Because English and German are both Germanic languages there are many cognates; meaning that words in German and English are related and you can guess the meaning.
Examples are:
However, there are words in English that have been taken directly from German and kept the German spelling. We call these words loanwords (which interestingly is a direct translation of the German „Lehnwort“.)
I have compiled a number of these words, some very common, others more specific to a certain topic. I have also included some words that might be spelled more “English”, or might be partially translated.
Food
Bratwurst, pumpernickel, sauerkraut, stollen, einkorn, schnitzel, and kohlrabi have the same meaning in English and German. Though in German, all words are capitalized because they are nouns.
The only outlier is „delicatessen“. The German word „Delikatessen“ is itself a loan word from French which comes from Italian and Latin. It refers to expensive and exquisite food like caviar, oysters, exotic fruits, high quality salads, etc. It is food you don‘t eat every day but on special occasions. The other German word that can be used is „Feinkost“ which can be roughly translated as „fine food“.
In America, a „deli“ (the short form of „delicatessen“) has a broader meaning and can be found as stand alone small store or as a section in a grocery store. You can buy cold cuts there, prepared sandwiches, and salads. Depending on the region and the ethnicity of the owner and the customers you can finds delis catering to the Italian, Greek, or Jewish community.
The American equivalent to a German Delikatessen store would be a gourmet food store.
Kindergarten
As part of the American school system everybody knows ‘kindergarten’. It’s the grade before first grade and can be half-day or full-day. In the US, kindergarten is not mandatory but most children attend.
Kindergarten literally means “children garden” or “garden for or of children”, a place where children can grow and be nurtured. The concept was first introduced in Germany by Friedrich Fröbel in 1837 when he opened the first Kindergarten for children ages 3-6. In developing the concept Fröbel was influenced by Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and their ideas that children were naturally curious and active learners. The activities he offered in the Kindergarten were singing, crafting, telling stories, and playing in nature.
The first kindergarten in the US was opened by German immigrant Margarethe Schurz in Watertown, Wisconsin, in 1856. It catered to the German community. The first English-language kindergarten was established by Elizabeth Peabody in Boston in 1860. Soon charities around the country funded 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗻s to take care of the children of factory workers. The focus then was still the whole child and the development of their cognitive and social skills through play.
The focus of a German Kindergarten has changed much from its conception almost 200 years ago. In the US however, a kindergarten is now a grade in the school system attended by 5-year-olds where they learn to read and write and do math. The equivalent to a German Kindergarten would be ‘pre-school’. Children ages 3 to 5 can attend a pre-school where they play, sing, do crafts, and receive early instruction in letters and numbers.
The American kindergarten would be equivalent to the German “Vorschule” which ironically translates to ‘pre-school’. The names are basically switched. A “Vorschule” in Germany is not mandatory for children and is not offered everywhere. Many kids go from Kindergarten straight to first grade at the age of six.
Gesundheit
Gesundheit! You say it when somebody sneezes, in Germany and in America. But do you know what it actually means?
Gesundheit is ‘health’ in English, and you wish somebody (good) health when they sneeze. In Austria though, you would say “Helf dir Gott” (Help you God).
Not only Germans wish the sneezer health, in Spanish speaking countries they do it too. But it isn’t clear where it came from or when people started saying it.
The theories mostly go back to the time of the plague when sneezing might have been viewed as the first symptom of disease. The wish for health may have been for the person who sneezed or the well-wisher themselves to be spared from the plague. Another theory is that a part of the soul leaves the body when a person sneezes. By wishing them “health”, it might be prevented.
Poltergeist
This German word is used in many languages to describe a ghost or spirit (Geist) who makes a lot of noise (poltern), turns over furniture, and may pinch or bite humans. Poltergeist therefore means ‘noisy or loud ghost’ in English.
A poltergeist is different from a traditional ghost in that it never manifests, can’t be seen or filmed. Its presence is only seen by moving objects or heard by tapping and other noises. The poltergeist activities are normally short and directed at a specific person. Other ghosts are normally connected to specific locations and haunt whoever is there.
Typical Poltergeistaktivitäten are moving objects, turning electronics on and off, scratching, tapping, rumbling, and cold spots. Activities of a higher order are levitation of objects or people, making things disappear and reappear, light phenomena like ball lightning.
A poltergeist is seen as malicious because of the destruction they cause though people normally don’t get hurt. A poltergeist on a ship is called a Klabautermann.
Schadenfreude
This compound noun consists of “Schaden” – damage, harm; and “Freude” – joy, pleasure. Put together it means ‘the pleasure you get when somebody else gets hurt’.
In German text, you find this word for the first time in the 1740s, and in the English language the word “Schadenfreude” appears in the middle of the 19th century.
According to psychologists, there are three different types of Schadenfreude: aggression-based, rivalry-based, and justice-based. In the first, another person’s damage causes the observer to feel better about their group and group identity, in the second the misfortune of a rival raises your personal self-esteem, and the third sees justice in a person getting hurt because he or she got what they deserved.
Dogs: Dachshund, Schnauzer, Poodle
Dachshund literally means “badger dog” but you can also see how “hound” and “Hund” are related. These dogs, also called wiener dogs because of their shape, are used for getting into badger and/or fox burrows. In German however, “Dachshund” is not used that often and the name “Dackel” is preferred.
A Schnauzer gets his name from his moustache. Schnauze in German means ‘snout’ or ‘muzzle’, a Schnauzer or Schnauzbart is a moustache. We use the same name in German for the dog.
I included „poodle“ in this list, even though it differs from the German spelling „Pudel“. It’s one of those words that have a German origin but have been changed to English spelling. The pronunciation however is basically the same.
The word „Pudel“ is the shortened form of „Pudelhund“ and comes from the low German word „pudeln“ which means ‚to splash in or with water‘. Since poodles really like playing in water, or should I say puddles 😳, the name makes perfect sense.
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