‘False Friends’ in German and English

While learning a foreign language, you’ll encounter a lot of ‘false friends’. These are words that sound or look similar in other languages, but have completely different meanings. Here are a few of them.
For example the German word kurios is almost written exactly like the word curious. Someone who is curious means that they’re interested in learning something new. But don’t make the mistake of calling a person kurios, unless you think they’re weird.

Another example is labor. In English it means work, but in German das labor means laboratory.
Sometimes you can get in silly situations with these ‘false friends’. An example is the word gift. You usually get gifts on your birthdays or other celebrations, but in German gift means poison. So if you’re going to a party in Germany don’t bring a gift, bring a geschenk.

Germans use the word gross a lot which actually means large. On the other hand, in English the word gross means distasteful. So if you’re planning to have a gross meal in Germany, don’t be hesitant about it.

These were some examples of ‘false friends’ in German and there are much more! If you speak German and are planning on visiting an English speaking country it would be a good idea to catch up on these before you go.