The German language is similar to English in many ways. Lots of words sound approximately the same in both languages:
- Apple = Apfel
- Bed = Bett
- House = Haus
But not all words match so closely, with occasionally hilarious results for English speakers.
Fahrt
This is the one guaranteed to make every English speaker giggle like a six-year-old. The H is silent, so it’s pronounced Fart.
Fahrt in German is a verb meaning “drive” – from the infinitive “fahren”, “to drive”. It’s the third person singular: “Suzanne fahrt” means “Suzanne drives.”
It’s also a noun. So it’s perfectly acceptable in German to wish someone a “Gute Fahrt” – a “Good trip”… though probably not to the bathroom.
Not all Hamburgers are for eating
This one is a classic. People from Hamburg are indeed called Hamburgers. In fact, the word “Bürger” itself really just means “citizen.” And of course, a “Bürgermeister” is the mayor.
“Berliner,” on the other hand, denotes both a citizen of Berlin, and, in some parts of Germany, a kind of doughnut-like pastry.
A rathaus for politicians
You would probably find a Bürgermeister at the Rathaus – or city hall. Depending on what you think of your local politicians, “Rathaus” may be a good name for it.
Pretty schmuck
Schmuck, to most North Americans, sounds like an insult – from the Yiddish schmok, which literally means “penis” but has become a word for an idiot or a fool. But the meaning in German is jewelry. So you see a lot of shop signs with “SCHMUCK” in big letters.
So bad, it’s good
There are other store signs that can seem unfortunate when viewed through English eyes.
Take this one, for “Bad Couture.”
Why would you want to go into a shop selling bad couture? If you’re looking for new towels or a fancy pedestal sink, of course. “Bad” just means “bath” or “bathroom” in German.
And this ubiquitous coffee chain’s name isn’t really German – just faux francais – but sounds terrible to English ears.
But, I swear, Le Crobag’s pastries and coffee are actually pretty good.
Werk it, baby
Similar to Le Crobag is Backwerk – which does not offer massages. It’s also a bakery chain, “Back” meaning “bake” and “werk” meaning “factory.”
Kraftwerk isn’t just a highly influential techno band: It also means “power plant.” Which makes them even better, really.
To be or not to be
When is a hammer not a hammer? Belgian surrealists would be proud of this one.
When the word “not” is added as a prefix, it doesn’t negate the next word, as it would in English. You most commonly see this written on a door – “Notausgang”. This doesn’t mean that it’s not an exit (Ausgang meaning exit), but rather that it’s an emergency exit.
Similarly, the “Nothammer” above is most definitely a hammer, but one only to be used to break the bus’ window in case of emergency.
German: sometimes funny, but potentially life-threatening to the uninitiated.
Leslie Young is in Germany as part of the Arthur F. Burns fellowship program. Read more of her observations and adventures here.
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