also / auch

The German adverb also does not mean also, too as many English-speakers assume it does.
Also means rather therefore, thus.

Es regnet. Also bleiben wir zu Hause.

It's raining. Therefore we're staying home.

Monika sagt, sie ist krank. Sie kommt heute also nicht.

Monika says she is sick. So [Therefore] she's not coming today.

To convey too, also, use the German auch.

Es regnet und es ist auch windig.

It's raining and it's windy, too.

Monika ist krank, und ich bin auch krank.

Monika is sick and I am also sick.

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dann / denn

These two words are often confused. The adverb dann means then.

Ich schreibe diesen Brief, dann gehe ich zur Post.

I'm writing this letter, then I'm going to the post office.

The conjunction denn means for, because and is used to connect two sentences together.

Er arbeitet heute nicht, denn es ist Sonntag.

He's not working today because (for) it's Sunday.

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Freund

There are two different words for friend in German: Freund is masculine and Freundin is
feminine. When talking about more than one female friend, use the plural Freundinnen.
When talking about more than one male friend or male and female friends together, then
use the plural form Freunde.

Note that these words in German are reserved for close friends. Germans make a strong
distinction between public and private spheres and are choosy about who they allow into
their personal inner circle. Therefore, true Freunde are strong but few. Anyone outside this
personal space is an acquaintance, or Bekannte.

Also note that the words Freund and Freundin are used to signify a boyfriend or girlfriend.
German speakers avoid ambiguity by using the phrase ein Freund von mir / eine Freundin
von mir (a friend of mine) to indicate that someone is just a friend and not a romantic
partner. So whereas the sentence Klaus ist mein Freund might be ambiguous - Klaus is
either my boyfriend or my friend - the sentence Klaus ist ein Freund von mir makes crystal
clear that Klaus is a friend and not something more.

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nach Hause / zu Hause

Both prepositions nach and zu can be used to mean to in German. However, there are
many usages of prepositions in idioms whose meanings cannot be directly translated. In
such phrases, it is best just to learn what the phrase means. This is the case with the two
phrases nach Hause and zu Hause. The phrase zu Hause always means at home and
indicates home as a location for the activity of the sentence.

Ich bin zu Hause. I am (at) home.

Harald arbeitet zu Hause. Harald works at home.

The phrase nach Hause indicates movement to or toward home, going home.

Ich will nach Hause gehen. I want to go home.

Wann kommst du nach Hause? When are you coming home?

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fr / vor

These two prepositions have very different meanings but are confused by English-speakers
due to their seeming similarity. The preposition fr means for. But the preposition vor
means before or in front of.

Ich habe ein Geschenk fr dich.

Er kauft die Jacke fr 40 Euro.

I have a present for you.

He's buying the jacket for 40 euros.

Vor dem Frhstck trinke ich Kaffee.

Sara ist vor mir in der Schule. Before breakfast I drink coffee.

Sara is ahead of me in school.

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in / im

The word im is actually a contraction of two words: in dem, meaning in the. The definite
article dem is only used with masculine and neuter nouns and only when they are in the
dative case. So you could say for instance:

Wir bernachten im Hotel. We're staying in the hotel.

Ich kaufe im Supermarkt ein. I'm shopping in the supermarket.

Hotel is neuter, Supermarket is masculine, so the use of im to mean in the prior to these
two nouns is appropriate. However, with a feminine or plural noun, the use of im is never
appropriate:

Wir essen in der Kche. We eat in the kitchen.

Reiche Leute wohnen in den Husern. Rich people live in the houses.

Kche is feminine and Huser (1) is plural. If you said im der Kche*, you would be saying
in dem der Kche*, or in the the kitchen*. Not only would it not make sense, but the
sentence would also be grammatically incorrect because dem can be used neither with a
feminine nor a plural noun.

(1) Huser has an -n suffix here because plural nouns in the dative add an additional -n
ending.

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Schule / Uni / Hochschule

In English, the word "school" can refer to any educational institution. The German
cognate Schule, however, refers to primary and secondary education, that is to say, schools
that one attends until graduation from high school. A university is called a Universitt
(often abbreviated to Uni) or a Hochschule. Note that a Hochschule is not a high school but
an institution of higher education.

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Student / Schler

In English, the word "student" can refer to anyone who attends school at any level. In
German, a Student or Studentin is a male or female person attending a university or
another institution of higher education. When referring to pupils in elementary, junior
high, or high schools, the terms Schler (masculine) and Schlerin (feminine) are used.
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studieren / lernen

In English, "to study" means to learn, read, memorize, practice, and reflect on a subject. In
German, the verb lernen is used to encompass these learning activities. The German verb
studieren has a much more limited meaning than its English cognate. It means "to be a
university student" or "to major in" a particular subject.

Ich lerne Deutsch.

I am learning German.

I am studying German (e.g. for a test).

Ich studiere Deutsch. I am majoring in German.

Ich studiere Biologie, aber ich lerne auch Franzsisch. I am majoring in biology, but I am
learning French, too.

Ich studiere in Heidelberg. I am studying (I am a student) in Heidelberg.

Ich arbeite nicht, ich studiere. I don't work, I am a student.

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wollen / werden

In English, the future tense is created using the helping verb will plus another verb. The
German future tense is created similarly, using the helping verb werden plus the infinitive
of another verb. However, English speakers often substitute in the German verb wollen (to
want) as the future tense helping verb in German, which is incorrect. This is because the
conjugation of wollen in the first and third persons singular looks identical to the English
future tense. The meanings, however, are quite different: ich will = I want, er will = he
wants.

Ich will morgen in die Bank gehen. I want to go to the bank tomorrow.

Ich werde morgen in die Bank gehen. I will go to the bank tomorrow.