anyone who compiles a serious dictionary at this point is going to regret it a few years later when dozens of terms have become outdated and dozens of new ones have entered the language.

The best way to keep on top of these trends, therefore, is to attain a good level in German with a high-quality and holistic German resource like GermanPod101.com.

In addition to providing helpful grammar guides and cultural notes, GermanPod101 will get you ready to tackle real-life German and real-life Denglish as well! Try it out today and see how accessible all forms of the language can be!

How many of these English words in German were you surprised to find on this list? Are there any we missed? Let us know in the comments!

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English Words Used in German – Eingedeutscht!

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One of the wonderful things about language, in my opinion, is how flexible it is. Languages borrow words from other languages all the time, making the way we speak and write a beautiful hodge-podge (mixture) of different slang, verbs, and nouns. While English definitely borrows (takes, uses) some words from German, there are quite a few English words used in German, too. A lot of them keep the same meaning, like when my friends ask me if I’ll joinen (join) them for something, but sometimes the meaning changes somewhat.

Naturally, the Germans have a word for this phenomenon, too: eingedeutscht.

Here are eight of our favorite English words used in German that have changed their meaning and do not mean the same in English anymore.

Handy

Do you know any Germans who talk about their Handy? If you’re not sure what this word means, it’s quite an easy one. A Handy is, quite simply, a cell phone.

In English, we just call our mobile phones our “phones”, as it’s not really necessary anymore to say “smartphone” or “cell / mobile” first. Handy, the English word, does in fact have an English origin. It comes from Motorola’s Handie-Talkie from the 1940s, which American GIs carried in Germany during World War II.

Shooting 

When I first came to Germany and someone asked me if I would like to be a part of a Shooting, I have to say I was a little concerned (worried) about what they meant. The German version of this word is completely harmless compared to the English counterpart that refers to when someone shoots a gun someplace.

If someone asks you if you’d like to take part in a Shooting, they’re simply asking if you’d like to be in a photo shoot. I would recommend saying yes, as Shootings, in German, can be a lot of fun!

Oldtimer

What I think of when I hear the word Oldtimer is probably very different, but a little similar, to what a German thinks of when they hear the same word.

When I hear old timer used in English, I think of the slang word for an elderly (old) person. When a German hears Oldtimer, they’re thinking of a classic car. Maybe one day you’ll see an old timer driving an Oldtimer.

Beamer

Remember what I was saying earlier about language being fluid and flexible? Well, in my personal language (the way I speak and the words I use on a daily basis), I’ve become more flexible since living in Germany. So even if I’m speaking English, as (since, because) I’ve picked up little bits and bobs of German words, I sometimes throw them into my English sentences. I know Crystal would agree with me, but there are times when I even think of the German word faster than the English word! Even when it comes to English words used in German! Crazy, huh??

One of these words for me is Beamer.

I have a Beamer in my house, and we talk about it all the time. We refer to it as a beamer, and that is now what I’ve learned this object to be. It’s very nice to curl up on the couch on a Sunday night and watch movies on it. Do you know what word I’m talking about? In English, a Beamer is a projector. Pretty nice, right?

If you tell someone in English that you have a beamer, they will automatically think you are the proud owner of a BMW!! We call cars made by BMW, beamers.

Mobbing

Reading the word Mobbing, does an image pop up in your head of an angry mob (crowd, group of aggressive people) with pitchforks and torches? Me, too. While the general idea is similar, a victim of Mobbing in German is a little less Disney villain-esque.

If your child comes home from school complaining about Mobbing, look into what they’re talking about, because Mobbing is bullying in English.

Smoking

A student of mine once told me that he was going to a fancy work event and had to try on his Smoking. No, he wasn’t practicing smoking cigarettes to see if it looked cool, but rather was trying on his tuxedo to see if it still fit. Yes, we do have a smoking jacket in English that is either actually used for smoking or for very special occasions, but what you probably mean, 90% of the time, is a suit or a tux jacket.

Box

This is another word that I find myself using quite often when I’m speaking English nowadays, despite knowing that it’s not exactly correct. Sometimes on a Saturday morning I’ll ask my boyfriend where his Box is. I’m not looking for that leftover box of takeaway, and I’m not looking for a moving box. Any ideas?

When I ask him where his Box is, I’m looking for his portable Bluetooth speaker so that I can play some music. Kinda funny, right?

If you spend a long enough time in Germany, you’re going to start noticing a lot of English being spoken. Germans love taking English words and using them themselves, so English definitely isn’t the only language that steals from others.

Now that you’ve read some of our favorite English words used in German, click on some of our past blogs if you wanna (want to) see which words English borrows from Spanish, German, Yiddish, or French!

Did we miss any English words used in German that you know? Let us know what they are in the comments below!

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Looking for grammar? Try Tricky Adjectives and Adverbs, when to use Which and That, Order of Adjectives, Its vs It’s, and Present Continuous tense!

