False Friends: English words the Germans use wrongly - Part 2 | Meet the Germans

[@Nikioko]

In German, an oldtimer isn't an old person, it's a vintage car.

[@DaroriDerEinzige]

It can be both.

[@MinenArbeiterLP]

@@DaroriDerEinzige Ok boomer

[@DaroriDerEinzige]

@@MinenArbeiterLP Kevin, you absolutly butchered this meme. o.ô'

[@MinenArbeiterLP]

@@DaroriDerEinzige Ikr i said this on like 200 other comment sections

[@DaroriDerEinzige]

@@MinenArbeiterLP Idk, doesn't make it better Kevin.

[@Marcel-vn]

A perfect example: The Germans say "Beamer" for something that would actually be called "projector" in English because to beam means something entirely different.

[@MartinBoers]

Right! I told my German workmates that a "Beamer" is a slang term for a BMW, which they found amusing. They also have the word "Projektor", but I don't know why they don't use this instead of "Beamer".

[@ibonitog]

@@MartinBoers Because we think about a very old style projector when we call it a "Projektor", e.g. which uses singular pictures to be displayed. We use "beamer" to differemtiate so that everybody knows we mean a projector where a PC can be used with, you know with HDMI etc.

[@unklarnamenpflicht]

“Zis train TERMINATES zea” And I always think HASTA LA VISTA, BABY

[@01Tilly01]

@@MartinBoers I know I'm digging in an old post, but for other readers... A projector just project things, so like projecting a picture on a wall. Whereas a beamer could be understood as something that sends a beam, as in light beam. A german understand "Projektor" as already mentioned. But a "Beamer" is a german word for some Star-Trek-Scify-Machine that dessemble a human (or thing), sends it with the speed of light throu space and assemling correctly back. Anyway, I hope that this will help to understand and will not lead to any pericombobulation.

[@MoonshineMist]

@@01Tilly01 Exactly! "Beamer" was originally only colloquial for "Videoprojektor", before it became so popular that even companies started marketing their devices as such. People are probably not aware of how popular the Star Trek:OS phrase "Beam me up, Scotty!" and the whole concept of it is in Germany, haha :D It's probably also worth noting that most Germans (younger than ~50) used analogue overhead projectors in school and therefore associate the term with that terrible mess of a thing. Compared to that, the "Beamer" is a marvellous dream from the future! Digital, seamless media integration, all the colours of the rainbow, HD!, clarity!, m-motion pictures!!... it really is straight out of Star Trek.

[@shcuf95]

I got a heart attack when she called toast normal bread.

[@umkemesic]

*Autistic Wheezing*

[@grinsikleinpo7]

Toast? Das ist doch dieses aufgeschäumte Zuckerzeug ohne Nährwert, mit mehr Kalorien als Schokolade, nicht wahr? Das einzige was aus Brot geröstet wird, um dann "Toast" benannt werden zu dürfen, ist ein Kastenweisbrot. Glaubt ihr nicht? Dann solltet ihr mal Bernd das Brot fragen. :)

[@margarethany]

I rewind that part a few times to make sure she did mention plain bread a toast

[@frankroters6394]

Well, the correct word even in German is Toastbrot. Toast is only the short form, because no one really could eat this untoasted... oh wait, outside of Germany they do this all time... bleh

[@leoprg5330]

@@frankroters6394 in Czechia we use the word toustový chleba, a toasting bread. For us central europeans that manufactured square is not a bread in traditional sense.

[@myeramimclerie7869]

sorry, but a "toast" is a toasted toast. an untoasted toast is called "toastbread" 😜

[@iduntyra7566]

I am German and I buy toastbread and eat toast lol

[@Fallonmoon]

was looking at the comments if someone said it already. Same in Austria, you call it "Toastbread" but as in every aspect people tend to take shortcuts if possible. Hence the possibility that u will here people call it "Toast" instead.

[@HyakkiYakoo]

@@iduntyra7566 normal thing :D

[@lotharschepers2240]

But did we Germans use the term "Toastbrot" really as a kind of bread or isn't it true that we did mean you could only eat this if you toast it? And with that said, without toasting that it isn't really bread in our culture. At least from my point of view.

[@lecirconflex]

I 100% agree with you definition!

[@d33b33]

As a Dutch boy, this blew my mind when I started high school, I'll give you the same word in English: German [IPA] - Dutch [IPA]: Lake : See [/ze:] - Meer [/me:r/] Sea: Meer [/me:r/] - Zee [/zeɪ/]

[@guaposneeze]

The way Germanic speakers talk about water has led to a theory that the first Germanic speakers probably didn't live near an ocean. Since they didn't need a word for "sea" or "ocean," more modern languages like Dutch and German made different choices about how to differentiate between them. The words that have identical meanings between languages like Dutch and German are more likely to have come from the ancient germanic language.

