Tips, Tricks & Tidbits
Kleine Unterschiede. Große Wirkung.Englisch steckt voller kleiner Überraschungen.
Manche englischen Wörter sehen fast gleich aus und bedeuten etwas völlig anderes. Manche Regeln vergisst man immer wieder. Und manchmal ist eine Formulierung zwar richtig, kommt beim Gegenüber aber anders an als gedacht.
Hier finden Sie kleine Beobachtungen aus dem Englischen. Über Wörter, die leicht verwechselt werden. Über Unterschiede zwischen britischem und amerikanischem Englisch. Und darüber, wie sich mit wenigen Worten die Wirkung einer Aussage verändern kann.
Zum schnellen Nachschauen, Schmunzeln oder Ausprobieren.
SORRY. OR THANK YOU? 🙏
You arrive five minutes late for a meeting.
You could say:
„Sorry I’m late.“
A straightforward apology. Perfectly appropriate.
„Thank you for waiting.“
Acknowledges the other person’s patience.
„Sorry I’m late, and thanks for waiting.“
Combines both.
But imagine you’ve kept someone waiting for 30 minutes without letting them know.
„Thank you for waiting“ alone might sound as though you’re avoiding responsibility.
💡 Quick tip:
Don’t replace every apology with a thank-you.
Sometimes an apology is exactly what’s needed.
THAT’S WRONG. OR IS IT? 🧐
Imagine a colleague presents figures you believe are incorrect.
How you respond can change the direction of the conversation.
„That’s wrong.“
Very direct. It may be appropriate when an error needs immediate attention.
„I think there’s a mistake in these figures.“
Identifies a possible problem without making it personal.
„Can we check these figures again?“
Invites the other person to look at the information with you.
💡 Quick tip:
You don’t have to soften every disagreement.
But focusing on the issue rather than the person often makes it easier to solve the problem together.
I DON’T UNDERSTAND. IS THAT A PROBLEM? 💬
There’s nothing wrong with saying „I don’t understand.“
But sometimes a more specific question gets you a more useful answer.
„I don’t understand.“
Honest and direct, but doesn’t tell the speaker what needs explaining.
„Could you explain that last point again?“
Shows exactly where you need help.
„When you say ’next quarter‘, do you mean January to March?“
Checks a specific detail.
💡 Quick tip:
Asking for clarification isn’t a sign of weak English.
It’s a way of making sure everyone understands the same thing.
YOU MUST. OR MUST YOU? 🤔
The words you choose can change how an instruction feels.
„You must submit the report by Friday.“
Strong and direct. Appropriate when something is compulsory.
„You’ll need to submit the report by Friday.“
Still clear, but sounds more conversational.
„Could you submit the report by Friday?“
A request rather than an instruction. It leaves more room for discussion.
💡 Quick tip:
Direct language isn’t automatically rude. And softer language isn’t always better.
Think about your relationship with the other person and how much flexibility there really is.
I DISAGREE. OR DO I? 💬
There are several ways to disagree in English.
„I disagree.“
Clear and direct. Sometimes exactly what you need.
„I’m not sure I agree.“
Softer. It leaves more room for discussion.
„I see it differently.“
Signals another perspective without directly rejecting the other person’s opinion.
💡 Quick tip:
Being polite doesn’t always mean being indirect.
Choose your words based on the situation, your relationship with the other person and what you want to achieve.
BREATH VS. BREATHE
Breath (der Atem) is a noun.
„Take a deep breath.“
Breathe (atmen) is a verb.
„Remember to breathe.“
💡 Quick tip:
The final e changes both the spelling and pronunciation.
Breath ends with the th sound in think. Breathe ends with the th sound in this.
DOWNTOWN VS. CITY CENTRE
In British English, we usually talk about the city centre or town centre.
„Let’s meet in the city centre.“
In American English, downtown is common.
„Let’s meet downtown.“
💡 Quick tip:
The meanings often overlap, but downtown can also refer specifically to a city’s central business district.
Both expressions are widely understood internationally.
ACCEPT vs. EXCEPT
Accept (akzeptieren, annehmen) means to agree to receive something or agree with something.
„I accept your offer.“
Except (außer) means excluding or apart from.
„Everyone came except Tom.“
💡 Quick tip:
Accept = to take in.
Except = to leave out.
AISLE vs. ISLE
Aisle (der Gang, z. B. im Flugzeug oder Supermarkt) = a passage between rows of seats or shelves.
