German For Dummies, (with CD)

John Wiley & Sons

Chapter One

In This Chapter

* Recognizing the German you already know

* Spotting words that aren't what they seem

* Using German idioms

The best way to learn a new language is to jump right in — no pussyfooting around. In this chapter, you get a head start in German by seeing some of the language you're already familiar with. You also find out some popular German expressions, and you get the hang of why you need to be careful with what are called "false friends," that is, words that seem to be the same in both languages but actually have different meanings.

The German You Know

Because both German and English belong to the group of Germanic languages, quite a few words are either identical or similar in both languages. Words that share a common source are called cognates. Another group of words common to German and English stem from Latin-based words that English speakers are familiar with. Many of these have direct equivalents in German, for example, nouns that end in "-tion."

Friendly allies (perfect cognates)

The following words are spelled the same way and have the same meaning in German and in English. The only differences are the pronunciation, as shown in parentheses, as well as the fact that in German, nouns are always capitalized. In addition, German nouns have one of three genders, as seen on this list by the words der (masculine), die (feminine), and das (neuter) in front of each noun. See Chapter 2 for details on what gender is all about and go to Chapter 3 for information on the pronunciation key for each word presented in this book. In a few instances, the German and English pronunciation for the word is the same, so you'll see the English word in the pronunciation (followed by the notation "as in English.")

Kissing cousins (near cognates)

Many words, like the ones shown in Table 1-1, are spelled almost the same in German as in English and have the same meaning. Table 1-1 also shows you something about German spelling conventions, which include:

•   The English c is a k in most German words.
  •   The ou in English words like house or mouse is often equivalent to au in German words.
    •   Many English adjectives ending in -ic or -ical have an -isch ending in German.
      •   Some English adjectives ending in -y are spelled with -ig in German.
        •   Some English nouns ending in -y have an -ie ending in German.

          False friends

          As does every language, German contains some false friends — those words that look very similar to English but have a completely different meaning. As you read the following list, you can see why you should treat any new German word with kid gloves, especially if it looks like an English word, until, that is, you find out for sure what it means in English.

          •   After (ahf-ter): If you want to avoid embarrassment, remember the meaning of this word. Its German meaning is anus and not after. The German word for after is nach (nahH) or nachdem (nahH-deym).
            •   aktuell (âk-tooh-êl): This word means up-to-date and current, not actual. The German translation for actual is tatsächlich (tât-sêH-liH).
              •   also (âl-zoh): This one means so, therefore, or thus; not also. The German word for also is auch (ouH).
                •   bald (bâlt): This word means soon and is not a description for someone with little or no hair. The German word for bald is kahl (kahl) or glatzköpfig (glâts-kerpf-iH).
                  •   bekommen (be-kom-en): This verb is an important one to remember. It means to get and not to become. The German word for to become is werden (vêr-den).
                    •   Boot (boht): This is a boat and not a boot, which is Stiefel (shteef- el) in German. A sailboat is called a Segelboot (zey-gêl-boht).
                      •   brav (brahf): This word means well-behaved and not brave. The German word for brave is tapfer (tâp-fer).
                        •   Brief (breef): This is a noun and means letter, not brief. The German translation for the English adjective brief is kurz (koorts), and, for the English noun, Auftrag (ouf-trahk) or Unterlagen (oon-ter-lah-gen).
                          •   Chef (shêf): This is the German word for a person you take orders from, your boss or supervisor, not someone who's in charge of the cooking. The German word for chef is Kchenchef (kueH-ên-shêf) or Chefkoch (shêf-koH). Otherwise, a plain cook is called a Koch (koH) in German.
                            •   eventuell (ey-vên-tooh-êl): This one means possible or possibly, not eventual or eventually, both of which would be schließlich (shlees-liH) in German.
                              •   fast (fâst): This is an adjective that means almost — not the speeds at which Formula One drivers race. The German word for fast is schnell (shnêl) or rasch (râsh).
                                •   genial (g-nee-ahl): This adjective describes an idea or person of genius and has nothing to do with genial. The German word for genial is heiter (hay-ter).
                                  •   Gift (gift [as in English]): The German meaning is poison, so when you're giving your German-speaking host a present, you should say you have a Geschenk (gê-shênk), that is, unless you really are giving something like weed killer or a green mamba.
                                    •   Kind (kint): This is the German word for child. It has nothing to do with the English kind, which is nett (nêt) or liebenswrdig (lee-bens-vuerd-iH) in German.
                                      •   Komfort (kom-fohr): This word means amenity, for example, the amenities you expect in a five-star hotel, not comfort. The German verb meaning to comfort [someone] is trösten (trers-ten).
                                        •   kurios (koohr-ee-ohs): This word means strange, not curious. The German word for curious is neugierig (noy-geer-iH).
                                          •   Mist (mist [as in English]): Be careful not to misuse this word that actually means manure in German! It doesn't describe heavy moisture resembling a fine rain, which is called Nebel (ney-bel) or Dunst (doonst).
                                            •   Most (most): This is the German word for unfermented fruit juice, and in southern German-speaking regions, a young fruit wine. The German word for the English most is das meiste (dâs mays-te); for example, die meisten Leute (die mays-ten loy-te) (most people).
                                              •   ordinër (or-di-nair): This word means vulgar rather than ordinary. The German word for ordinary is normal (nor-mahl) or gewhnlich (ge-vern-liH).
                                                •   pathetisch (pä-tey-tish): This one means overly emotional, not pathetic, which, in German, is jmmerlich (ym-er-liH) or armselig (rm-zey-liH).
                                                  •   plump (ploomp): The German meaning is clumsy or tactless, not roundish, which in German is rundlich (roont-liH).
                                                    •   Präservativ (prë-zër-vah-teef): Another embarrassing moment can be avoided when you know that this word means condom in German. The German equivalent of preservative is Konservierungsmittel (kon-sër-yeer-oongs-mit-el).
                                                      •   Provision (proh-vi-zee-ohn): The meaning of this word is commission, not provision. The German word for provision is Vorsorge (fohr-zor-ge) or Versorgung (fêr-zohrg-oong).
                                                        •   See (zey): This word means lake or sea. In German, the verb to see is sehen (zey-en).
                                                          •   sensibel (zen-zee-bel): The meaning of this word is sensitive rather than sensible, which translates as vernünftig (fër-nuenf-tiH).
                                                            •   sympathisch (zerm-pah-tish): This word means likeable or congenial,, not sympathetic. The German word for sympathetic is mitfühlend (mit-fuel-ent).