[@jensschroder8214]

Bodensee, a lake. Ostsee, Baltic sea, Steinhuter Meer, just a lake in Germany Atlatischer Ozean, yes an ocean

[@valentinventures]

Interesting because Mer is also “sea” in French.

[@frankroters6394]

Well if you use the word "See" in German, you need to know the gender. If you use the female form, it translates as "sea" (and has the same meaning as "Meer), if you use the male form, it translates as "lake". And of course some lakes are so big, we landfaring people think it is almost an ocean and therefore call it a "meer"...

[@MrTungstenSteel]

In German It's: Die See = The Ocean, Der See = The Lake

[@juliabuschbeck1480]

In German, you don't have to distinguish between E-Mail and Mail, since there is still the German word "Brief", therefore the English (E-)Mail is in any case electronic. Another word used very specific in German is "workshop": It's only used for "Arbeitsseminar" (leo-translation), never for "Werkstatt", which would be also the meaning in English. I guess, the English words in German are often an addition to the vocabulary for things, technical items or acitivities that were invented more or less recently.

[@julianfitz806]

Exactly, we DE people love precision in words. So we add EN terminology to distinguish new things were there is no DE word. This is the main reason why there are more DE words today as there are EN words. Still handy, drive-in ... are just terrible.

[@reiichikawaii3960]

German people will say 'per Post' for enveloped letter or 'per Mail' for email.

[@Rebecca-vg2ef]

@@julianfitz806 I don't think we use drive-in in German

[@andyveh221]

My American father-in-law has a workshop which is a Werkstatt. I'm employed at an American university and attend workshops on a regular basis, which are Arbeitsseminare.

[@zliu4208]

I really like this host. She definitely knows how to make an impression. 👍

[@r.b.8061]

in germany she is a show master :o)

[@hanshandkante5055]

@@r.b.8061 No she is not a show master. Nobody uses the term show master in germany. In germany she would be called a Moderatorin.

[@gbshahaq]

From my time in Germany, "Smoking" for a tuxedo and "Hollywood" for a swing seat, stood out as particularly odd.

[@SpandauJerry]

Correctly it should be "*Hollywoodschaukel" for a garden swing as nobody shorten it that way normally 😉

[@NeoHellPoet]

Just to clear this up, a Tuxedo, shortened to Tux and a Smoking jacket, shortened to smoking, are both types of men's evening wear. These are different articles of clothing, but the difference is lost on people today and the words became generic. Tux stuck in the anglosphere, smoking in Germany.

[@maryymendes]

In Brazil we also say smoking for a tuxedo

[@MacBaerFFM]

@@SpandauJerry from my eastern German friends, I've heard "Holly" short for "Hollywoodschaukel", likewise they often say "Illu" instead of "Illustrierte" ... :-)

[@carolinereize2868]

I’ve never heard smoking and Im german... maybe a regional thing?

[@brodo512]

Thank you Rachel for resolving a longstanding dispute between me (American) and my gf (German) regarding the proper term for un-toasted "toast". You have made the world a more peaceful place ☮️❤️🍞

[@tompatterson1274]

Pretoast?

[@gumboot50]

Perhaps I'm just showing my age but, as an Englishman, I put a letter in the post and not in the mail (notwithstanding the fact that it is then processed by the Royal Mail! In the US they put things in the mail, which is then processed by the US Postal Service, but that's another story).

[@JoachimPersonalAccount]

Like us Germans, we also say post

[@chrisschultz8598]

As a Yank, I confess that dichotomy never occurred to me.

[@nlpnt]

@@chrisschultz8598 Part of that is the branding on trucks, mailboxes and such is U.S. Mail and always has been.

[@MM------]

In Australia mail is mailed in the mail, by Australia Post. I always sound really English if I say "in the post". Also it's mailbox usually instead of postbox or letterbox

[@MOTMAOK]

Lol, I teach dance in Germany and here they refer to beginners as "Bloddy beginners" which is a direct translation of the German "blutige anfänger" :) Took me a while to realize why they kept insulting their new dancers :p

[@TheFuriousBrother]

The term "blutige Anfänger" comes from girls wearing high heels for the first few times, since they will wear them all day long untill they feet bleed.

[@MOTMAOK]

@@TheFuriousBrother oh, wow, I did not know that :)

[@julianfitz806]

@@TheFuriousBrother is "noob`" better

[@TheFuriousBrother]

@@julianfitz806 I didn't give any judgement in my previous comment, but if you insist on an awnser, I don't like any of those terms...

[@thestonegateroadrunner7305]

The term "Toast" (uppercase T) you can hear in Germany is not the english word "toast" but the abbreviation of the german word "Toastbrot" (bread for toasting; pronounced with a simple "o", not an "ou" like in English). The correct german term which is not in use anymore would be "Röstbrot". And, true, it definitely is not real bread. de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toastbrot

[@SpideyDee]

My favorite example is a big German supermarket selling "body bags" - they meant rucksacks but that word was too German and therefore uncool. In English "body bag" means Leichensack.

