Free time activities
There are lots of other hobbies apart from sports.
Here are some of the most popular non-athletic hobbies amongst young people in Germany.
Question
Writing words and phrases out in lots of different ways can help you to memorise them. Match the German to the English and then check your answers.
| German | English |
| 1. faulenzen | A. to play on the mobile |
| 2. fernsehen | B. to go to the cinema |
| 3. ins Kino gehen | C. to go shopping |
| 4. Computerspiele spielen | D. to spend time with friends |
| 5. Zeit mit Freunden verbringen | E. to laze around |
| 6. Musik hören | F. to knit |
| 7. Einkaufen gehen | G. to watch television |
| 8. stricken | H. to play computer games |
| 9. kochen | I. to listen to music |
| 10. auf dem Handy spielen | J. to cook |
| German | 1. faulenzen |
|---|---|
| English | A. to play on the mobile |
| German | 2. fernsehen |
|---|---|
| English | B. to go to the cinema |
| German | 3. ins Kino gehen |
|---|---|
| English | C. to go shopping |
| German | 4. Computerspiele spielen |
|---|---|
| English | D. to spend time with friends |
| German | 5. Zeit mit Freunden verbringen |
|---|---|
| English | E. to laze around |
| German | 6. Musik hören |
|---|---|
| English | F. to knit |
| German | 7. Einkaufen gehen |
|---|---|
| English | G. to watch television |
| German | 8. stricken |
|---|---|
| English | H. to play computer games |
| German | 9. kochen |
|---|---|
| English | I. to listen to music |
| German | 10. auf dem Handy spielen |
|---|---|
| English | J. to cook |
Bonus challenge: How would you rank these free time activities yourselves? Starting with your favourite, put the hobbies (in German) in order of your personal preference.
- faulenzen – E. to laze around
- fernsehen – G. to watch television
- ins Kino gehen – B. to go to the cinema
- Computerspiele spielen – H. to play computer games
- Zeit mit Freunden verbringen – D. to spend time with friends
- Musik hören – I. to listen to music
- Einkaufen gehen – C. to go shopping
- stricken – F. to knit
- kochen – J. to cook
- auf dem Handy spielen – A. to play on the mobile
Denglisch
A lot of hobbies are easy to remember, as many of the words are similar to English.
All languages are constantly evolving, with new words entering everyday life as a result of new technology, the migration of people and borrowing words from other languages. And the German language is no exception. The increasing use of English in the German language is known as ‘Denglisch’ – Deutsch + Englisch.
Here are some common Denglisch verbs you might come across when chatting with German speakers:
| Denglisch | German | English |
| shoppen | einkaufen gehen | to shop |
| downloaden | herunterladen | to download |
| posten | in Internetforen und Weblogs schreiben | to post (a message) |
| chatten | übers Internet kommunizieren | to chat |
| einloggen | anmelden | to log on |
| checken | prüfen | to check |
| babysitten | auf Kinder aufpassen | to babysit |
| chillen | sich entspannen | to relax |
| Denglisch | shoppen |
|---|---|
| German | einkaufen gehen |
| English | to shop |
| Denglisch | downloaden |
|---|---|
| German | herunterladen |
| English | to download |
| Denglisch | posten |
|---|---|
| German | in Internetforen und Weblogs schreiben |
| English | to post (a message) |
| Denglisch | chatten |
|---|---|
| German | übers Internet kommunizieren |
| English | to chat |
| Denglisch | einloggen |
|---|---|
| German | anmelden |
| English | to log on |
| Denglisch | checken |
|---|---|
| German | prüfen |
| English | to check |
| Denglisch | babysitten |
|---|---|
| German | auf Kinder aufpassen |
| English | to babysit |
| Denglisch | chillen |
|---|---|
| German | sich entspannen |
| English | to relax |
False friends
But watch out for A word that looks like a cognate (a similar-looking word in two languages) but which has a different meaning, eg der Chef (m) means boss not a cook. For example, if someone gives you a Gift in Germany, it is certainly not a present, because it means poison.
Another false friend is fast – it means 'almost' in German and has nothing to do with speed.
Here are some other common false friends to look out for.
| German | English |
| fast | almost |
| das Gymnasium | grammar school |
| sympatisch | kind/nice |
| der Chef/die Chefin | boss |
| chips | crisps |
| arm | poor |
| bald | soon |
| die Pension | small hotel/guesthouse |
| German | fast |
|---|---|
| English | almost |
| German | das Gymnasium |
|---|---|
| English | grammar school |
| German | sympatisch |
|---|---|
| English | kind/nice |
| German | der Chef/die Chefin |
|---|---|
| English | boss |
| German | chips |
|---|---|
| English | crisps |
| German | arm |
|---|---|
| English | poor |
| German | bald |
|---|---|
| English | soon |
| German | die Pension |
|---|---|
| English | small hotel/guesthouse |
Did you know?
The German language has imported so many English words into the German language that German people themselves are confused.
Deutsche Bahn, which operates the German railways, has issued their employees with a booklet containing 2,200 German words which should be used instead of the corresponding English words. Words such as ‘flyer’ and ‘hotline’ have been replaced with the German words Handzettel and Service-Nummern.
