I suppose we’ve all heard about the man sitting in a restaurant and asking the waiter “Can I become a beefsteak?” And of course you’d never say that, would you? Would you??!!
Become means werden, of course, and not bekommen. It’s a false friend. And there are many others out there waiting to trip you up – leading to puzzled looks (or big smiles) from native speakers.
Test yourself
Here’s a chance to see how good your knowledge of false friends is. In each of the following sentences, one word is wrong. Find it and replace it with a better one.
- She was upset by her boss’s critic.
- Can you write your name on the backside, please?
- I need a beamer for my presentation.
- Can you send me the actual version of the report, please?
- We don’t send gifts to our customers at Christmas, we spend money to charity instead.
Check your answers
Here are my suggestions – others are possible too, of course – and the explanations:
She was upset by her boss’s criticism.
critic = Kritiker Kritik = criticism
Can you write your name on the back, please?
backside = Po Rückseite = back (e.g. of
a sheet of paper)
I need a projector for my presentation.
Beemer = slang for BMW Beamer = projector
Can you send me the current version of the report, please?
actual = tatsächlich aktuell = current
We don’t send gifts to our customers at Christmas, we donate money to charity instead.
spend = (Zeit) verbringen, spenden = donate
(Geld) ausgeben
How did you do?
Perhaps you’d like to share a funny or embarrassing situation in which you were caught out by a false friend. I’d love to hear about it!