[@WrekFilms121]

Korean here. The German word arbeit for a job or a work got into Korean as 아르바이트. While German uses this word for like your full time job, Koreans use it for a part time job.

[@dk3406]

Because a part time job is absolutely negative, your country uses "Arbeit" to name it.

[@nomansbrand4417]

I guess, it's because a nine-to-five job in Korea qualifies as part time!? From what I've heard, you stay at work 12+ h / day

[@dk3406]

Me, I don't hope so(lo).

[@TheSwedishRider]

An untoasted "toast" is called that way because it's the only bread Germans do toast and, for a long time, didn't even consider eating untoasted. This has changed a bit since we can buy American style sandwiches.

[@Nikioko]

It is called toast bread.

[@PunkHerr]

I am german and I do toast allmost every bread. Btw I never eat toastbread.

[@carstenbellazon2702]

It's just square white bread.

[@b22msk]

It has to be called "toast" cause calling it bread would be just absurd and an insult to what is actually considered bread in central Europe. (Well, I am exaggerating... but only a touch!)

[@norbertfleck812]

@@b22msk There has to be linguistic distinction between bread and that strange edible, elastic foam.

[@delloda]

German: An open air English: An outdoor concert

[@MartinAhlman]

Mobbing has the same meaning in Sweden, we even went so far as to make it sound more Swedish by calling it "mobbning" (you stress both syllables). We did the same with "mail". "Mejla mig!" means send me an email, to send a physical piece of paper is called "Posta/Skicka det på posten", as in post. Fun times :-)

[@Narrowgaugefilms]

There's the classic English/German false-friend pair "Become/Bekommen" it confuses English speakers who also speak German and German Speakers who also speak English. For example, one day I met my new German teacher and she said "I become your E-mail". A few weeks later I found out "bekommen" means "to receive" and not "to change into". During the time in-between I had no idea what she was talking about!

[@McGhinch]

Yes, and there is another meaning. Like in the title of an old ditty: "Moonlight becomes you" would be in German: "Mondschein bekommt Dir". Here is a link to a version by Bing Crosby: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mobQnK1vaqpqo9k

[@lotharschepers2240]

First of all, I'm happy that you are back with the new "Meet the Germans" stuff. I love that one since I saw the first episode (in those days with Kate, btw. I hope Kate is doing well) Now two words that are no longer so popular as they were a few decades ago 1. Trampen instead of hitchhiking 2. Oldtimer instead of classic car And as a bonus on top my alltime winner if it comes to bullshit bingo. roundabout instead of approximately

[@tubekulose]

I've got one more (not that spectacular): German: "Happy end" English: "Happy ending"

[@wollinisslohe7759]

Deutsch: Happy Ending is a massage with a "happy ending" at the middle of your body...:-))

[@vuvuvu6291]

@@wollinisslohe7759 I don't unders... eww

[@ruprehtrupreht1712]

enchanted to see you , Rachel !!!! God bless you !!

[@RR4kindness]

Love the observations Rachel. One that struck me when I first came to Germany was 'Patchwork Familien' of course I could make sense of what was meant but that is not a term we use in Australia to describe a 'step family'

[@jakethesnake95]

I've also heard "blended family" used in English.

[@heaterpistol6067]

Cabbage Patch kids

[@martinsnobr3575]

This is such an interesting episode. I'm from the Czech Republic (next to Germany) and we use most of the words too. 😆 „Mailovat" - sending an email, toast, wellness, home office. And Germans use them even more! I recognized that people in Germany actually swear in English.

[@leDespicable]

We actually have an ironic version of "fuck". We drag out the u and make it sound like "fuuuuuk".

[@JoducusKwak]

the reason is that swear words from english movies and tv shows are often untranslated in german dubs.

[@lotharschepers2240]

What, we swear in English? Bullshit ;-)) or more recently "shut up Boris".

[@rodjones117]

The English are not better at manufacturing or football, but we are much better at swearing.

[@c.norbertneumann4986]

We also say "shit". This is similar to North German "Schiet" (meaning the same).

[@AB034TX]

English "graduate" from a school. Indians "pass out" of a school.

[@AB034TX]

@Zeug Dings usually we write that sentence not not much used in speaking.

[@HagenvonEitzen]

@Donnie Darko Sorry to ask, but what *is* meant by good name? To me that somehow sounds like Toby being the "good" name of Kunta Kinte (in the novel/movie Roots)

[@bigbrowntau]

Commonwealth militaries still have a "passing out parade" at the end of each recruit course.

[@ranjanbiswas3233]

@@HagenvonEitzen Good name means common name First name means Given name As a neighbor of India, we don't use the term Good name either. But we know their less educated people use this term.

[@valentinventures]

@@ranjanbiswas3233 what is a common name?

[@reneevanamburgh1665]

My favorite is their use of "Old Timer"

[@SpandauJerry]

*Oldtimer, as we can merge nouns easily... we do ☺

[@SkateSka]

​@@SpandauJerry I understand what you mean, but I suppose I should tell you - old is an adjective.

