10 Confusing German Verb Pairs for A1 Learners

Some German verbs look like twins, but you cannot swap them. In this lesson Luzi explains ten verb pairs that confuse almost every A1 beginner, from sagen and sprechen to kennen and wissen, with clear rules, example sentences and a bonus tip on leben and wohnen. Even if you are A2 or higher, you will probably find one or two pairs that still trip you up.

The 10 Confusing German Verb Pairs at a Glance

sagen vs. sprechen: Say or Speak?

Sagen means to say. You use it for words, a fact or an answer. Sprechen means to speak and is used almost only for a language. Together with the preposition mit it means that you talk with someone.

• Was hast du gesagt? (What did you say?)
• Er sagt hallo. (He says hello.)
• Ich spreche mit Anna. (I am speaking with Anna.)
• Ich spreche Deutsch. (I speak German.)

So sagen is about what you say, and sprechen is the activity of talking. Never say Ich sage Deutsch. That is wrong. It is Ich spreche Deutsch.

leben vs. wohnen: Live or Reside?

This is a very common mistake, because both verbs can be translated with “to live”. Leben means to be alive, or your life in general. Wohnen is the better translation of “to reside”: it tells you where your home is, usually an address.

• Meine Oma lebt noch. (My grandma is still alive.)
• Meine Oma lebt sehr sparsam. (My grandma lives very thriftily. Sparsam means she does not spend a lot of money, and Geld sparen is to save money.)
• Ich lebe allein. (I live alone.)
• Ich wohne im dritten Stock. (I live on the third floor.)

Use leben for being alive and for how you live your life. Use wohnen for the building or place where you reside. At the end of this post you will find a bonus tip for countries, cities and addresses.

besuchen vs. besichtigen: Visit a Person or a Sight?

Besuchen means to visit, mostly a person. You can also visit a class, a course or a website. Besichtigen is visiting in the sense of sightseeing: you look around a site or a building. It is not really an A1 verb, but the confusion comes up on the A1 level all the time.

• Ich besuche meine Oma. (I am visiting my grandma.)
• Wir besichtigen den Dom. (We are visiting the cathedral.)
• Morgen besichtige ich die Wohnung. (Tomorrow I will view the apartment.)

The apartment example is very typical. When you look for a flat to rent, you first go there and have a look at it, and for that German uses besichtigen.

lernen vs. studieren: Learn or Study?

English uses “study” for both, but German does not. Lernen is learning in the everyday sense: practising, doing homework, memorising something. Studieren is only for studying at a university, usually a specific subject.

• Ich lerne Deutsch. (I am learning German. You are doing this right now.)
• Morgen Nachmittag muss ich Deutsch lernen. (Tomorrow afternoon I have to study German.)
• Ich lerne für den Test. (I am studying for the test.)
• Sie studiert Medizin. (She studies medicine at university.)
• Ich studiere Deutsch. (I study German as a subject at university.)

For homework, tests and vocabulary always use lernen, even when English says “study”. It is Ich lerne für den Test, not Ich studiere für den Test.

mögen vs. möchten: Like or Would Like?

Mögen means to like something in general. Möchten means “would like” and expresses what you want right now in a polite way.

• Ich mag Kaffee. (I like coffee. This is a general statement.)
• Ich möchte einen Kaffee, bitte. (I would like a coffee, please. You say this in a coffee shop or restaurant.)

For all conjugations and uses, see our full lesson mögen vs. möchten vs. gern.

nicht müssen vs. nicht dürfen: Do Not Have To or Must Not?

This is also a very common mistake. Do not translate müssen with “must”. Translate it with “have to”. Then the negative forms are easy:

• Du musst heute nicht arbeiten. (You do not have to work today. That is nice, isn't it?)
• Hier darfst du nicht rauchen. (You must not smoke here. You are not allowed to.)

Learn both verbs in detail in our lessons on müssen and dürfen.

bekommen vs. werden: Get or Become?

Bekommen means to get or to receive, not “to become”. It is one of the famous false friends. “To become” is werden, which describes a change of state.