                                                              Lenders and borrowers

                                                              A few German words have been adopted by the English language and have retained their meaning, such as Kindergarten (kin-der-gär-ten), Angst (änkst), kaputt (kä-poot), Ersatz (ër-zats), Sauerkraut (zou-er-krout), Zeitgeist (tsayt-gayst), and Wanderlust (vän-der-loost).

                                                              However, the number of these German words is minimal compared to the English words that have made their way into the German language. At times, the combination of English and German makes for somewhat curious linguistic oddities. For example, you may hear das ist total in/out (ds ist toh-tahl in/ out [as in English]) (that's totally in/out) or Sie knnen den File downloaden (zee kern-en deyn file [as in English] doun-lohd-en) (You can download the file).

                                                              The following is a list of German words that have been borrowed from the English language. Note that they all retain their English pronunciations, with a slight exception: The borrowed verbs are "germanified," which simply means they combine the English verb, such as kill or jog, with -en, the German suffix that creates the infinitive form (to kill and to jog). Go to Chapter 2 for more on German infinitives:

                                                              •   der Boss
                                                                •   das Business
                                                                  •   das Catering
                                                                    •   die City (German meaning: downtown)
                                                                      •   der Computer
                                                                        •   cool
                                                                          •   das Design
                                                                            •   das Event
                                                                              •   Fashion (used without article)
                                                                                •   das Fast Food
                                                                                  •   das Feeling
                                                                                    •   flirten (to flirt)
                                                                                      •   der Headhunter
                                                                                        •   Hi
                                                                                          •   hip
                                                                                            •   der Hit
                                                                                              •   das Hotel
                                                                                                •   das Internet
                                                                                                  •   das Interview
                                                                                                    •   der Jetlag
                                                                                                      •   der Job
                                                                                                        •   joggen (to jog)
                                                                                                          •   killen (to kill)
                                                                                                            •   managen (to manage)
                                                                                                              •   der Manager
                                                                                                                •   das Marketing
                                                                                                                  •   das Meeting
                                                                                                                    •   Okay
                                                                                                                      •   online
                                                                                                                        •   outsourcen (to outsource)
                                                                                                                          •   die Party
                                                                                                                            •   pink
                                                                                                                              •   das Shopping
                                                                                                                                •   die Shorts
                                                                                                                                  •   die Show/Talkshow
                                                                                                                                    •   das Steak
                                                                                                                                      •   surfen (to surf waves or the Internet)
                                                                                                                                        •   das Team
                                                                                                                                          •   der Thriller
                                                                                                                                            •   der Tourist
                                                                                                                                              •   das T-Shirt
                                                                                                                                                •   der Workshop
                                                                                                                                                  •   Wow

                                                                                                                                                    Finally, a few English terms have different meanings in the German language. For example, the word Evergreen refers to a golden oldie, Handy means a cellphone, Mobbing means bullying or harassing, Oldtimer refers to a vintage car, and Wellness-Center means spa.

                                                                                                                                                    Talkin' the Talk

                                                                                                                                                    Read the following conversation with a grain of salt — and a smile. It gives you an idea of how many words have slid into German. However, you're not likely to overhear this many examples of mixed language in a single conversation. In this scenario, two friends, Claudia and Jana, meet on the street. Notice how some terms have a slightly different meaning in German.