[@SpandauJerry]

@@SkateSka That's right for English, however with "Oldtimer" we speak of a very own German creation following German rules 😁

[@SkateSka]

@@SpandauJerry I get that part of german, but in oldtimer you didn't merge two nouns to make a noun. You merge an adjective and a noun. Two nouns would be breadsticks for example.

[@SpandauJerry]

@@SkateSka again, you only argue from an English perspective Accept or leave it. It's put as another generation has built it. And it works fine with German grammar until up to day. Period 🙋

[@CieplinskiPawel]

Dear Rachel, I love that I learn from your videos more about the Brits then the Gerries (aka Jerries:) Mobbing is legal term for herrasment, especially at work place. Because toast bread outside of UK is different than regular one it's common to call it just toasts. Yes, even before toasting it. And last but not least, the e-mail. That's the correct word for electronic mail, but since in any other languages Die Post doesn't include the word "mail" it's just common to use it without "e" when you do mean digital one. In all 4 Slavic languages I know we use the word "mail" when we think of e-mail, we have our own words for traditional mail.

[@lauras4486]

A "Bialetti" from Italian, I've heard plenty of people in Germany use that word to name the coffee maker thing: we Italians call it "moka", Bialetti is the person who invented it and one of the brands that produces the coffee machines, but it's not the only one!

[@szabados1980]

My German co-workers often told me they had a date with somebody. In fact they went to meet them in person.

[@panthersprung5161]

Great videos with an absolutely amazing host.

[@petereggers7603]

Calling a photo shoot a shooting in german, may be used because "shoot" sounds like "(Der) Schut", which is a novel by german author Karl May. And: the verbism "shooting" refers more to the action taking place at a photo session. 😉 To "verbize" english words and make them nouns again is very common in french: - le cleaning = chemical laundry (shop) - le pressing = ironing service - le brushing = blow dryer - le footing = running (sport) - le jogging = track suit - le parking = parking lot

[@prateekkumar3233]

I am not even German, but watch this cause the way she explains.

[@dweuromaxx]

Thank you Prateek for staying tuned to #MeetTheGermans

[@SkateSka]

Well... the Germans have already met the Germans, for obvious reasons. This show is for the rest of us.

[@soulscanner66]

@@SkateSka People are always looking to see what other people are saying about them.

[@TheFuriousBrother]

@@SkateSka I bet that at least 65% of viewers are Germans!

[@SkateSka]

@@TheFuriousBrother I understand believe me. 99 percent of views on English language videos about Bulgaria are from Bulgarians. What I'm saying is the intended audience is (probably) non German, the fact Germans watch is kinda like googling your own name you know, just a human thing.

[@harshkulshrestha9440]

Even in India, we use the word mail for e-mail. Same goes for shooting.

[@maximegoy5429]

Same in France !

[@marvinmazeltongue2018]

@@maximegoy5429 No one, exept english Speaker had to make a difference between mail and email. Cause for mail you have another word, therefor you have you word to send a letter, an the shorter mail for digital mail. You don't need the e to make a differnce.

[@mohammednajeebuddin6495]

Great and concise presentation.

[@commando30]

Spaniards also use "mobbing" in that sense, but more like bullying in your job position when they want you to quit. Fun fact: they all pronounce it wrong, they say it like "moving", with an |u|.

[@MazerMP]

As a german using "Mail" is perfectly sensible. Whilst in english e-mail is an abbreviation of "electronic mail" in german "Mail" is just a further abbreviation. Everyone knows what in means because actual "Mail" is called "Brief" or "Post" hence there's no possible confusion.

[@alternatives3379]

In Greek we say "katse" for "sit down" and it sounds exactly like "katze" which in German means cat And let's not forget that "ne" means yes in greek and no in German

[@sushifornico]

Hahahah! now this is funny!!!

[@josip_is_badass7287]

But Germans say ,,Nein" to no

[@alternatives3379]

@@josip_is_badass7287 well it's just another way of saying no (just like how in english we can say "nah" )

[@schusterlehrling]

@@josip_is_badass7287 There is a dad-joke "Which is the favorite German number? 9 (" nine"/"nein")

[@mikelytou]

Proto-Germanic "bikwemaną" developed entirely different meanings in the English vs. the German language. English "to become": To turn into something else. German "bekommen": To get something. When they're talking to a waiter in English, some Germans might order a steak in a restaurant by saying "I become a Steak, please."

[@frankroters6394]

A so called "false friend".

[@alexverdigris9939]

In my village, the word "mail" is used only if a pigeon (or equivalent avian) is involved.

[@sirwolly]

Germans are using Drive-In instead of Drive-Through. At McDonalds for example. But in the states a drive in is a ozoner (Autokino).

