{"id":8127,"date":"2017-01-30T22:57:09","date_gmt":"2017-01-30T22:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=8127"},"modified":"2017-01-30T22:57:09","modified_gmt":"2017-01-30T22:57:09","slug":"the-curiosity-of-mein-freund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/the-curiosity-of-mein-freund\/","title":{"rendered":"The Curiosity of “mein Freund”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Der Freund, die Freundin<\/span><\/i>. The friend. A simple German word, but one that can lead to confusion. Why? Find out here, and find out what to do about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Freund<\/strong><\/em>: What Does It Mean?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

First and foremost, Freund<\/i> is friend. Nothing more, nothing less. However, if you make it possessive, things change. If you say mein Freund<\/i>, it usually suggests that you mean \u201cmy boyfriend\u201d. The same for meine Freundin<\/i> – \u201cmy girlfriend\u201d.<\/p>\n

Girls: Male and Female Friends<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Let’s see it in a conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lena: \u00bbIch war gestern mit meinem Freund im Kino.\u00ab<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Anna: \u00bbAch, du bist in einer Beziehung?\u00ab<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Lena: \u00bbNein, nein, das ist nur einer meiner Freunde. Ich bin nicht in einer Beziehung.\u00ab<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Lena: \u201cI went to the movies with my friend yesterday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Anna: \u201cOh, you’re in a relationship?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lena: \u201cNo, no, that is just one of my friends. I am not in a relationship.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Interestingly, this is not so much the case if it is a girl\u2019s female friend. If a girl says meine Freundin<\/i>, it is usually assumed to be her friend, not her girlfriend.<\/p>\n

Guys: Male and Female Friends<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Above, I discussed a girl\u2019s male friend. A guy\u2019s male friend could lead to the same confusion. For example:<\/span><\/p>\n

Markus: Ich wohne mit meinem Freund in einer WG.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Markus: I live with my friend in a shared apartment. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In Germany, many people would assume that Markus is in a relationship with that <\/span>Freund<\/span><\/i>, even though it can also mean that it is just a friend, just like in English. If he had said\u00a0Ich wohne mit meiner Freundin in einer WG<\/em>, it is also assumed, maybe even more so, that he is in a relationship with that\u00a0Freundin<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In any case, this can cause Verwirrung<\/i> (confusion) without clarification. So what can we do to avoid confusion?<\/p>\n

What To Do<\/b><\/h2>\n

Ein Freund<\/i><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Though a bit impersonal, <\/span>ein Freund<\/span><\/i> changes the conversation already. Putting it in what Markus says above, it becomes <\/span>ich wohne mit einem Freund in einer WG<\/span><\/i> – I live with a friend in a shared apartment. Here, <\/span>Freund<\/span><\/i> just means friend. It is the same for Lena that goes with <\/span>einem Freund ins Kino<\/span><\/i>. – No <\/span>Beziehung <\/span><\/i>assumed!<\/span><\/p>\n

Kumpel<\/i><\/strong><\/h3>\n

A word used a lot by guys is\u00a0der Kumpel<\/em>\u00a0(mate, buddy, pal). It takes out any assumption of relationship and you can just say\u00a0mein Kumpel\u00a0<\/em>and everybody will get it! Girls don’t need a different word, because\u00a0meine Freundin\u00a0<\/em>often already does it for them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is not a big deal to get it wrong, just know that it may lead to confusion! Have you already had this issue? Do you have a word in your language that can lead to confusion? Let me know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Der Freund, die Freundin. The friend. A simple German word, but one that can lead to confusion. Why? Find out here, and find out what to do about it. Freund: What Does It Mean? First and foremost, Freund is friend. Nothing more, nothing less. However, if you make it possessive, things change. If you say…<\/p>\n

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