{"id":12216,"date":"2020-12-03T21:15:14","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T21:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=12216"},"modified":"2020-12-04T18:40:49","modified_gmt":"2020-12-04T18:40:49","slug":"dont-let-it-confuse-you-mode","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/dont-let-it-confuse-you-mode\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Let It Confuse You! – Mode"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this series, we look at words that exist in both English and German, but really don’t mean what you might expect them to, so-called false friends. We also look at words that sound or look deceivingly similar. Today, we look at a classic false friend, though. It’s quite fashionable – Mode<\/em>!<\/p>\n

For previous posts in this series, click here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Expectation: Mode <\/i>– Do I put my phone in the Flugzeugmode<\/em>?!<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Airplane Mode on! (Image by author)<\/p><\/div>\n

die Mode <\/em>– that sounds like it should just mean\u00a0“the mode” or “the method” or something, right?<\/p>\n

Well, it isn’t.\u00a0The English “mode” translates well to\u00a0die Art und Weise<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(“the way and manner”,\u00a0auf die Art und Weise\u00a0<\/em>translates to “in that way”). Method is translated as\u00a0die Methode<\/em>. And as a Einstellung\u00a0<\/em>(setting), say the “airplane mode” on your phone, mode translates as Modus<\/em><\/strong>. So “airplane mode” is\u00a0der Flugzeugmodus <\/em>or simply Flugmodus <\/em>(“flight mode”).<\/p>\n

So what on earth does\u00a0die Mode\u00a0<\/em>mean then?<\/p>\n

Reality: Wear the latest Wintermode<\/em>!<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Image by freestocks at Unsplash.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Die Mode <\/em>means “fashion<\/strong>“! So for example, the different seasonal fashion styles are called\u00a0Mode <\/em>–\u00a0die Fr\u00fchjahrsmode\u00a0<\/em>(spring fashion) or\u00a0die Wintermode <\/em>(winter fashion). In this context, it’s probably nice to know that “spring collection” translates nicely to die Sommerkollektion<\/em>. So at least that word is similar!<\/p>\n

But how can these words be so different? The closest word in German I can think of that sounds like fashion <\/em>is Fasching<\/em> – but that’s not really related in any way<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, the English meaning of “mode” is related to the German\u00a0mode\u00a0<\/em>as well.\u00a0Die Mode\u00a0<\/em>comes from the French\u00a0la mode <\/em>in the 17th Century, which signified the way that people lived; that went beyond fashion to things like furniture, too. Over the years, this found its way into German where it came to simply refer to fashion.\u00a0Die Mode\u00a0<\/em>actually is an abbreviated form for\u00a0die Kleidermode\u00a0<\/em>(clothing fashion). So the mode in which people dress is\u00a0die Mode<\/em>. You could kind of see it like that!<\/p>\n

This broader meaning is also shown in expressions in German:\u00a0in der Mode sein\u00a0<\/em>(to be in vogue) means exactly that. Modisch\u00a0<\/em>is an adjective for “stylish, fashionable”.<\/p>\n

The French also didn’t come up with\u00a0the word\u00a0Mode<\/em>, but derived it from the Latin\u00a0modus<\/em>, which is the basis for both\u00a0Mode\u00a0<\/em>and “mode”. The way to remember that die Mode <\/em>means fashion could be to think about fashion as the mode<\/strong><\/span> in which people dress! So we’re full circle!<\/p>\n

Did this word confuse you before? What are other words you find confusing? Let me know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

In this series, we look at words that exist in both English and German, but really don’t mean what you might expect them to, so-called false friends. We also look at words that sound or look deceivingly similar. Today, we look at a classic false friend, though. It’s quite fashionable – Mode! For previous posts…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":12229,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,8],"tags":[517059,263,264,2119],"class_list":["post-12216","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-language","tag-dont-let-it-confuse-you","tag-false-cognates","tag-false-friends","tag-fashion"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t