Words, Terms & Phrases: False friends: gift & Gift

 Since German and English both belong to the family of Germanic languages, there are many word similarities between them, e.g. trinken - to drink, Butter - butter, Milch - milk, grün - green. These similarities enable you to recognize German words you may have never seen or heard before. But you will also come across a few "false friends", German words that look or sound like English words but mean something completely different.

 

Here is one famous example. Look at the two pictures and you will probably realize why a German tourist in Dublin who speaks little English may be surprised about the sign outside a shop near Dublin Castle. Fill in the gap, then press [Check] to see if you were right. Use the [Hint] button to get a free letter if the answer is giving you trouble.

pixabay_Vorsicht_Gift.jpg

Vorsicht Gift!

 

The English word "gift" is another word for "present", the German word "Gift" means "" in English.

        

 

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Tip: If you don't belong to the lucky few who possess a photographic memory, write down what you learnt while doing this exercise.

 

photo of skull: https://pixabay.com/en/danger-warning-hazard-death-toxic-39045/ (CCO)

other photo: © Dagmar Fischer