[@IMFLordVader]

Thats why the big ones renamed it to McDrive or KingDrive

[@tombone6151]

there's also the other way round puzzling germans when using english words. A 'constructor' for example is afaik (I'm german) a person building a house whereas a 'Konstrukteur' is someone who designs technical products but a 'Designer' (when the word is used in German language) is someone making some artistic fuzz around a product. This "problem" tempts some German tech publishers to incorrectly(!) refer to 'Konstrukteure' as 'Designers' in their German publications. IMHO it's because they don't have a clue what design engineering is all about but google translator can easily transfer their sermon into foreign languages. And, well, yes, I am a mechanical engineer and form follows function ;D

[@Rebasepoiss]

The Bad Company song called "Shooting star" really does talk about someone that was shot to fame.

[@mikebaginy8731]

For years I'd heard my German colleagues ask for "the actual data". What they meant was "die aktuellen Daten". I couldn't get the point across that they request "the current files". Often, our US or British colleagues didn't understand the request coming from Germany.

[@flori5548]

We are Germans, we’re always a bit suspicious if our subsidiaries are giving us the ACTUAL DATA or just some fake stuff 🤨😂 Joke aside, Germans who speak decent English are the most dangerous...you get tricked into thinking they actually KNOW what they’re saying but then they let you down at the most crucial point - and ask for the actual data. But with decent pronunciation and correct grammar :-/

[@c.norbertneumann4986]

Germans speaking English still think in German. Therefore they literally translate German phrases into English. But I think native English speakers would make similar mistakes, too, if they had to speak German.

[@djlondon7956]

To be fair, actual DOES MEAN, up to date or current or happening right now.

[@wolfsommer1767]

You are implying Germans are not using English words correctly but - I imply that Germans are inventing a new meaning for English words - they are in this case German words and no longer English words.

[@Feuerteufel99]

1:20 an untoasted toast is a toast-bread Sure some people call it short toast but thats nor the right name

[@srs.shashank]

I have heard few of them using the phrase incorrectly "Would you care ...." instead of asking "Would you mind ....."

[@HagenvonEitzen]

We read "no smoking" signs as a dress code ;)

[@richardneal5054]

So with you on the toast issue: it's astonishing the number of ways they can mess with its usage: they also use it countably (a toast?!) and what especially grates is my German partner's refusal to call a piece of wholesome bread cut from one of their wonder loaves and that has been nicely browned in the toaster "toast". Apparently that can only ever be "a toasted bread", not "toast".

[@josefinekranz9861]

The best word is Roundabout For Germans it means in Conclusion For English speaking People it means a circle formed street with lots of sheets away from it (Kreisverkehr or Kreisel)

[@brunol.6990]

A bit of grammar here.. they say a lot things like this: „If I would have a car, I would reach there faster.“ when mostly they want to say: “If I had a car, I would reach there faster.”

[@cz2301]

There comes Rachel again toasting the Germans - or i’d say “ roasting”? Lol

[@ebianvas8393]

In Dutch A lake is a “meer” and a sea “zee” In German A lake is a “see” and a sea “meer”

[@yurifoxx3983]

...exception: Nordsee & Ostsee

[@marc21091]

And 'mere' is a word in English for a lake - as in Buttermere in the Lake District, or Tatton Mere in Cheshire.

[@SasaJott]

Sometimes some German people say “die See” for “das Meer”. Most in a poetic way like “Die See ist unruhig”.

[@dantedante839]

In Spanish the word for "sea" is "mar", the same for French (mer) or Italian (mare). I am learning Dutch (but I can also speak German) and it's been a problem for me to get used to it. Germanic languages have some problems when it comes to water.

[@c.norbertneumann4986]

In coastal regions of Germany, "See" is used with the meaning of sea. There are a couple of words in German in which "See" conserved the meaning of sea, e.g. Seemann (seaman), Seefahrt (seafaring), auf hoher See (on the high seas), seetauglich (seaworthy) or Seerecht (maritime law).

[@tombartram7384]

It's a general thing on the continent that they say "people" when talking about celebs and "news" for celebrity gossip. In other words, English is used to describe silly trivial things. Their own words are reserved for grown-up stuff.

[@JoEpunkt]

Germans tend to use english words when they want to be "cool" or "trendy". In the 19th century, Germans used french words for these kind of things (or when they wanted to be "en vogue") , but english becomes cooler and replaces french more and more. Our "own words" are reserved for "bureaucratic" stuff/ Authority/ Taxes and so on.

[@tombartram7384]

@@JoEpunkt and some British people use silly American words to sound "cool" like candystore.

[@patrickwalsh2884]

I learned my very limited German while stationed at Fliegerhorst Memmingen, Bavaria, West Germany (at the time). Gasthaus Deutsch was what worked for me. Fortunately, my Bavarian beauty of a wife was my translator .

