A false friend is a word that looks like an English word but means something else — and the danger is not that you won't recognize it, but that you'll confidently use it the wrong way and be understood as saying something you never meant. This page is not a reference list of false friends; it is a catalogue of the actual wrong sentences English speakers produce, paired with the fix. The unifying lesson is brutal but freeing: the trap is in the meaning, never the spelling, so you cannot reason your way out of it. You have to overwrite the English instinct with the correct German one until it is automatic.
bekommen ≠ "become" (the most important false friend)
This one is worth more drilling than any other, because the confusion is bidirectional and meaning-reversing. German bekommen means "to receive / to get." It does not mean "to become." So if you reach for bekommen to say "become," you produce something absurd, and if you reach for werden (the real "become") to say "get/receive," you also go wrong. Both directions need fixing.
❌ Ich will Arzt bekommen.
Wrong — means roughly 'I want to receive a doctor.' To say 'become a doctor' use werden.
✅ Ich will Arzt werden.
I want to become a doctor.
❌ Ich bekomme müde.
Wrong — 'I'm getting tired' uses werden, not bekommen.
✅ Ich werde müde.
I'm getting tired.
Now the reverse direction — when you genuinely mean "receive," bekommen is exactly right, and reaching for an English-shaped word would be wrong:
✅ Ich bekomme ein Geschenk.
I'm getting / receiving a gift. (NOT 'I become a gift' — that would be the English speaker's nightmare reading)
✅ Wir werden Freunde.
We're becoming friends. (NOT 'Wir bekommen Freunde', which means 'we're getting friends' as if acquiring objects)
also ≠ "also"
German also means "so / therefore / well then" — it is a conclusion-drawing or turn-opening discourse word. The English "also" (= "in addition, too") is auch in German. Using also to mean "also" is one of the most common low-level errors, and it makes your German sound like a non-sequitur.
❌ Ich spreche Deutsch und also Französisch.
Wrong — 'also' here reads as 'therefore', not 'in addition'. Use auch.
✅ Ich spreche Deutsch und auch Französisch.
I speak German and also French.
✅ Es regnet, also bleiben wir zu Hause.
It's raining, so we're staying home. (this is the correct, 'therefore' use of also)
eventuell ≠ "eventually"
German eventuell means "possibly / perhaps," not "eventually / in the end." To say "eventually," use schließlich or am Ende. This one quietly distorts meaning: you say "possibly" while intending "finally."
❌ Eventuell hat er die Wahrheit gesagt.
Wrong if you meant 'eventually he told the truth' — this actually says 'possibly he told the truth'.
✅ Schließlich hat er die Wahrheit gesagt.
Eventually he told the truth.
✅ Eventuell komme ich später.
I might possibly come later. (the correct use of eventuell)
aktuell ≠ "actually"
German aktuell means "current / up to date / topical." For "actually" (in fact, in reality) you want eigentlich or tatsächlich.
❌ Es war sehr aktuell ein Missverständnis.
Wrong — 'aktuell' means 'current', not 'actually'. Use eigentlich/tatsächlich.
✅ Es war eigentlich ein Missverständnis.
It was actually a misunderstanding.
✅ Das ist ein sehr aktuelles Thema.
That's a very current / topical subject. (correct use of aktuell)
will ≠ "will" (future)
German will is the conjugated form of wollen, "to want" — not the English future auxiliary "will." English speakers read Er will gehen as "he will go," when it actually means "he wants to go." The German future uses werden: Er wird gehen.
❌ Ich will morgen nach Berlin fahren.
Mistranslation risk — this means 'I want to drive to Berlin tomorrow', NOT 'I will drive'.
✅ Ich werde morgen nach Berlin fahren.
I will drive to Berlin tomorrow. (genuine future)
✅ Ich will morgen nach Berlin fahren.
