English and German belong to the Germanic family of languages. Moreover, they both are Western Germanic languages, which makes their similarity even closer. To begin with, the very basics of the 2 languages are strikingly similar, which is linked to the history of the English language.

In 1066 the French-speaking Normans invaded England, bringing numerous French and Latin words with them. It influenced English greatly and, according to different sources, 45% of all English words used today are originally French. However, when the Normans arrived, England had already been populated by Germanic tribes, who spoke Old English, for centuries. Their language included words like ich or Hand, meaning “I” and “hand” correspondingly. These words are common German words and if you decide to study this language, you might learn them during your very first lesson. Anyway, after the invasion of the Normans, the English language started to be called Anglo-Saxon. Right, it gets its name from the Germanic tribes who settled in England in 500-800 A.D. In that old language new French and Latin words co-existed with old Germanic ones. And today it is the same – English words which are most commonly used happen to be of German origin while there are about 80 000 words of French origin altogether.

Apart from vocabulary, sentence structure and word order of English and German are quite similar; there are similarities in pronunciation too. But in this article we’d like to concentrate more on German loanwords which enriched English not so long ago. Some of these words haven’t been adapted to English so well yet. That is, some of the words below sound pretty foreign and give their origin away very easily. Nevertheless, they are part of English already, and perhaps in time the way they are pronounced will be slightly changed to suit the English reading patterns a bit better. Time will tell and for now…

LOANWORDS RELATED TO FOOD AND DRINK:

Word	Picture	Example
Hamburger [‘hæmˌbɜːgə]		Some people are surprised when they find out that the homeland of hamburgers is not America but Germany.
Lager [‘lɑːgə]		Lager is a kind of beer made with bottom-fermenting yeast.
Muesli [‘mjuːzlɪ]		Muesli is a great choice for a healthy breakfast.
Pretzel [prets(ə)l]		You can buy a pretzel at almost any fun fair these days.
Sauerkraut [‘sauəkraut]		Sauerkraut is very good for health but still not all people like it.
Schnapps [ʃnæps]		You can try traditional German schnapps in this pub.
Strudel [‘struːd(ə)l]		I really like apple strudel.
Bratwurst [‘brɑːtˌwɜːst]		Bratwurst is a type of frying sausage.
Kohlrabi [ˌkəul’rɑːbɪ]		Kohlrabi is a kind of cabbage.

LOANWORDS RELATED TO ANIMALS:

Word	Picture	Example
Dachshund [‘dæksənd], [‘dæʃ(ə)nd ], [-hund]		The dachshund is a hunting dog.
Dobermann pinscher [ˌdəubəmən’pɪnʃə]		A thoroughbred Dobermann pinscher costs a lot.
Poodle [‘puːdl]		They say the poodle is the smartest dog.
Rottweiler [‘rɔtwaɪlə]		Not all rottweilers are aggressive.
Schnauzer [ˈʃnaʊzə]		Schnauzers look so cute and kind.
Spitz [spɪts]		I had a spitz when I was a child.
Hamster [‘hæmstə]		I adore my hamster.

LOANWORDS RELATED TO SPORTS, RECREATION, SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

Word	Picture	Example
Rucksack [‘rʌksæk ], [‘ruk-]		Make sure you have a good rucksack before your walking tour starts.
To schuss [ʃus]		Don’t schuss down this slope – you are not a professional skier.
Blitzkrieg [‘blɪtskriːg]		They planned a blitzkrieg but their plans failed.
Wanderlust [‘wɔndəlʌst]		For people who have the wanderlust there are some nice tours around these parts.
Schadenfreude [‘ʃɑːd(ə)nˌfrɔɪdə]		Schadenfreude is a feeling of pleasure or satisfaction when something bad happens to someone else.
Zeitgeist [‘tsaɪtgaɪst ], [‘zaɪt-]		Zeitgeist is the general set of ideas, beliefs and feelings that is typical of a particular period in history.
Kitsch [kɪʧ]		This room is full of kitsch. Throw it away!
Poltergeist [‘pɔltəgaɪst]		It’s nothing but your imagination! There is nothing like poltergeist!
Kindergarten [‘kɪndəˌgɑːt(ə)n]		This kindergarten is very nice but it’s so expensive!
Wunderkind /ˈwʊn.də.kɪnd/		Her son is a true wunderkind!

As you see, many words are borrowed being kind of unique. For example, in English there is originally no one word which would describe a feeling of pleasure or satisfaction when something bad happens to someone else. That is why a single schadenfreude was borrowed. Then, the loanwords are used to refer to specific German dishes or Germans’ love for dogs. But it goes without saying that there are many more words which we haven’t mentioned here. They are related to technology (e.g. ersatz [‘ɜːsæts ], [‘eəsɑːts] = substitute), music (e.g. lied [liːd] = romance), transport (e.g. Zeppelin [‘zep(ə)lɪn] = a kind of airship), history (e.g. Neanderthal [nɪ’ændətɑːl]) etc. But we hope that the words we have written about have broadened your English language horizon!

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