[@chrisschultz8598]

Except for calling untoasted bread "toast," I don't see anything shocking about these German adaptations from English. In the US, I've heard friends talking about "checking their mail" when they're scanning their emails, and the use of "shooting" merely moves the word from an English verb to a German noun, and Germans love nouns. However, in the US, you have to be careful with the word "shooting," since that can also refer to the US sport of firing live ammunition at your neighbors.

[@dweuromaxx]

A little bit dark about the shooting verb in the US, but fair point...

[@martinstent5339]

Now, I’m not 100% sure, but I think that in English, mobbing is harassment by a group, and bullying is harassment by an individual, whereas in German bullying is unknown, and mobbing is almost always a group activity, seldom an individual (hence "mob...").

[@labemolmineur]

"Eventuell" used to completely confuse me. In English it means, "in the end". In German it means "maybe".

[@Maverik1001]

Yeah right. "Eventuell" do not come from the english word "eventual". It´s based on the french word "éventuel" and latin word "eventus" wich means "Output; Coincidence, event". Have a nice day!

[@yetzt]

doesn't mean maybe exactly, a better match would be possibly. eventuell is used when the outcome of something depends precondditions. for example, when you do something if there is time to do so.

[@Rebecca-vg2ef]

eventually confused me a lot when learning English

[@yetzt]

@@Rebecca-vg2ef you will figure it out eventually

[@probablygraham]

I was confused by the German word "sensibel", thinking that it meant "sensible". It in fact means "sensitive".

[@LUC4POISON]

Not english but italian: The word QUASI. The german are using this word to express "basically" or "sort of"...the italian original expression means "almost" and/or "principally".

[@Chiamarx]

As an Italian born in Germany this clears up a lot of confusion I had going to university in Germany. I always thought Germans just meant the same.

[@darkforcekiller]

Ehhh, i dont get it. "Basically", "sort of", "almost" and "principally" do literally share the same meaning. In german, a "Quasi-Monopol" is something that could almost resemble a monopol.

[@tubekulose]

I was waiting for "Smoking" versus "dinner jacket / tuxedo". :-)

[@dweuromaxx]

YES - that's a good one! ;-)

[@Iunanec]

In Spanish-speaking Ecuador, we also call tuxedos "Smokings".

[@JoducusKwak]

maybe we call tuxedos that way because we germans look smoking hot in a tuxedo ... on the other hand if i really think about it we dont

[@NeoHellPoet]

A Smoking jacket is actually a thing that's very similar to a tux. Its an actual English word used about as correctly as people use tuxedo.

[@GaladorLP]

or black tie. as it wouldbe called in most invitations

[@biancaspindler7699]

For me as an American, it’s calling all kinds of corn chips, nachos. Nachos are only nachos if the TORTILLA CHIPS (or corn chips) are baked with cheese and other toppings. Nachos is a meal made up of tortilla chips which are the ingredient.

[@Droucko]

Toast untaosted is also often referred to as Weißbrot ("white bread"), especially if one needs to differentiate, because it's e.g. not given by the context.

[@benbisogno5578]

Anglicisms are very common in Japanese but often times these words take on slightly different meanings. For example "ethnic" food (エスニック), from the way I have heard it used, specifically means foods of East and South Asia.

[@anika4692]

Ahaha, those words are "incorrectly" used not only in Germany, apparently. In Georgia we also use "shooting" to describe a photo session. I can't even remember how many times I used this word in emails with a client or employees. "We have a shooting tomorrow." From English perspective this sound insane and now I understand why ))

[@danidejaneiro8378]

When Brazilians say _notebook,_ they mean *laptop.* When they say _pen drive,_ they mean *USB stick.* In other news, I fucking love your content. Thanks 😊

[@betterstayout0]

Same in spanish

[@Rebecca-vg2ef]

we also sometimes call laptops notebooks in German (but not exclusively, Laptop is also used)

[@danidejaneiro8378]

@@Rebecca-vg2ef - yes, I heard a Russian say notebook today too. But I think most English speakers would imagine a small book for taking notes....

[@mailhunter]

"Toastbrot" ist kein Brot... ;-)

[@ANeu8913]

When you mentioned shooting, another word popped up in my mind: Many Germans love to talk about "postings" on social media. As a translator, I say post.

[@davidward6908]

I live in the United States and I have noticed my friends will sometimes address an email with Lieber/Dear and sometimes in the United States we may use to dear. German's will use Lieber to express fondness and in the United States we may use dear in a more formal way.

[@axelvetter]

Germans call a show host on TV a "showmaster". And a small rucksack is a "bodybag" in German which in its true meaning contains a corpse. A baseball cap is a "basecap" in German.

[@MrDraacon]

There is no true meaning. The german language just added the words but with a different meaning

[@underwaterlaser1687]

These are loan words incorporated into the language not words used incorrectly. You would not say “sky” is used incorrectly because it’s an Old Norse term meaning cloud cover or something like that. Languages are fluid.