Erin Duffin lives in Hamburg, is an English teacher, a blogger, a yoga instructor, and finds it to be such an advantage to “live” in two languages fluently -perhaps TOO fluently, sometimes! A lot of these English words used in German are words that she now uses every day! 

Looking for more phrases, ways to use English everyday, or get the conversation started? Sign up for our blog or check out the website!

Crystal Fisher2023-01-31T16:30:13+01:00

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As cultures intersect, their languages often collide. We see this often between English and German and the result is what many people have come to refer as «Denglish.» 

Languages often borrow words from other languages and English has borrowed many words from German, and vice versa. Denglish is a slightly different matter. This is the mashing of words from the two languages to create new hybrid words. The purposes vary, but we see it often into today’s increasingly global culture. Let’s explore the meaning of Denglish and the many ways it’s being used.

Definition

While some people prefer Denglish or Denglisch, others use the word Neudeutsch. While you may think that all three words have the same meaning, they really don’t. Even the term Denglisch has several different meanings.

The word «Denglis(c)h» is not found in German dictionaries (even recent ones). «Neudeutsch» is vaguely defined as, «die deutsche Sprache der neueren Zeit» («the German language of more recent times»). This means it can be difficult to come up with a good definition.

Here are five different definitions for Denglisch (or Denglish):

• Denglisch 1: The use of English words in German, with an attempt to incorporate them into German grammar. Examples: Downloaden (download), as in «ich habe den File gedownloadet/downgeloadet.» Or the English words as used in «Heute haben wir ein Meeting mit den Consultants.*»
• Denglisch 2: The (excessive) use of English words, phrases, or slogans in German advertising. Example: A German magazine ad for the German airline Lufthansa prominently displayed the slogan: «There’s no better way to fly.»
• Denglisch 3: The (bad) influences of English spelling and punctuation on German spelling and punctuation. One pervasive example: The incorrect use of an apostrophe in German possessive forms, as in Karl’s Schnellimbiss. This common error can be seen even on signs and painted on the side of trucks. It is also seen for plurals ending in «s.» Another example is a growing tendency to drop the hyphen (English-style) in German compound words: Karl Marx Straße versus Karl-Marx-Straße.
• Denglisch 4: The mixing of English and German vocabulary (in sentences) by English-speaking expats whose German skills are weak.
• Denglisch 5: The coining of faux English words that are either not found in English at all or are used with a different meaning than in German. Examples: der Dressman (male model), der Smoking (tuxedo), der Talkmaster (talk show host).

*Some observers make a distinction between the use of anglicized words in German (das Meeting is anglicized) and Denglisch’s mixing of English words and German grammar (Wir haben das gecancelt.). This is especially noted when there are already German equivalents which are shunned.

There is a technical difference as well as a semantic one. For instance, unlike «Anglizismus» in German, «Denglisch» usually has a negative, pejorative meaning. And yet, one can conclude that such a distinction usually draws too fine a point; it is often difficult to decide whether a term is an anglicism or Denglisch.

Language Cross-Pollination

There has always been a certain amount of language borrowing and «cross-pollination» among the world’s languages. Historically, both English and German have borrowed heavily from Greek, Latin, French, and other languages. English has German loan words such as angst, gemütlich, kindergarten, masochism, and schadenfreude, usually because there is no true English equivalent.

In recent years, particularly following the World War II, German has intensified its borrowings from English. As English has become the dominant world language for science and technology (areas that German itself once dominated) and business, German, more than any other European language, has adopted even more English vocabulary. Although some people object to this, most German-speakers do not.

Unlike the French and Franglais, very few German-speakers seem to perceive the invasion of English as a threat to their own language. Even in France, such objections seem to have done little to stop English words like le weekend from creeping into French. There are several small language organizations in Germany that see themselves as guardians of the German language and try to wage war against English. Yet, they have had little success to date. English terms are perceived as trendy or «cool» in German (English «cool» is cool in German).

English Influences on German

Many well-educated Germans shudder at what they view as the «bad» influences of English in today’s German. Dramatic proof of this tendency can be seen in the popularity of Bastian Sick’s 2004 humorous book entitled «Der Dativ ist dem Genitiv sein Tod» («the dative [case] will be the death of the genitive»).

The bestseller (another English word used that is used in Germany) points out the deterioration of the German language (Sprachverfall), caused in part by bad English influences. It was shortly followed up by two sequels with even more examples arguing the author’s case.

Although not all of German’s problems can be blamed on Anglo-American influences, many of them can. It is in the areas of business and technology in particular that the invasion of English is most pervasive.

A German business person may attend einen Workshop (der) or go to ein Meeting (das) where there’s eine Open-End-Diskussion about the company’s Performance (die). He reads Germany’s popular Manager-Magazin (das) in order to learn how to managen the Business (das). At their Job (der) many people work am Computer (der) and visit das Internet by going online.