„I always book an aisle seat.“
Isle (die Insel) = an island.
„The Isle of Skye.“
💡 Quick tip:
An aisle is where you walk. I
An isle is where you’d sail to.
LOOSE vs. LOSE
Loose (locker, lose) means not tight or firmly attached.
„These trousers are too loose.“
Lose (verlieren) means to no longer have something or to fail to win.
„Don’t lose your keys again.“
💡 Quick tip:
Loose has two O’s, like there’s extra room.
Lose has one O. Something’s missing.
REMIND vs REMEMBER
Remind (jemanden an etwas erinnern) means to help someone remember something.
“Can you remind me to call Peter?”
Remember (sich erinnern) means to recall something yourself.
“I remember my very first English lesson.”
💡Quick tip:
Someone or something reminds you.
You remember.
SYMPATHISCH vs. SYMPATHETIC
The German word sympathisch usually means likeable or pleasant in English.
„My new colleague is really likeable.“
Sympathetic means verständnisvoll or mitfühlend.
„My manager was very sympathetic when I explained my situation.“
💡 Quick tip:
Likeable = someone you like.
Sympathetic = someone who understands how you feel.
AUTOGRAMM vs. AUTOGRAPH
In German, you ask a celebrity for an Autogramm.
In English, you ask for an autograph.
„Could I have your autograph, please?“
💡 Quick tip:
Autogramm = autograph.
Not autogram!
WOMAN vs. WOMEN
Woman (die Frau) is singular.
„She’s a woman I admire.“
Women (die Frauen) is plural.
„Many women attended the conference.“
💡 Quick tip:
The pronunciation changes, too!
Woman sounds approximately like WUHM-uhn.
Women sounds approximately like WIM-in.
The surprising part? It’s the first syllable that changes most noticeably.
BISCUIT OR COOKIE 🍪
A German Keks is usually called a biscuit in British English.
In American English, it’s generally a cookie.
But watch out!
An American biscuit is something quite different. It’s a small, soft bread roll, often served with savoury food.
💡 Quick tip:
British biscuit ≈ American cookie.
American biscuit ≠ British biscuit!
BILLION OR TRILLION 💵
Careful! These numbers don’t mean the same thing in German and English.
German:
- Eine Milliarde = 1.000.000.000
- Eine Billion = 1.000.000.000.000
English:
- One billion = 1,000,000,000
- One trillion = 1,000,000,000,000
💡 Quick tip:
German Milliarde = English billion.
German Billion = English trillion.
A small translation mistake could make a very big difference in a financial report!
THE SILENT B 🤫
English spelling doesn’t always tell you how a word sounds.
In these words, the b is silent:
- thumb, dumb, numb, crumb
- comb, bomb, climb, lamb
- debt, subtle, plumber
Try saying them aloud without pronouncing the B.
💡 Quick tip:
The B is often silent at the end of words ending in -mb, as in thumb and climb.
But don’t turn this into a universal rule. In number, for example, we pronounce the B.
-ATE vs. NOT -ATE ✍️
German -ieren doesn’t always become English -ate ✍️
Some German verbs ending in -ieren look similar to English verbs.
But the endings aren’t always the same.
Examples:
- registrieren → register (not registrate)
- kommentieren → comment
- organisieren → organise (not organisate)
💡 Quick tip:
Don’t automatically add -ate to an English verb just because the German word ends in -ieren.
And one interesting detail: commentate exists, but it usually means describing an event as it happens, for example during a football match.
GERMAN WORD: PRÄGNANT ✂️
The German word prägnant can mean concise, clear or to the point, depending on the context.
„She gave a concise summary of the results.“
But pregnant means schwanger.
„She’s six months pregnant.“
💡 Quick tip:
A prägnante Aussage might be a concise statement.
It certainly isn’t a pregnant statement in everyday business English!
INTERESTING VS. INTERESTED 🤗
Interesting describes something or someone that attracts your attention.
„She’s an interesting person.“
Interested describes how someone feels.
„She’s interested in the project.“
💡 Quick tip:
The project is interesting.
You’re interested in it.
BLASE: BLISTER OR BLADDER? 🩹
The German word Blase has different translations depending on the context.
Blister = Hautblase
„I’ve got a blister on my heel from walking.“
Bladder = Harnblase
„I need to empty my bladder.“
💡 Quick tip:
If your new shoes give you a Blase, it’s a blister, not a bladder!