• Hast du die E-Mail bekommen? (Did you get the email?)
• Tina ist Ärztin geworden. (Tina became a doctor. Literally: Tina has become a doctor. Geworden is the Partizip II of werden.)

wollen vs. werden: Want or Will?

Wollen means to want, not “will”. That is important. “Will” for the future is expressed with werden, the same verb that also means “to become”.

• Ich will ein Eis. (I want an ice cream. This sounds blunt and is not very polite. Adults do not use wollen very often. You mostly hear it from small children: Ich will, ich will, ich will!)
• Morgen wird es regnen. (It will rain tomorrow. This is Futur I.)

Keep in mind that in spoken German we usually just use the normal present tense with a time word like morgen. Morgen regnet es has pretty much the same meaning as Morgen wird es regnen, and it is the more common way to say it. More on this in our lessons on wollen, the verb werden and Futur I.

holen vs. bringen: Fetch or Bring?

Holen means to fetch: you go somewhere to get something, and you usually bring it back. The focus is on fetching. Bringen means to bring or take something to a person or a place.

• Ich hole schnell Brot. (I will go and quickly get some bread.)
• Ich bringe dir einen Kaffee. (I will bring you a coffee.)
• Ich bringe dein Fahrrad nach Hause. (I will bring your bicycle home.)

kennen vs. wissen: Be Familiar With or Know a Fact?

Kennen is for people, places and things you are personally familiar with. You have seen them, met them or talked to them. It is used with the accusative. Wissen comes from das Wissen (knowledge) and is for facts and information that you have in your brain. It is almost always followed by a clause, usually with dass or a question word like wo.

• Ich kenne seinen Opa. (I know his grandpa. I have met him and I know who he is.)
• Ich weiß, wo der Opa wohnt. (I know where grandpa lives.)
• Ich weiß, dass sie hier wohnt. (I know that she lives here.)

We only scratched the surface here. For the full lesson, watch or read kennen vs. wissen. For the word order after dass, see German dass explained.

Bonus Tip: leben or wohnen with Countries, Cities and Addresses

As mentioned above, leben and wohnen can both be translated with “to live”. Which one you choose depends on how specific the place is:

With a city, both verbs are fine: Ich lebe in Berlin and Ich wohne in Berlin. If you have to choose, wohnen is more common with cities. As soon as you are specific about the address, you must use wohnen. If it is more general or about a whole country, use leben. To practise this, see how to introduce yourself in German.

What to Learn Next

Continue with the modal verbs in all German modal verbs: the complete guide, practise the order of a restaurant visit with how to order food in a German restaurant, or build your verb vocabulary with the top 10 most common German verbs and the top 50 German verbs. For sentence structure with dass and wo, read German subordinate clauses.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between leben and wohnen?

Leben means to be alive or to live your life in a broader sense (Meine Oma lebt noch, Ich lebe allein). Wohnen means to reside at a specific place or address (Ich wohne im dritten Stock). For countries use leben, for cities both work, and for an exact address use only wohnen.

What is the difference between kennen and wissen?

Kennen is for people, places and things you are familiar with and takes the accusative (Ich kenne seinen Opa). Wissen is for facts and information and is usually followed by a clause (Ich weiß, wo sie wohnt).

What is the difference between sagen and sprechen?

Sagen is for words, facts and answers (Was hast du gesagt?). Sprechen is for languages and for talking with someone (Ich spreche Deutsch, Ich spreche mit Anna). Ich sage Deutsch is wrong.

What is the difference between nicht müssen and nicht dürfen?

Nicht müssen means you do not have to do something (Du musst heute nicht arbeiten). Nicht dürfen means you must not, because it is not allowed (Hier darfst du nicht rauchen). Translate müssen with “have to”, not with “must”.

Does bekommen mean become in German?

No. Bekommen means to get or to receive (Hast du die E-Mail bekommen?). To become is werden (Tina ist Ärztin geworden).

These ten pairs are only a small part of A1 vocabulary. In our A1 German online course you learn A1.1 and A1.2 step by step with 140+ videos, 180+ worksheets and textbooks, with lifetime access, and you can ask us questions in every exercise.