If you already speak English, you have a head start in German, because the language is full of English words. Germans borrow so freely, especially in work, technology and pop culture, that the mix has its own nickname: Denglisch, a blend of Deutsch and English. This guide looks at the anglicisms Germans use every day, how they adapt them to German grammar, and the pseudo-anglicisms that look English but mean something quite different.
English Words in German: Denglisch
Everyday anglicisms
Many English words have settled into German with little or no change, and you will hear them constantly.
| German (anglicism) | Note |
|---|---|
| der Job | a job, used alongside the German Arbeit |
| das Team | a team |
| das Meeting | a meeting |
| das Marketing | marketing |
| der Manager | a manager |
| die E-Mail | an email |
| der Laptop | a laptop |
| das Homeoffice | working from home |
| das Feedback | feedback |
| das Event | an event |
| cool | cool, exactly as in English |
English words that follow German grammar
What makes Denglisch distinctive is that borrowed words are bent to fit German rules.
Every noun takes a gender and a capital letter, so you get das Meeting, der Computer and die E-Mail, and the gender is not always predictable.
English verbs are given German endings and conjugated: downloaden (to download), googeln (to google), chatten (to chat), liken (to like) and posten (to post).
So a German might say "Ich google das" (I'll google that) or "Sie hat das Foto gepostet" (she posted the photo), slotting the English root into a German sentence.
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Pseudo-anglicisms: the false friends
The trickiest anglicisms are the ones that look English but are not used that way in English at all, so an English speaker would be puzzled by them. These are worth learning carefully.
| German word | An English speaker might expect | It actually means |
|---|---|---|
| das Handy | something handy or useful | a mobile phone |
| der Beamer | a car (slang for a BMW) | a video projector |
| der Oldtimer | an old person | a vintage or classic car |
| das Public Viewing | viewing a body at a funeral | watching sport on big screens in public |
| das Shooting | a shooting incident | a photo shoot |
| der Showmaster | (not an English word at all) | a television show host |
Handy is the classic example: it is one of the most common words in everyday German, yet no English speaker would guess it means a phone.
Why German has so many English words
English words enter German for the same reasons loanwords spread anywhere: technology and the internet arrive with English vocabulary already attached; global business runs on English terms; and English-language music, film and social media are everywhere.
Not everyone welcomes it, and there is a long-running debate about protecting German, but for a learner the upshot is friendly: a large slice of German vocabulary is already familiar.
A word of caution, though, since not every English-looking word means what you think, and pronunciation shifts to fit German (the "j" in Job sounds much as in English, but many words take on a German accent).
Summary
German is full of English words, so much so that the blend has a name, Denglisch.
Everyday anglicisms like Job, Team, Meeting, Laptop and cool are used just as in English, while borrowed verbs (downloaden, googeln, liken) take German endings and every noun takes a gender.
Watch out, though, for pseudo-anglicisms like Handy (a mobile phone), Beamer (a projector) and Oldtimer (a classic car), which look English but mean something else.
For an English speaker, all of this makes German more approachable than it first appears, and the best way to get a feel for it is a German course with SPRACHCAFFE.
FAQ
Anglicisms are English words used in German, such as "Computer", "Team", "Download" and "Meeting". They are especially common in technology, business, advertising and youth culture, and many are now a normal part of everyday German.
A pseudo-anglicism is a word that looks English but is used differently, or does not exist, in English. The classic example is "Handy", which means a mobile phone in German, and "Beamer", which means a video projector.
Yes. Borrowed English nouns take a German article and gender and are capitalised, as in "das Meeting" or "der Computer", while English verbs are conjugated German-style, so "downloaden" gives "ich downloade".
English dominates technology, science, business and pop culture, so its vocabulary spreads with those fields. German readily absorbs and adapts the words, which is why anglicisms keep appearing in everyday speech.
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