While there are perfectly good German words for all of the «English» words above, they just aren’t «in» (as they say in German, or «Deutsch ist out.»). A rare exception is ​the German word for computer, der Rechner, which enjoys parity with der Computer (first invented by the German Conrad Zuse).

Other areas besides business and technology (advertising, entertainment, movies and television, pop music, teen slang, etc.) are also riddled with Denglisch and Neudeutsch. German-speakers listen to Rockmusik (die) on a CD (pronounced​ say-day) and watch movies on a DVD (​day-fow-day).

«Apostrophitis» and the «Deppenapostroph»

The so-called «Deppenapostroph» (idiot’s apostrophe) is another sign of the decrease in German-language competence. It too can be blamed on English and/or Denglisch. German does use apostrophes (a Greek word) in some situations, but not in the way often misguided German-speakers do so today.

Adopting the Anglo-Saxon use of apostrophes in the possessive, some Germans now add it to German genitive forms where it should not appear. Today, walking down the street of any German town, one can see business signs announcing «Andrea’s Haar- und Nagelsalon» or «Karl’s Schnellimbiss.» The correct German possessive is «Andreas» or «Karls» with no apostrophe. 

An even worse violation of German spelling is using an apostrophe in s-plurals: «Auto’s,» «Handy’s,» or «Trikot’s.»

Although the use of the apostrophe for the possessive was common in the 1800s, it has not been used in modern German. However, the 2006 edition of Duden’s «official» reformed spelling reference allows the use of the apostrophe (or not) with names in the possessive. This has provoked a rather vigorous discussion. Some observers have labeled the new outbreak of » Apostrophitis» the «McDonald’s effect,» alluding to the use of the possessive apostrophe in the McDonald’s brand name.

Translation Problems in Denglish

Denglisch also presents special problems for translators. For instance, a translator of German legal documents into English struggled for the right words until she came up with «case Management» for the Denglisch phrase «technisches Handling.» German business publications often use English legal and commercial jargon for concepts like «due diligence,» «equity partner,» and «risk management.»

Even some well-known German newspapers and online news sites (besides calling die Nachrichten the «news») have been tripped up by Denglisch. The respected Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) incorrectly used the incomprehensible Denglisch term «Nonproliferationsvertrag» for a story on the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. In good German, this has long been rendered as der Atomwaffensperrvertrag.

German TV reporters based in Washington, D.C. often use the Denglisch term «Bush-Administration» for what is correctly called die Bush-Regierung in German news accounts. They are part of a disturbing trend in German news reporting. Case in point, a German news web search, pulls up over 100 results for «Bush-Administration» versus over 300 for the better-German «Bush-Regierung.»

Microsoft has been criticized for its use of anglicisms or Americanisms in its German-language publications and software support manuals. Many Germans blame the vast U.S. firm’s influence for computer terms such as «downloaden» and «uploaden» instead of normal German «laden» and «hochladen.»

No one can blame Microsoft for other forms of deformed Denglisch vocabulary that is an insult to both Deutsch and English. Two of the worst examples are «Bodybag» (for a shoulder backpack) and «Moonshine-Tarif» (discounted telephone night rate). Such lexical miscreations have drawn the wrath of the Verein Deutsche Sprache e.V. (VDS, the German Language Association), which created a special award for the guilty parties.

Each year since 1997, the VDS prize for Sprachpanscher des Jahres («language diluter of the year») has gone to a person the association considers that year’s worst offender. The very first award went to the German fashion designer Jil Sander, who is still notorious for mixing German and English in bizarre ways.

The 2006 award went to Günther Oettinger, Ministerpräsident (governor) of the German state (Bundesland) of Baden-Württemberg. During a TV broadcast entitled «Wer rettet die deutsche Sprache» («Who will save the German language?») Oettinger declared: «Englisch wird die Arbeitssprache, Deutsch bleibt die Sprache der Familie und der Freizeit, die Sprache, in der man Privates liest.» («English is becoming the work language. German remains the language of family and leisure time, the language in which you read private things.»)

An irritated VDS issued a statement explaining why it had chosen Herr Oettinger for its award: «Damit degradiert er die deutsche Sprache zu einem reinen Feierabenddialekt.» («He thus demotes the German language to a mere dialect for use when one is not at work.»)

The runner-up that same year was Jörg von Fürstenwerth, whose insurance association promoted the «Drug Scouts» to help get German youths off of drugs with slogans like «Don’t drug and drive.»

Gayle Tufts and Dinglish Comedy

Many Americans and other English-speaking expats end up living and working in Germany. They have to learn at least some German and adapt to a new culture. But few of them earn a living from Denglisch.

American-born Gayle Tufts makes her living in Germany as a comedienne using her own brand of Denglish. She coined the word «Dinglish» to differentiate it from Denglish. In Germany since 1990, Tufts has become a well-known performer and book author who uses a blend of German and American English in her comedy act. However, she takes pride in the fact that although she is using two different languages, she does not mix the two grammars.