[@IvarDaigon]

Mail and email are used pretty much interchangeably these days to refer to email. If someone is looking at something interesting on the internet then I might say "can you mail me the link" and from context it should be pretty obvious how I want it sent. One thing that really irks me is when people say "Inbox me" when referring to text messages, instant messages etc.. I hate it with a passion because not only does it make absolutely no sense (because text message and private messages do not have inboxes) but it makes absolutely no grammatical sense. It''s as uncouth as Homer Simpson saying "beer me!" and yet people say it all the time...

[@AgmenCrucis]

Vor ein, zwei Jahren ist es plötzlich für viele Leute normal geworden, für alle möglichen Situationen das Wort "safe" zu benutzen... "Ist das mit dem Termin morgen safe?" Oder auch "Ich bin morgen safe um fünf da." 🥴

[@alparslanesmer4251]

There is also the flip side of the coin. Why would the word "groß - gross" rightfully mean "big" in German and "unacceptable" in English? I sometimes have a hunch that it even means "disgusting" in American English.

[@hornkraft9438]

Yes, in American English but we also know that a gross is an English measurement -- 12 dozen, I believe.

[@jenniferpearce1052]

Gross is used most often to mean disgusting in the US. It would only mean unacceptable if the item described was unacceptable due to being disgusting.

[@hornkraft9438]

The connection between large and gross may be in the number 144. Twelve dozen is a large amount in both countries.

[@kairyss4285]

Disgusting is a stronger word than gross. It's like, gross is gross but disgusting is _really_ gross.

[@jeromej7835]

The traditional definition of gross is rough or unrefined and the term evolved from the German word grob which might be best translate as coars. I believe the similarly to Groß is mere coincidence.

[@aksiiska9470]

einen toast habe ich als "toast ausbringen" gelesen, also eher ein trinkspruch 1:30 da gab es ein lied auf afneurope "Don't you know you are a shooting star" probe deutsch=rehearsal suck=saugen

[@khaouladjouabi7270]

Recherchen means serfing on the net .it is taken from french verb "rechercher " wich means to search

[@ominusomega7803]

In Indonesian, "Air" means water (though it is pronounced differently)

[@dweuromaxx]

@ ominus omega Rayman That's interesting!

[@finnH_nf]

"Streetworker" in german means "social "worker"

[@theonlyonejojo]

One example comes into my mind, where English uses a German word in a kinda weird way: stein. In English it refers to a beer mug made out of stoneware, which in German would be "Humpen", "Krug", or "Seidel". In German Stein just means stone. :D

[@rodjones117]

The German word is "Steinkrug", of which the English is an abbreviation. The words "Seidel", "Seidla" or "Seidl" are used in Bavaria and Austria, and a Seidel is not neccessarily made of stoneware - "Humpen" is Hochdeutsch, but again is not neccessarily made of stoneware.

[@lotharschepers2240]

Yes, Rachel, we need to clear the toast point up, maybe it is only toast if it is toasted but before that, it is in fact not more than putty. You could easily keep the wind out by using it to tamping the wholes of the British sliding windows with it.

[@ArjunSahni]

Kontrolling I often ponder about origin of this word in German especially because there is no -ing form in German. In English its called Management Accounting, if i am not wrong.

[@dweuromaxx]

@Arjun Sahni 👍 "Controlling" actually comes from the so called portmanteau word comptrolling - a word of French origin (compter: to count). It is synonymous to Management accounting or Management control.

[@ArjunSahni]

Thanks a lot for your wonderful insight!

[@MrDraacon]

The english words are just used wrong if they were used in the english meaning. But as they are used in a different meaning they're not used wrong

[@paulchurchill3756]

My daughter's dance club seem to think "Flash Mob" means "group dance". Rachel, please do an episode on products named in English such as "Lady Garden" work gloves and "Happy End" toilet paper!....more seriously I'd be interested to know if using English in product names and slogans somehow circumvents DE trade description legislation, "green" is used here very often and suggests "umweltfreundlich" for products that clearly aren't.

[@bahrfilm7610]

In Germany you talk about a “Julklapp” when a group is exchanging presents without knowing from whom it comes. But the word Julklapp is Swedish and just means present.

[@kaMosGO]

Never heard of that one, very interesting! We only use "wichteln", which does mean the same, but has a very different, entirely german origin ;)

[@lotharschepers2240]

Okay my Swedish is not that good but as far as I know, "Julklapp" is the word for "Christmas gift" and now that I have asked Google I'm pretty sure that this is correct.

[@simonsryd1]

Lothar Schepers you're right, julklapp is Christmas gift. Was heisst es auf deutsch? Weinachts...? Ich will nicht Google fragen 🙂

[@bahrfilm7610]

That’s right, I meant a present for Christmas (which means Weihnachtsgeschenk in German). But we use it for this special way for exchanging present without knowing from whom it comes but we don’t call the present like that.