DOUBLE NEGATIVES IN ENGLISH ❗
In standard business English, we usually avoid using two negatives to express one negative meaning.
For example:
„I don’t need any help.“
Rather than:
„I don’t need no help.“
But here’s something worth knowing.
Double negatives are common and natural in some varieties of spoken English.
💡 Quick tip:
In international business communication, I don’t need any help is usually the clearer choice.
SENSIBLE VS. SENSITIVE 😮
These two words look similar, but they mean different things.
Sensible = vernünftig
„She made a sensible decision.“
Sensitive = empfindlich, sensibel or einfühlsam, depending on the context.
„He’s very sensitive to criticism.“
„She’s sensitive to other people’s feelings.“
💡 Quick tip:
A sensible decision is a practical, reasonable decision.
A sensitive person may be easily affected by things or particularly aware of other people’s feelings.
SINCE AND FOR 📅
Both words can describe how long something has been happening.
For tells us the length of time.
„I’ve worked here for five years.“
Since tells us when something started.
„I’ve worked here since January.“
💡 Quick tip:
For = how long?
Since = starting when?
WHY ADJECTIVE ORDER MATTERS ☝️
In English, adjectives usually follow a particular order.
For example:
„A beautiful old house.“
Sounds natural.
„An old beautiful house.“
Sounds unusual.
But here’s the good news.
You rarely need to use more than two or three adjectives together.
💡 Quick tip:
Instead of memorising a long list of rules, notice how adjectives appear together in real English.
And when in doubt, keep it simple.
„A large wooden table“ is usually all you need.
FUN VS. FUNNY 🤭
Both words can describe something enjoyable, but they don’t mean quite the same thing.
Fun = enjoyable
„We had a lot of fun at the conference.“
Funny = amusing or strange
„She told us a funny story.“
„That’s funny. I thought the meeting started at nine.“
💡 Quick tip:
Something can be fun without being funny.
And something funny isn’t necessarily fun!
BORROW VS. LEND 🤏
Borrow = take something temporarily from someone, with their permission.
„Can I borrow your pen?“
Lend = give someone something temporarily, expecting it back.
„Could you lend me your pen?“
💡 Quick tip:
You borrow from someone.
You lend to someone.
Same pen. Different perspective!
CHEAPER THAN OR AS CHEAP AS? 💰
When comparing prices, the structure matters.
Cheaper than = less expensive
„This hotel is cheaper than the other one.“
As cheap as = the same price, or equally inexpensive
„This hotel is as cheap as the other one.“
💡 Quick tip:
Cheaper than.
As cheap as.
And remember: cheap isn’t always the best word in business. Depending on the context, less expensive or more affordable may sound more appropriate.
INFORMATION, NOT INFORMATIONS ℹ️
In standard English, information is uncountable.
So we say:
„Could you send me some information?“
Not:
„Could you send me some informations?“
If you want to refer to individual items, you can say:
„Three pieces of information.“
💡 Quick tip:
Information has no plural -s in standard English.
PLANT: MORE THAN SOMETHING GREEN! 🌱
You probably know plant as a noun.
„My basil plant needs more sunlight.“
But it has other meanings.
Plant = factory
„The company is opening a new production plant.“
To plant = to put something in the ground
„We planted three trees last weekend.“
To plant = to place something secretly
„Someone planted evidence in his office.“
💡 Quick tip:
If someone mentions a plant in a business meeting, they might be talking about a factory, not a flower!
SAFETY VS. SECURITY 🦺
Both words are about protection, but they often focus on different risks.
Safety usually means protection from accidents, injuries or other harm.
„Safety regulations are particularly important in factories.“
Security often means protection against threats such as theft, unauthorised access or attacks.
„We’ve improved security at the main entrance.“
💡 Quick tip:
Safety: Think accidents and injuries.
Security: Think protection against threats.
But the meanings sometimes overlap. Context matters!
YOU’RE WELCOME. AND WHAT ELSE? 🙏
Someone says, „Thank you!“
You don’t always have to reply with „You’re welcome.“
Depending on the situation, you could say:
„Happy to help!“
Friendly and professional.
„My pleasure.“
Warm and slightly more formal.
„No problem!“
Relaxed and informal.
„Anytime!“
Friendly, particularly when you’d happily help again.
💡 Quick tip:
Choose a response that suits the situation and your relationship with the other person.
There’s no single perfect answer.
BRING VS. TAKE 🛒
Both words describe moving something from one place to another.