Unlike Denglisch, Dinglish supposedly uses English with English grammar and German with German grammar. A sample of her Dinglish: «I came here from New York in 1990 for two years, und 15 Jahre später bin ich immer noch hier.»

Not that she has made complete peace with German. One of the numbers she sings is «Konrad Duden must die,» a humorous musical attack on the German Noah Webster and a reflection of her frustration over trying to learn Deutsch.

Tufts’ Dinglish isn’t always as pure as she claims, either. Her own Dinglish utterance about Dinglish: «It’s basically what most Americans speak for the zehn, fünfzehn Jahren that we wohn here in Deutschland. Dinglish is not a neue Phänomen, it’s uralt and most New Yorkers have been speaking it zeit Jahren.»

As «Deutschlands ‘Very-First-Dinglish-Allround-Entertainerin'» Tufts lives in Berlin. In addition to her performing and TV appearances, she has published two books: «Absolutely Unterwegs: eine Amerikanerin in Berlin» (Ullstein, 1998) and «Miss Amerika» (Gustav Kiepenhauer, 2006). She has also released several audio CDs.

«G.I. Deutsch» or Germlish

Much more rare than Denglisch is the reverse phenomenon sometimes called Germlish. This is the forming of hybrid «German» words by English-speakers. It’s also called this «G.I. Deutsch» because of the many Americans stationed in Germany who sometimes invented new words from German and English (Germlish).

One of the best examples has long been a word that makes Germans laugh. The Germlish word Scheisskopf (sh*t head) does not really exist in German, but Germans who hear it can understand it. In German the Scheiß- prefix is used in the sense of «lousy,» as in Scheißwetter for «lousy weather.» The German word itself is much tamer than the English s-word, often closer to English «damn» than its literal translation.

Über-German

A variation of G.I. Deutsch is «über-German» in English. This is the tendency to use the German prefix über- (also spelled «uber» without the umlaut) and is seen in U.S. advertising and English-language game sites. Like Nietzsche’s Übermensch («super man»), the über— prefix is used to mean «super-,» «master-,» or «best-» whatever, as in «übercool,» the «überphone,» or the «überdiva.» It’s also much cooler to use the umlauted form, as in German.

Bad English Denglisch

Here are just a few examples of German vocabulary that use pseudo-English words or those that have a very different meaning in German.

• die Aircondition (air conditioning)
• der Beamer (LCD projector)
• der Body (body suit)
• die Bodywear (underwear)
• der Callboy (gigolo)
• der Comic (comic strip)
• der Dressman (male model)
• der Evergreen ( a golden oldie, standard)
• der Gully (manhole, drain)
• der Hotelboy (bellboy)
• jobben (to work)
• der McJob (low-pay job)
• das Mobbing (bullying, harassment)
• der Oldtimer (vintage car)
• der Overall (overalls)
• der Twen (twenty-something)

Ad English Denglisch

These are just a few examples of English phrases or slogans used in German advertisements by German and international companies.

• «Business flexibility» — T-Systems (T-Com)
• «Connecting people» — Nokia
• «Science for a better life.» — Bayer HealthCare
• «Sense and simplicity» — Philips Sonicare, «the sonic toothbrush»
• «Relax. You’re dressed.» — Bugatti (suits)
• «Make the most of now.» — Vodafone
• «Mehr (more) Performance» — Postbank
• «There’s no better way to fly — Lufthansa
• «Image is everything» — Toshiba TVs
• «Interior Design für die Küche» (book) — SieMatic
• «The spirit of commerce» — Metro Group
• «O2 can do» — O2 DSL 
• «You & Us» — UBS bank (also used in U.S.)
• «So where the bloody hell are you?» — Qantas (also used in U.S.)
• «We speak image.» — Canon printer
• «There’s more to see.» — Sharp Aquos TV
• «Imagination at work.» — GE
• «Inspire the next.» — Hitachi
• «Explore the city limits» — Opel Antara (car)

Similarities between the German language and the English language

Did you know that there are similarities between the English language and the German language? There are a lot of German words derived from English or vice versa.

We call them English-German Cognates.

As a matter of fact these two languages are linguistic siblings. They have a lot in common because they have the same roots.

OK – let’s start with some common German-English Cognates that are very similar in both languages to give you a first impression.

Klick den Playbutton!

es ist = it is

gut = good

es ist gut = it is good

guten Morgen = good morning

willkommen = welcome

guten Morgen und willkommen
= good morning and welcome

See, I told you. –
The German language is not that difficult

Let’s check out some other similar words.

Practice with the phrases several times because they are similar and that could confuse you a little in the beginning.

wollen = want

Sie = you

Wollen Sie? = Do you want?
(It means literally: Want you?)

was = what

Was wollen Sie? = What do you want?
(literally: What want you?)