I want to drive to Berlin tomorrow. (correct — if intention is what you mean)
A few more meaning-reversing traps
Several false friends carry meanings that range from harmless to actively dangerous if confused. The classic is Gift: it does not mean "gift," it means poison. A present is a Geschenk.
❌ Das ist ein Gift für dich.
Wrong and alarming — this says 'That's a poison for you.' A present is ein Geschenk.
✅ Das ist ein Geschenk für dich.
That's a gift for you.
Sensibel means "sensitive," not "sensible." For "sensible" (reasonable, level-headed), use vernünftig:
❌ Sei sensibel und nimm einen Regenschirm mit.
Wrong — this asks someone to be 'sensitive'. To say 'be sensible' use vernünftig.
✅ Sei vernünftig und nimm einen Regenschirm mit.
Be sensible and take an umbrella.
And spenden means "to donate," not "to spend." For spending money, use ausgeben:
❌ Ich habe zu viel Geld gespendet.
Wrong if you meant 'spent' — this says 'I donated too much money.' Use ausgegeben.
✅ Ich habe zu viel Geld ausgegeben.
I spent too much money.
Quick-reference table
| German word | Looks like… | Actually means | For the English meaning, use… |
|---|---|---|---|
| bekommen | become | to receive / get | werden (become) |
| also | also | so / therefore | auch (also, too) |
| eventuell | eventually | possibly / perhaps | schließlich (eventually) |
| aktuell | actually | current / topical | eigentlich / tatsächlich |
| will (wollen) | will (future) | wants | werden (future) |
| Gift | gift | poison | Geschenk (gift) |
| sensibel | sensible | sensitive | vernünftig (sensible) |
| spenden | spend | to donate | ausgeben (to spend) |
Common Mistakes
❌ Wann bekommst du erwachsen?
Wrong — 'become an adult' is werden: 'Wann wirst du erwachsen?'
✅ Wann wirst du erwachsen?
When are you going to grow up / become an adult?
❌ Ich mag Kaffee und also Tee.
Wrong — 'also' is the conclusion word; for 'too' use auch.
✅ Ich mag Kaffee und auch Tee.
I like coffee and tea as well.
❌ Aktuell habe ich nicht daran gedacht.
Wrong if you meant 'actually I didn't think of it' — aktuell means 'currently'.
✅ Eigentlich habe ich nicht daran gedacht.
Actually, I didn't think of that.
Key Takeaways
- bekommen = receive, werden = become. This pair is bidirectional and meaning-reversing; drill it until it is reflexive.
- also = so/therefore; auch = also/too. Never use also for "in addition."
- eventuell = possibly (not eventually → schließlich); aktuell = current (not actually → eigentlich/tatsächlich).
- German will is "wants," not the future "will"; the future is werden
- infinitive.
- Watch the dangerous ones: Gift = poison (gift = Geschenk), sensibel = sensitive (sensible = vernünftig), spenden = donate (spend = ausgeben).
- The trap is always in the meaning, not the spelling — you cannot deduce these, only memorize them.
Now practice German
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Start learning German→Related Topics
- False Friends (Falsche Freunde)B1 — The highest-impact German-English false friends — words that look like English but mean something different — with the trap, the true meaning, and the word you actually wanted.
- wollen: Wanting and IntentionA2 — How to use wollen for desire and intention — and why German will means 'want', not the English future 'will'.
- Verbs of Becoming and Staying: werden, bleibenB1 — How werden 'to become' and bleiben 'to stay' work as copulas with a nominative complement, and how to keep werden's three jobs apart.
- wohl, schon, eigentlichB2 — Three high-frequency attitude particles: wohl marks a guess, schon reassures or concedes, and eigentlich introduces a 'but actually...' shift.
- Conversational Connectors (also, na ja, übrigens, jedenfalls)B1 — The little words that organize German talk — also (so/well, NOT English 'also'), na ja (well...), übrigens (by the way), jedenfalls (anyway), genau, tja.