Tag: common mistakes
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What’s the difference between “wenn” and “als”?(+exercise)
“Wenn” and “als” are two commonly confused German words. They both can be translated into English as “when” but they are used in different situations and are not interchangeable. This post explains the difference between “wenn” and “als“. There is also an exercise at the end to help you practice these words. So what’s the difference […]
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What’s the difference between “beginnen” and “anfangen”?
Wondering what’s the difference between “beginnen” and “anfangen” in German? Is there actually a difference or are these verbs interchangeable? Beginnen and anfangen both mean “to start/to begin”. They can be used interchangeably most of the time – the difference in meaning is very subtle. For example, some people perceive beginnen as a more formal […]
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What’s the difference between “machen” and “tun”?
Wondering about the difference between machen and tun? This post explains the difference between these two commonly mistaken German verbs and provides examples of common use for each verb. Tun means “to do” in German. Machen can be translated as “to do” or “to make”. These verbs are often interchangeable and can be used synonymously. […]
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The difference between “fertig” and “bereit”+ worksheet PDF
German learners often confuse the words “fertig” and “bereit” because they both can be translated to English as “ready”. This post goes into detail about the difference between these two words. There is also a link to download the worksheet PDF with exercise at the end of the post. “Fertig” means”finished/complete/done/ready”. “Fertig” refers to the […]
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What’s the difference between “ziehen” and “umziehen”?
Getting confused between ziehen and umziehen? This post includes a lot of examples that will help you understand the difference between these two German verbs and never confuse them again. “Ziehen” and “umziehen” have the same meaning “to move”. The difference is only in the way these two verbs are used in sentences. “Ziehen” requires […]
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What’s the difference between “studieren” and “lernen”?(+exercise)
Studieren and lernen are two commonly confused German verbs. There is, however, a very clear difference in meaning between these two verbs. This simple explanation with examples and an exercise will help you to remember the difference and never mistaken studieren and lernen again. Studieren means “to study at a university/college”, “to major in a […]
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The difference between “kennen” and “wissen” + Worksheet PDF
A simple verb “to know” is confusing for many German learners because it can be translated into German either as “kennen” or “wissen“. This post covers the difference between these two verbs and gives you many examples of how to them. There is also an exercise to help you practice and the link to download […]