Wasser = water

Wollen Sie Wasser? = Do you want water?
(literally: Want you water?)

essen = to eat

trinken = to drink

Was wollen Sie essen?
= What do you want to eat?
(literally: What want you eat?)

Was wollen Sie* trinken?
= What do you want to drink?
(literally: What want you drink?)

s

The polite form of you (Sie) is always written with a capital ‘S‘.

I’ll explain this in more detail in one of my other lessons.

More examples of common German words derived from English or vice versa

Let’s use what we have learned so far and build some sentences with some similar German verbs.

Wollen Sie … ? = Do you want to … ?
(literally: Want you … ?)

Wollen Sie trinken? = (drink)
= Do you want to drink?
(literally: Want you drink?)

Wollen Sie essen? = (eat)
= Do you want to eat?
(literally: Want you eat?)

Wollen Sie schwimmen? (swim)
= Do you want to swim?

Wollen Sie lernen? = (learn)

Wollen Sie studieren? = (study)

Wollen Sie kommen? = (come)

Wollen Sie parken? = (park)

Wollen Sie gehen? = (go)

Wollen Sie starten? = (start)

Wollen Sie tanzen? = (dance)

mit mir? = with me?

Wollen Sie mit mir* tanzen?
= Do you want to dance with me?

s

The word order in German and English is sometimes a little different.

No German would have a problem if you said: „Wollen Sie tanzen mit mir?“ but it would be correct to ask: „Wollen Sie mit mir tanzen?“

Let’s add one more word to those sentences

wann = when 

Wann wollen Sie … ?
= When do you want to … ?
(literally: When want you … ?)

Wann wollen Sie trinken?
= When do you want to drink?
(literally: When want you drink?)

Wann wollen Sie essen?

Wann wollen Sie schwimmen?

Wann wollen Sie lernen?

Wann wollen Sie studieren?

Wann wollen Sie kommen?

Wann wollen Sie gehen?

Wann wollen Sie starten?

Wann wollen Sie tanzen?

Wann wollen Sie mit mir tanzen?
= When do you want to dance with me?

I, can, have and must are also similar in German

Ich kann = I can 

Ich habe = I have 

Ich bin = I am 

Ich muss = I must

Ich kann … = I can …

Ich kann nicht. = I cannot.

Ich kann singen. = I can sing.

Ich kann nicht singen. = I cannot sing.

Ich kann schwimmen. = I can swim.

Ich kann nicht schwimmen.
= I cannot swim.

Ich kann surfen. = I can surf.

Ich kann nicht surfen. = I cannot surf.

Ja? – Super, das ist wundervoll. ?

= Yes? – Super, that is wonderful.

Let’s use what we have learned so far and build some sentences with some important German English cognates.

Do you understand the meaning?

Ich habe … = I have …

Ich habe einen Traum. = I have a dream.

Ich habe ein Baby. = I have a baby.

Ich habe einen Computer. = I have a computer.

Ich habe einen Laptop. = I have a laptop.

Ich habe einen Hamster. = I have a hamster.

Ich habe einen* Ring. = I have a ring.

Ich habe ein* T-Shirt. = I have a T-shirt.

*Don’t worry about the different words (ein, einen) for „a“ in German. I’m going to explain this in upcoming lessons.

There is more English-German Cognates!

See how easy it is to get started if you use similar words.

Try this: Try to guess what the following German sentences mean.

Ich muss … = I must (have to) …

Ich muss gehen. = I must go.

Ich muss Sie finden. = I must find you.

Ich muss warten. = I must wait.

Ich muss meine Haare waschen.
= I must wash my hair.

Ich muss heute Nacht schlafen.
= I must sleep tonight.

Would you have thought that the German language and the English language are so similar?

If we continue at this pace you will be able to speak German fluently by the end of the day.

I’m just kidding!

My students learn the German language very fast but not that fast.

In my learning packages I use the storytelling method and a special Question and Answer Technique.

This technique will enable your brain to think in German step by step and you will develop a natural feeling for the German language.

Students who practice with my lessons daily need only about 6 to 8 months until they speak German fluently!

OK – let’s go on and have a look at some other German English cognates.

Ich bin … = I am …

Ich bin ein Idiot. = I am an idiot.

Ich bin ein Manager. = I am a manager.

Ich bin ein Monster. = I am a monster.

Ich bin blond. = I am blond.

Ich bin cool. = I am cool.

Ich bin super cool. = I am super cool.

Ich bin fair. = I am fair.

Ich bin impotent. = I am impotent.

Ich bin intelligent. = I am intelligent.

Ich bin sexy. = I am sexy.

Ich bin unfair. = I am unfair.

Ich bin wild. = I am wild.

Adjectives with the same meaning in German and English

Finally, I would like to introduce you to a few adjectives that are very similar in both languages German and English.