Bring usually focuses on movement towards the speaker or a shared destination.
„Can you bring the documents to tomorrow’s meeting?“
Take usually focuses on movement away from the speaker or towards another place.
„Can you take these documents to reception?“
💡 Quick tip:
Bring it here.
Take it there.
But context matters. You can often use either word, depending on how you’re looking at the situation.
DO VS. MAKE ⚒️
German often uses machen where English uses either do or make.
And there’s no simple rule that works every time.
We usually say:
Do:
- do your homework
- do business
- do someone a favour
Make:
- make a decision
- make a mistake
- make progress
💡 Quick tip:
Learn the words together rather than trying to translate machen.
And here’s a useful business example:
„You did a great job on the presentation.“
Not:
„You made a great job on the presentation.“
EXPLAIN VS. EXPLAIN TO 💬
This is a mistake I regularly hear from German speakers, including people with very good English.
Explain something to someone 💬
In German, you can say Ich erkläre dir den Prozess.
But in English, we say:
„I’ll explain the process to you.“
Not: „I’ll explain you the process.“
💡 Quick tip:
Explain something to someone.
You can also simply say, „Let me explain.„
I FINISHED OR I’VE FINISHED? ⏳
Both are correct. But they don’t always communicate quite the same thing.
„I finished the report yesterday.“
You’re talking about something that happened at a particular time in the past.
„I’ve finished the report.“
You’re announcing that the report is now complete.
💡 Quick tip:
When the result matters now, the present perfect is often a natural choice.
And remember: British and American English sometimes use these tenses differently.
HARDLY VS. HARD 💪
Just two letters. A completely different meaning.
„He works hard.“
He’s putting in a lot of effort.
„He hardly works.“
He does very little work!
💡 Quick tip:
Hard = with a lot of effort.
Hardly = almost not.
Be careful. Adding -ly doesn’t always turn an adjective into an adverb with the same meaning.
ACTUAL VS. CURRENT ⏰
A German manager says:
„The actual figures are looking good.“
But what does actual mean here?
Actual = real, not estimated or expected.
„The actual costs were higher than expected.“
Current = happening or existing now.
„The current figures look promising.“
💡 Quick tip:
German aktuell usually means current.
English actual usually means tatsächlich.
One small word can change the meaning of a financial report.
I’M PROJECT MANAGER OR AM I? 👩💻
In German, you can say:
„Ich bin Projektmanagerin.“
But in English, you normally need an article.
„I’m a project manager.“
„She’s an engineer.“
💡 Quick tip:
When describing someone’s profession, we usually use a or an.
But when naming a specific position someone has been appointed to, the article can disappear:
„She was appointed CEO.“
WE’LL SEE US NEXT WEEK? 👀
n German, we say:
„Wir sehen uns nächste Woche.“
But in English, we don’t say:
„We’ll see us next week.“
Instead:
„I’ll see you next week.“
Or simply:
„See you next week!“
💡 Quick tip:
You don’t need to translate every word.
Sometimes the simplest English is the most natural.
- „We’ll see each other next week.“
- „I’ll see you next week.„
USED TO VS. TO BE USED TO 🔄
They look almost identical, but the meanings are different.
„I used to work in London.“
I worked there in the past, but I don’t anymore.
„I’m used to working in London.“
Working in London is familiar to me.
💡 Quick tip:
Used to + verb = a past habit or situation.
Be used to + noun or -ing = something familia
CRISPS, CHIPS OR FRIES? 🍟
Same language. Different potatoes!
In British English:
Crisps are the thin, crunchy snacks you buy in a packet.
Chips are the fried potatoes you might eat with fish.
In American English:
Chips are the crunchy snacks.
Fries are the fried potatoes.
💡 Quick tip:
Don’t worry too much about choosing the British or American word. Context usually makes your meaning clear.
And in international English, people encounter both versions.
BRACKETS OR PARENTHESES ( )
Same symbols. Different names!
In British English, we usually call these brackets: ( )
In American English, they’re usually called parentheses.
And these? [ ]
They’re called square brackets in both varieties.
💡 Quick tip:
Both terms are widely understood. You don’t need to change your English depending on who you’re speaking to.
FEWER VS. LESS 🍪
In formal English, we usually use:
Fewer with things we can count.
„Fewer people attended the meeting than expected.“
Less with amounts we don’t count individually.
„We have less time than we expected.“
But what about supermarket signs saying „10 items or less„?