[@HagenvonEitzen]

@@bahrfilm7610 (in English, Julklapp (in the German sense, i.e., "wichteln") is called Secret Santa, I think)

[@anthonychang2728]

email vs. mail oh my lord i go through this at least once a week and it never fails to throw me off

[@madhurabakde5571]

Well there's Chaitea 😅 chai means tea (usually with milk in India)... So technically you should only ask for tea(and specify with/without milk for clarity) or just chai... When you say chaitea it sounds teatea to us...😂😅

[@lecirconflex]

A Rucksack with only one diagnoal strap is commonly referred to as a "body bag"

[@froulis94035]

The use of "or" at the end of the sentence by Germans speaking in English is also a good one. This a translation of German "oder", being used at the end of a German sentence as a confirmation request (same as "isn't it?" in English).

[@rockyblacksmith]

Same goes for starting a sentence with "Yes", where a native English speaker would start them with "Well".

[@srilankarelaxation5889]

1:03 we call this “ungetoasteter toast”

[@talgattursynbekov9677]

Love ur videos!

[@dweuromaxx]

Thank you

[@lindsaywebb1904]

Isn't Shooting Star also used in that context? Well pretty sure it is on Australia

[@dingus_doofus]

We call toast toast because it's only good for toasting. So it's bread for toasting -> "toast bread" -> "toast". We only reserve our trademark long agglutinised descriptory terms like "Vollkorn-Kastenweißbrot" for technical use or subjects worthy of such cumbersome heave!

[@johncronin3432]

Right, I explained to a german lady friend that one could toast any bread. She tried it with the Flemish made 'cramique'/raisin bread n found it quite good!

[@Rebecca-vg2ef]

you can toast any bread and make it toasted bread. But Toast (short for Toastbrot) is a different thing that doesn't qualify as bread. Same applies to the weird concoctions Dutch people try to call bread

[@thorstenstoffel3959]

My classic one is „to realize“ vs. „realisieren“. Germans tend to allocate the German word with an English meaning.

[@Lindalindali]

Unfortunately, I've been hearing younger Germans use "realisieren" with the meaning of "to realize"

[@bigbrowntau]

In Japanese an "arbeito" /"arubaito" is a part-time job. But many Japanese think this is a word borrowed from English, not German.

[@ranjanbiswas3233]

Well they call the Germany, Doetsu(Deutsche) 😄

[@Pascotam]

Gift!!!!

[@noortjelief1987]

false friend not `denglish´

[@lotharschepers2240]

@@noortjelief1987 I gave you a thumbs up but can not resist: "Erbsenzähler".

[@noortjelief1987]

:D

[@pablomoncion3637]

In English, "so" is a comjuction. In Spain, "so" means so much

[@kimflycht2258]

I have one for You!! Windrad!!! That's windmill in most other countries!!! There is no "rad" (wheel) anywhere on a windmill!!!!!

[@martinbrenmann4639]

"Take away" and "to go".

[@HagenvonEitzen]

and in particular "to go, jetzt auch zum Mitnehmen"

[@martinbrenmann4639]

@@HagenvonEitzen Ja, nur in Deutschland.

[@martinbrenmann4639]

Ein Amerikaner hatte mich einmal auch gefragt, was dieses "to go" bedeuten würde. Er meinte, er kenne dies gar nicht.

[@OrangStefan]

isn't it take-out in English?

[@martinbrenmann4639]

@@OrangStefan Nein, take-away.

[@boahkeinbockmehr]

A backpack that is worn just with one shoulder is called a "body bag" in German, so don't be surprised if one of us asks you wether you have seen a body bag laying around. they haven't lost aunty Brechthild, they are just looking for their backpack

[@dweuromaxx]

@boahkeinbockmehr 😂 You should become a bag designer and name your logo "Aunty Brechthild". 😉

[@magziu]

in Polish we call workspace bullying 'mobbing' as well!

[@kawaiidoddly]

I can't belive that "body" isn't mentioned XD

[@lotharschepers2240]

Sorry, how do we use "body" in Germany?

[@johannesk4884]

@@lotharschepers2240 vielleicht meint er Leibchen.

[@lotharschepers2240]

@@johannesk4884 Ja dann würde es einen Sinn ergeben aber im Bereich Klamotten gäbe es mit dem Slip ein viel näher liegendes Wort.

[@missscapegrace6675]

@@lotharschepers2240 We us body for what in english is called body suit.

[@lotharschepers2240]

@@missscapegrace6675 Now I got it thanks for your helping hand.

[@MiKenning]

My pet-peeve: The German use of ‘recycling’ + noun to refer to products made from recycled materials, like ‘Recycling-Klopapier’. NO. Recycling is the act or the things to be recycled. I have recycling bags at home for my recycling. When it's taken to the factory, where it is reprocessed and *then* recycled, the stuff is no longer recycling; it has been recycled. When I make toilet paper out of recycled toilet paper, I have recycled toilet paper. An English-speaker would be forgiven for thinking that LIDL sells toilet paper purely for the purpose for recycling, not wiping.