If you know the meaning in English you automatically know the meaning in German – isn’t this great?

Wörter mit A

abnormal
absurd
anal
analog
arrogant 

Wörter mit B

banal
beige
bitter
blind
blond
brutal

Wörter mit C und D

cool
diagonal
digital

Wörter mit E

elegant
emotional
extravagant

Wörter mit F

fair
formal
fundamental

Wörter mit G und H

global
horizontal

Wörter mit I

ideal
illegal
impotent
intelligent
international
intolerant
irrational
irrelevant

Wörter mit L 

legal
liberal
linear
loyal

Wörter mit M 

maximal
mild
minimal
multilateral

Wörter mit N 

national
neutral
normal

Wörter mit O 

OK (okay)
optimal
optional
oral
orange
oval

Wörter mit P 

parallel
paranoid
pink
prominent
prompt
proportional

Wörter mit R 

rational
redundant
regional
relevant
robust

Wörter mit S 

sentimental
sexy
solo
super
superb

Wörter mit T 

tolerant
total
transparent
triumphal
trivial
turbulent

Wörter mit U, V und W 

unfair
universal
verbal
warm
wild

Nichts ist besonders hart, wenn…

… man es in kleine Einheiten aufteilt. Mach(e) jede Lektion sorgfältig und wenn du dich wohlfühlst geh(e) über zur nächsten Lektion.

Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small portions. Do every lesson carefully and when you feel comfortable go on to the next lesson.

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There are many hundreds of German words that are cognate with English words. In fact, this is true for a sizeable fraction of the native German and English vocabularies, but for various reasons many of these cognates are not immediately obvious. Nevertheless, many of them are easy to correlate since the German words follow the rules of High German consonant shift, which is a German phenomenon and makes English stay closer to the Proto-Germanic language, from which both, English and German, derive.

For convenience of presentation this list has been limited to cognates whose etymologies can be established to the Proto-Germanic period at the earliest, or within the past 3000 years or so. Modern English has a large number of words of French origin, of which many are cognates of German words due to mutual descent from roots in the common Proto-Indo-European language (about 6000 years or so ago), from which both the Germanic and the Romance languages descend. This list ignores cognates of this linguistic depth.

Etymology resources for further investigation of cognates include:

For German words:

1. Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (DWDS)
(direct link to a one-word entry: https://www.dwds.de/wb/[insert search word here])

2. Duden

3. Wiktionary (German)
(direct link to a one-word entry: https://de.wiktionary.org/wiki/[insert search word here])

4. Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob Grimm und Wilhelm Grimm (at DWDS and at woerterbuchnetz.de) (for advanced investigation; no modern orthography)

For English words:

1. dictionary.com

2. Oxford Dictionaries

3. Online Etymology Dictionary
(direct link to a one-word entry: https://www.etymonline.com/word/[insert search word here])

4. Wiktionary (English)
(direct link to a one-word entry https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/[insert search word here])

Mutual inheritance from Proto-Germanic[edit]

Both German and English descend from a single language which is conventionally called Proto-Germanic. The earliest written stages at which the daughter languages that ultimately evolved into modern German and English are treated as separate languages are denoted Old High German and Old English, respectively. We may represent this in a simple diagram as:

• Proto-Germanic → Proto-West-Germanic → Old English → Modern English
• Proto-Germanic → Proto-West-Germanic → Old High German → Modern (Standard) German

As the languages evolved away from Proto-Germanic in a largely ordered way, there remain a large number of cognates in the two languages that are the result of the evolution of the two languages from Proto-Germanic to their modern, contemporary forms. In this section we exhibit regular correspondences between modern German and English resulting from their evolution from the common Proto-Germanic mother language.

A small but significant portion of Modern English vocabulary derives from the Old Norse language. For comparison we can look at the Old Norse language in similar terms as:

• Proto-Germanic → Proto-North-Germanic → Old Norse → Modern Scandinavian languages

See also:

Proto-Germanic:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Germanic_language
• https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urgermanische_Sprache

Schleicher’s fable[edit]

We can compare the grammar and vocabulary of German and English to each other as well as to that reconstructed for Proto-Germanic using Schleicher’s fable (originally written in 1868). In order to facilitate comprehension of the historic German version and the Proto-Germanic version, modern English and German translations have been placed at the top as an introduction. Lastly, a schematic English word-by-word translation of the modern German version is provided to demonstrate how the ability to identify cognates by detecting regular correspondences can help English speakers when learning German. For example, in section German b ~ English v you can see how German b corresponds to English v and thus Silber corresponds to silver, Grab to grave, and so forth.

