Every learned another language that has a lot of similarity with your own, but has some really nasty words that sound like the same word but are actually quite different?
Here are some of the words that I ran into as a native (Swiss) German speaker, that gave me quite some miss-understandings until I looked them up in a dictionary.
eventuell vs eventually
DE: eventuell — possibly; perhaps; maybe
EN: eventually — in the end; after some time; finally
bekommen vs become
DE: bekommen — to receive; to get
EN: become — to turn into; to transform into
Chef vs chef
DE: Chef — boss; manager; superior
EN: chef — professional cook
Gift vs gift
DE: Gift — poison; toxin
EN: gift — present; something given voluntarily
aktuell vs actual
DE: aktuell — current; up-to-date
EN: actual — real; true; existing in fact
sensibel vs sensible
DE: sensibel — sensitive; emotional
EN: sensible — reasonable; practical; rational
sympathisch vs sympathetic
DE: sympathisch — likable; pleasant; nice
EN: sympathetic — compassionate; understanding
notieren vs to note
DE: notieren — to write down; to record
EN: to note — to notice; to observe; sometimes also to write down
kontrollieren vs to control
DE: kontrollieren — to check; to inspect; to verify
EN: to control — to direct; to command; to regulate
studieren vs to study
DE: studieren — to attend university; to major in
EN: to study — to learn; to examine academically
irritieren vs to irritate
DE: irritieren — to confuse; to puzzle
EN: to irritate — to annoy; to cause discomfort
blamieren vs to blame
DE: blamieren — to embarrass; to humiliate oneself
EN: to blame — to accuse; to hold responsible
Handy vs handy
DE: Handy — mobile phone; cell phone
EN: handy — useful; convenient; easy to use
Smoking vs smoking
DE: Smoking — tuxedo; formal evening suit
EN: smoking — the act of inhaling tobacco
Beamer vs beamer
DE: Beamer — projector
EN: beamer — (slang) BMW car; not commonly used for projector
billion vs Billion
DE: Billion — trillion (1,000,000,000,000)
EN: billion — thousand million (1,000,000,000)
Gymnasium vs gymnasium
DE: Gymnasium — academic secondary school preparing for university
EN: gymnasium — sports hall; gym
Provision vs provision
DE: Provision — sales commission; brokerage fee
EN: provision — supply; arrangement; clause
präservativ vs preservative
DE: Präservativ — condom
EN: preservative — substance used to keep food/products fresh
realisieren vs realize
DE: realisieren — to implement; to make happen
EN: realize — to suddenly understand; to become aware
Fabrik vs fabric
DE: Fabrik — factory
EN: fabric — cloth; textile material
Kaution vs caution
DE: Kaution — deposit; security payment
EN: caution — care; warning; prudence
transparent vs transparent
DE: transparent — obvious; easy to understand; see-through
EN: transparent — see-through; open; clear
notice vs Notiz
DE: Notiz — short written note
EN: notice — warning; announcement; observation
pathetic vs pathetisch
DE: pathetisch — dramatic; emotional; solemn
EN: pathetic — pitiful; miserable; weak
Agenda vs agenda
DE: Agenda — schedule; program; plan
EN: agenda — list of meeting topics; hidden motive or plan
Drive vs drive
DE: Drive — motivation; ambition; energy
EN: drive — to operate a vehicle; motivation; trip
Kollege vs college
DE: Kollege — coworker; colleague
EN: college — educational institution after secondary school
Body vs body
DE: Body — bodysuit; one-piece clothing item
EN: body — physical body of a person or animal