You’ll see them everywhere!
💡 Quick tip:
In formal writing, fewer items is the conventional choice. In everyday English, less is also common.
ADVICE VS. ADVISE 💡
Just one letter changes the word’s job.
Advice is a noun.
„Thanks for your advice.“
Advise is a verb.
„I’d advise you to speak to your manager.“
💡 Quick tip:
You give advice.
You advise someone.
And watch the pronunciation! Advice ends with an S sound, while advise ends with a Z sound.
ROI: RETURN ON INVESTMENT 💸
In business English, ROI stands for Return on Investment.
Not Return on Invest.
„We need to calculate the ROI before making a decision.“
💡 Quick tip:
Some business expressions are fixed combinations of words. It’s worth learning them together.
And remember: Not everyone in an international meeting will be familiar with every abbreviation. Sometimes spelling it out is the clearer choice.
BY VS. UNTIL 📅
Both words refer to time, but they work differently.
By tells us the deadline.
„Please send me the report by Friday.“
Friday is the latest acceptable day.
Until tells us how long something continues or how much time is available.
„I’ll be working on the report until Friday.“
„You have until Friday to finish it.“
💡 Quick tip:
By = deadline.
Until = continuation or time available.
In business communication, this small distinction can make a real difference.
CHEF VS. BOSS 🧑🍳
In German, your Chef is usually your boss.
But in English, a chef is a professional cook.
„My boss is very supportive.“
„The chef prepared an excellent meal.“
💡 Quick tip:
In professional situations, manager or supervisor may be more appropriate than boss, depending on the person’s role.
And if you’re talking about the person running the entire company, you might mean the CEO or managing director.
I.E. VS. E.G. 🔎
These two abbreviations are easy to confuse.
i.e. means that is or in other words.
„The meeting is on Friday, i.e., the last working day of the week.„
e.g. means for example.
„We work with international clients, e.g., companies in Germany, France and Spain.„
💡 Quick tip:
i.e. = Let me explain what I mean.
e.g. = Here are some examples.
And in international communication, writing for example or in other words may be clearer than using an abbreviation.
GARAGE. SAME WORDS, DIFFERENT SOUNDS! 🚗
The word garage is pronounced differently across the English-speaking world.
In Britain, you’ll hear pronunciations such as:
GARR-ij or ga-RAAZH.
In American English, ga-RAAZH is common, too.
💡 Quick tip:
There’s no single pronunciation you have to copy.
The important thing is that people understand you.
THE CITY ISN’T THE WHOLE OF LONDON 💂
When someone in British business talks about the City, they may mean London’s historic financial district.
It’s also known as the Square Mile.
Many banks, financial institutions and professional services firms are based there.
„The company has offices in the City.“
💡 Quick tip:
The City of London is a specific area within Greater London.
And despite its name, it isn’t the whole city!
NEAR VS. NEARBY 📍
In German, we say in der Nähe.
But in English, we don’t say in the near.
Instead:
Nearby
„There’s a good restaurant nearby.“
Near + place
„The restaurant is near the station.“
Close by
„Don’t worry. I live close by.“
💡 Quick tip:
Near usually needs something after it.
Nearby can stand alone.
ADMINISTRATE, ADMINISTER OR MANAGE? ➡️
These words look similar, but they’re not always interchangeable.
Administer often means organising or managing a system, programme or process.
„She administers the company’s pension scheme.“
Manage is often the more natural choice when talking about people, teams or projects.
„He manages a team of twelve.“
And what about administrate?
It exists, but administer is usually the more familiar choice.
💡 Quick tip:
Don’t automatically translate the German administrieren as administrate.
Depending on the context, manage, administer or handle may be more natural.
Warum es diese Tipps gibt
Viele dieser Einträge haben einen konkreten Anlass. Ein Wort wird verwechselt, eine Formulierung klingt auf Englisch anders als gedacht oder eine kleine Frage taucht in einer Session immer wieder auf. Dann nehmen wir uns eine Minute und klären sie.
Diese Minute steht hier.
Deshalb sind die Einträge so kurz. Manchmal braucht es keine lange Erklärung. Nur den einen Unterschied, den man beim nächsten Mal wiedererkennt.
Ich bin Christine Burgmer, British English Communication Coach, und arbeite mit Führungskräften, Unternehmer:innen und Senior Professionals an ihrem Englisch im Arbeitsalltag.
Then:
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