English

The Sheep and the Horses

[On a hill,] a sheep that had no wool saw horses, one of them pulling a heavy wagon, one carrying a big load, and one carrying a man quickly. The sheep said to the horses: «My heart pains me, seeing a man driving horses.» The horses said: «Listen, sheep, our hearts pain us when we see this: a man, the master, makes the wool of the sheep into a warm garment for himself. And the sheep has no wool.» Having heard this, the sheep fled into the plain.^[1]

Modern Standard German version

Das Schaf und die Pferde

Ein Schaf, das keine Wolle mehr hatte, sah Pferde, eines einen schweren Wagen fahrend, eines eine große Last, eines einen Menschen schnell tragend. Das Schaf sprach: Das Herz wird mir eng, wenn ich sehe, dass der Mensch die Pferde antreibt. Die Pferde sprachen: Höre Schaf, das Herz wird uns eng, weil wir gesehen haben: Der Mensch, der Herr, macht die Wolle der Schafe zu einem warmen Kleid für sich und die Schafe haben keine Wolle mehr. Als es dies gehört hatte, floh das Schaf auf das Feld.

(Quoted from German Wikipedia: Indogermanische Fabel: Deutsche Übersetzung)

Historic German version
(This is Schleicher’s translation of his Indogermanic fable. (Note: Unlike the modern version above, this text is grammatically incorrect by today’s standards.)

[Das] schaf und [die] rosse

[Ein] schaf, [auf] welchem wolle nicht war (ein geschorenes schaf) sah rosse, das [einen] schweren wagen fahrend, das [eine] groſse last, das [einen] menschen schnell tragend. [Das] schaf sprach [zu den] rossen: [Das] herz wird beengt [in] mir (es thut mir herzlich leid), sehend [den] menschen [die] rosse treibend. [Die] rosse sprachen: Höre schaf, [das] herz wird beengt [in den] gesehen-habenden (es thut uns herzlich leid, da wir wissen): [der] mensch, [der] herr macht [die] wolle [der] schafe [zu einem] warmen kleide [für] sich und [den] schafen ist nicht wolle (die schafe aber haben keine wolle mehr, sie werden geschoren; es geht ihnen noch schlechter als den rossen). Dies gehört-habend bog (entwich) [das] schaf [auf das] feld (es machte sich aus dem staube).

Schleicher’s reconstructed Proto-Germanic text is available in the article Proto-Germanic language, and many more versions can be found at Wikipedia: Schleicher’s fable.

English translation of the modern Standard German version using as many recognizable cognates as possible, retaining German sentence structure

The following text is identical to the modern German version. Obvious cognates are written in bold font. Non-obvious cognates and obvious cognates that differ in meaning in this specific context are written in bold font and italics. In the second line, corresponding English translations are given, retaining German sentence structure (word-for-word). Starting at the third line, explanations are given for non-obvious cognates. Note that (both generally speaking and in this particular text) not all cognates have Proto-Germanic roots; most however have Proto-Indo-European roots, and some (such as «sheep»/»Schaf» might e.g. have roots in West Germanic, but not trace back further to the earlier Proto-Germanic, or Proto-Indo-European, which explains why the Proto-Germanic text starts with «awiz» (whence «ewe», a female sheep)).

Das Schaf und die Pferde

The Sheep and the Horses

Ein Schaf, das keine Wolle mehr hatte, sah Pferde, eines einen schweren Wagen fahrend, eines eine große Last, eines einen Menschen schnell tragend.

A sheep, that no wool any more had, saw horses, one a heavy wagon {faring}, one a great weight, one a {man} quickly {dragging}.

{fahrend: faring; driving}

{Mensch: man, human; the -sch corresponds to «-ish», thus «man-ish» (man-like, human)}

{tragend: dragging; carrying (cf. «drag»: carrying clothes)}

Das Schaf sprach: Das Herz wird mir eng, wenn ich sehe, dass der Mensch die Pferde antreibt.

The sheep spoke: The heart becomes me tight when I see that the {man} the horses drives.

(note: for «wird», cf. «worth» (archaic): «woe worth the day»; becomes)

{eng (tight): cf. anguish, angst: from a feeling of tightness, thus distress}

Die Pferde sprachen: Höre, Schaf, das Herz wird uns eng, weil wir gesehen haben:

The horses spoke: Hear, sheep, the heart becomes us tight because we seen have:

(no comments)

Der Mensch, der Herr, macht die Wolle der Schafe zu einem warmen Kleid für sich und die Schafe haben keine Wolle mehr.

The {man}, the {hoar man}, makes the wool (of) the sheep (in)to warm clothes for himself and the sheep have no wool (any) more.

{Herr: hoar man; master (also: Mister)}

Als es dies gehört hatte, floh das Schaf auf das Feld.

As it this heard had, {fled} the sheep {up (=to)} the field.

{floh: fled: cf. fliehen: flee}

{auf: up; (here:) «to«)}

Notes:

1. In modern German, «Pferd» is usually used for «horse». The modern German cognate to’ «horse» is «Ross» (horse). «Ross» is essentially a synonym to «Pferd», though not used as frequently (e.g. poetically or regionally), or in compositions such as modern Standard German «Schlachtross» (warhorse).