                                                                                                                                                    Claudia: Hi Jana, wie geht's? Wie ist der neue Job? Hi [as in English] yâ-nâ, vee geyts? vee ist dêr noy-e job [as in English]? Hi Jana, how are you? How's the new job?

                                                                                                                                                    Jana: Super! Heute war meine erste Presentation vor meinem big Boss, und er war total cool. super [as in English]! hoy-te vahr mayn-e êrs-te prezen-tât-see-ohn fohr mayn-êm big boss [as in English], oont êr vahr toh-tahl cool [as in English]. Super! Today was my first presentation in front of my big boss, and he was totally cool.

                                                                                                                                                    Claudia: Wow! In meinem Office gibt es nur Stress. Mein Boss kann nichts managen. Mein Kollege checkt nichts, und denkt, er ist ein Sonnyboy, und alle anderen spinnen. wow [as in English]! in mayn-êm office [as in English] gipt ês noohr shtrs. mayn boss kân niHts mân-â-gen [g as in English]. mayn kol-ey-ge checkt niHts oont dênkt êr ist ayn sonny boy [as in English], oont âl-e ân-der-en spin-en.

                                                                                                                                                    Wow! In my office there's nothing but stress. My boss can't manage anything. My colleague isn't "with it," and thinks he's a hot shot , and all the others are crazy.

                                                                                                                                                    Jana: Ich gehe shoppen. Kommst du mit? iH gey-e shop-en. Komst dooh mit? I'm going shopping. Do you want to come along?

                                                                                                                                                    Claudia: Nein, danke. Gestern war ich in einem Outlet und habe ein T-Shirt in pink und eine Jeans im BoyfriendLook gekauft. Ich gehe jetzt joggen. Bye-bye! nayn, dân-ke. gês-têrn vahr iH in ayn-em outlet [as in English] oont hah-be ayn T-shirt [as in English] in pink [as in English] oont ayn-e jeans [as in English] im boyfriend-look [as in English] ge-kouft. iH gey-e yêtst jog-en [jog as in English]. bye-bye [as in English]! No, thanks. Yesterday I went to an outlet and bought a pink T-shirt and a pair of jeans in boyfriend look. I'm going jogging now. Bye!

                                                                                                                                                    Jana: Schade. Bye-bye! shah-de. bye-bye! Too bad. Bye!

                                                                                                                                                    Using Popular Expressions

                                                                                                                                                    Just like the English language, German has many idioms, which are expressions typical of a language and culture. If you translate these idioms word for word, they may sound obscure, silly, or just plain meaningless, so you definitely need to find out what they really mean in order to use them appropriately.

                                                                                                                                                    Some expressions may have an English equivalent that's recognizable, so it's easier to get the hang of using them. For example, the German idiom ein Fisch auf dem Trockenen (ayn fish ouf deym trok-ên-en) literally translates into a fish on the dry, which somewhat resembles the English a fish out of water. On the other hand, if you were to take apart the German expression Da liegt der Hund begraben (da leekt dêr hoont be-grah-ben) word for word, you'd probably feel sorry for the poor dog, because in essence, it means something like That's where the dog is buried. However, the English equivalent is That's the heart of the matter.

                                                                                                                                                    A few other typical German idioms are

                                                                                                                                                    Die Daumen drcken. (dee doum-en druek-en.) (Press the thumbs). The English meaning is Keep your fingers crossed.

                                                                                                                                                    Wo sich Fuchs und Hase gute Nacht sagen (voh ziH fooks oont hah-ze gooh-te nHt zah-gen) (where fox and hare say good night to one another), which means in the middle of nowhere, or in the sticks.

                                                                                                                                                    Ich bin fix und fertig. (iH bin fix oont fêr-tiH.) (I'm quick and ready.) This means I'm wiped out, or I'm exhausted.

                                                                                                                                                    Du nimmst mich auf den Arm! (dooh nimst miH ouf deyn rm!) (You're taking me on your arm!), meaning You're pulling my leg!

                                                                                                                                                    Das ist ein Katzensprung. (dâs ist ayn kâts-en-shproong.) (That's a cat's jump.) The English meaning is It's a stone's throw away.

                                                                                                                                                    Schlafen wie ein Murmeltier (shlâf-en vee ayn moor-mel-teer) (sleep like a woodchuck [marmot]). In English, you say sleep like a log.

                                                                                                                                                    Apart from such idioms, many handy and frequently used German expressions are easy to learn. Here are some of them:

                                                                                                                                                    Prima!/Klasse!/Toll! (pree-mah!/klâs-e!/tôl!) (Great!)

                                                                                                                                                    Fertig. (fêrt-iH.) (Ready./Finished.) This can be either a question or a statement.

                                                                                                                                                    (Continues...)

                                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                    Excerpted from German For Dummies, (with CD)by Paulina Christensen Anne Fox Wendy Foster Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Excerpted by permission of John Wiley & Sons. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
                                                                                                                                                    Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.