2. In modern German, in the context of this story, «Last» is used for «weight, burden». The modern German cognate to «weight» is «Gewicht», which also means «weight» and is used in particular in the context measurement. «Load» is not a cognate to German «Last». However, German «Last/lasten» («weight»/»to weigh») is etymologically connected to the German verb «laden, beladen» («to load»)^[2], which is a cognate to English adjective «laden» (German: «beladen» (participle)).

3. In modern German, in the context of this story, «Herr» is used for «master». The German cognate to «master» is «Meister» ( «foreman»; «master» (1. crafts: professional qualification: e.g. Elektriker-Meister; 2. to master s.th./to be a master of s.th.: etw. meistern/ein Meister von etw. sein)). In academia, «Master of Science/Arts» has been introduced to replace the German «Diplom» qualification, i.e. the anglicism «Master», not «Meister» is used in an academic context.

Old English and Old Norse[edit]

Modern English developed from dialects of Middle English that developed within regions of Anglo-Saxon England that experienced the densest settlement of speakers of Old Norse (itself a daughter language of Proto-Germanic). The resulting Middle English was therefore heavily influenced by Old Norse, taking words from both Old English and Old Norse, and, where the words in the two languages were very similar, words that were influenced by both. This article therefore indicates cognates for the Modern English in Old English and/or Old Norse as appropriate to better reflect this state of affairs. Old Norse forms are only indicated when they are either the source of the modern English word or the difference between the Old English and Old Norse word stems is due to vowels.

Organization of tables[edit]

In general, only the singular forms of nouns, the principle parts of verbs, and base forms of other words are given. Other forms are given when they are of specific interest. Portions of words in German or Modern English that have been separated out by parentheses indicate either elements that have been added to those words since the Proto-Germanic period or the presence of stem of interest in a compound.

These portions are thus part of the word and cannot typically be omitted: E.g., «Schade(n)» means the German word is «Schaden», and the «n» has been added since the Proto-Germanic period. Likewise, e.g. «, treffen, traf, (ge)troffen» is «treffen, traf, getroffen». There is no such past participle as «troffen» since the participle always requires a prefix (treffen — getroffen; übertreffen — übertroffen).

This article indicates Old Norse cognates using a standardized Old Norse from a period later than the Old English period. The dialects of Old Norse present in Great Britain during the Old English period were earlier forms of the language and differed from the standardized form in some respects. In particular, the v’s in these Old Norse dialects would have been pronounced more like an English w, and would thus have been pronounced more like their Old English cognates than the spelling appears at first to indicate. Also the Old Norse p when appearing in the combination pt would be pronounced close to the English ft.

Regular cognates with matching consonant values[edit]

• A-L
• M-W

Regular cognates with differing consonant values[edit]

Proto-Germanic Voiced Stop Consonants (*b, *d, *g)[edit]

/Regular cognates with differing consonant values/Proto-Germanic Voiced Stop Consonants

Proto-Germanic Unvoiced Stop Consonants (*k, *p, *t)[edit]

/Regular cognates with differing consonant values/Proto-Germanic Unvoiced Stop Consonants

Proto-Germanic Fricative Consonants (*f, *h, *s, *þ)[edit]

/Regular cognates with differing consonant values/Proto-Germanic Fricative Consonants

Proto-Germanic Liquid Consonants (*l, *r, *z)[edit]

/Regular cognates with differing consonant values/Proto-Germanic Liquids, Nasals and Semivowels#Proto-Germanic Liquid Consonants

Proto-Germanic Nasal Consonants (*m, *n)[edit]

/Regular cognates with differing consonant values/Proto-Germanic Liquids, Nasals and Semivowels#Proto-Germanic Nasal Consonants

Proto-Germanic Semivowels (*w)[edit]

/Regular cognates with differing consonant values/Proto-Germanic Liquids, Nasals and Semivowels#Proto-Germanic Semivowels

Proto-Germanic Consonant Clusters[edit]

/Regular cognates with differing consonant values/Proto-Germanic Consonant Clusters

Proto-Germanic *∅[edit]

/Regular cognates with differing consonant values/Proto-Germanic *∅

Irregular and Singleton Cognates[edit]

/Special cases#Irregular and Singleton Cognates

Archaic, Dialectal, Obsolete, Poetic, Rare, or Regional Cognates[edit]

/Special cases#Archaic, Dialectal, Obsolete, Poetic, Rare, or Regional Cognates

Borrowings into Proto-Germanic[edit]

/Mutually inherited borrowings#Borrowings into Proto-Germanic

Borrowings into Proto-West-Germanic[edit]

/Mutually inherited borrowings#Borrowings into Proto-West-Germanic

Borrowings into Old German and Old English[edit]

/Mutually inherited borrowings#Borrowings into Old German and Old English

References[edit]