German 'spenden' and English 'to spend' are classic false friends. Today, we'll learn what 'spenden' means, and how to say 'to spend' in various context.
Words we'll learn:
spenden, die Spende, spendieren, die Speise, die Spesen, ausgeben, verbringen,...
By: Emanuel|35 Comments| Updated:
February 17, 2026
Hello everyone,
and welcome to a new episode of False Friends Explained, this time with a look at
spenden vsto spend
And those two are actually not THAT far apart. Still, there’s a lot of room for confusion.
I spend 150 Dollars on Sushi every day.
Ich spendejeden Tag 150 Dollar für Sushi.
Because while the English sentence makes you sound like a rich snob who is completely out of touch with the reality of the common man, the German sentence makes you sound like… uhm… a generous rich snob. Who is totally out of touch with the reality of the common man. I mean, seriously… donating 150 bucks for Sushi. Come on. But yeah, that’s what spenden is…
Short version: 'spenden' means to donate or give something selflessly. English 'to spend' usually means to use or pay money or time. Example: - Ich spende jeden Tag 150 Dollar für Sushi. - I donate 150 dollars for sushi every day.
Yes. It can mean giving in a noncommercial way like giving shade or supplying something. Example: - Der Baum spendet Schatten. - The tree gives shade.
Look out for these: 'die Spende' donation, 'der Spender' donor, 'spendieren' to treat someone, 'spendabel' generous, 'die Spesen' business expenses, 'die Speise' food and 'speisen' to eat. Example: - Der Star spendiert den wartenden Fans Pizza. - The star treats the waiting fans to pizza.
It depends on what you spend. For money use 'ausgeben'. For time use 'verbringen'. Examples: - Thomas hat 200 Euro für Sushi ausgegeben. - Thomas spent 200 Euro on sushi.
- Wegen seiner Fischvergiftung hat Thomas eine Woche im Bett verbracht. - Because of his fish poisoning Thomas spent one week in bed.
Both trace back to Latin roots like 'pendere' and 'expendere' which were about weighing and paying. Over time German 'spenden' shifted toward giving while related words like 'die Spesen' kept the idea of expense.
Hallo Ich habe mich ueber das Wort “beitragen”und seinen Unterschied zu “spenden” gewundert? Es scheint, dass “spenden” fuer monetaere Zwecke verwendet wird und “beitragen” fuer nicht-monetaere Zwecke?
Ich werde zu dieser Sache beitragen. Ich werde Geld fuer diese Sache spenden.
“beitragen” is “contribute”, “spenden” is “donate”.
berlingrabers
Is there an Indo-European root behind the Latin? I recently came across σπένδω spendō in the Greek New Testament, there meaning “pour out as a libation/drink offering.” Seems to fit in there somewhere, although it’s hard to see much connection to the “pend” root.
“Spende/spenden” and “ausgeben” always screws up my English (and that of my German-speaking American friends) – it’s kind of funny that “spend” and “give out” have almost the exact opposite meanings to “spenden” and “ausgeben” respectively.
Yes, there’s an Indo-European ancestor and it actually includes more words than one owuld expect (pensive and spider for instance). Here’s the entry on Etymonline:
It doesn’t mention the Greek word but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be related.
Anonymous
Dankeschön! very useful for me as a beginner of learning Deutsch.
Ich nehm’ die Einhornsuppe als Vorspeise and the Kobe Unicorn Ribeye als Hauptspeise. —>und das :)
Tim Muller
Ich würde ‘treat’ in diesem Kontext (iPhone) nicht sagen. Ich weiß aber nicht, welches Wort richtig ist, außer ‘endowed’ (zu formal) oder ‘pimped’ (zu umgangssprachlich). ‘Treat’ würde ich nur in diesem Sinn sagen, wenn es um eine Person geht, zB ‘I’ll treat you to a coffee’.
Und für ‘Aus Spesen nichts gewesen’, könnte man vielleicht ‘today was a total waste of makeup’ sagen!
I like the “waste of makeup”-phrasing :). Is that common?
Anonymous
The closest English equivalent that I can think of for “Außer Spesen nix gewesen” – although not commonly used – is “BFH”, as explained here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullseye_(UK_game_show) ‘If they succeeded, they received the Star Prize and kept their previous winnings; if not, they lost all cash/prizes they had risked… the host would tell the team that they would receive only their “BFH” (bus fare home) if they lost.’
They did also get to “come and have a look at what [they] could have won”, which was delightfully cruel. Usually something really cool like a speedboat. Which was suspicious because whenever they did actually win the star prize it was a bottom-of-the-range British made hatchback car.
I haven’t heard it used in a long time, probably because it’s 20 years or more since it was last on telly. Many of my housemates at university were from Preston, Lancashire and readily adopted “northernisms” off the telly (Jim Bowen from Bullseye has a broad Lancashire accent). They would use the phrase towards the end of a night out to signify that they had drunk all their money and were going home, or were seeking a consensus to do so. The conversation might go like this: Student 1: “BFH?” Student 2 “Aye”. Talkative bunch.
Alan
I think the word treated in the third camera context works. For the other one perhaps, after bills there was nothing?
deidelta
I just found out that I am moving to Germany in less than five months! However, money has been tight after my motorcycle accident, and it’s hard to find a quality German language learning course on a tight budget. Thanks to the members that donated scholarships, I am able to study quickly and easily from an amazing course. Thank you all so much!
alanmarsee
I’ve been away from this blog community for a while, but I’ve committed to becoming active again. I really like this blog.
I was wondering about the translation of “spendieren” as “to treat” in such a context of companies upgrading tech.
alanmarsee
You will probably hear something like “all for nothing.” Example: I did this all for nothing. It literally means the same thing as Außer Spesen nix gewesen, just shorter. Sometimes, people may only use the idiom w/o a complete sentence. Example: I’m looking at all the work I just did after I find out that there is no pay off and I simply say, “all for nothing.”
Oh right, I totally forgot about that. I feel like “All for nothing” sounds a fair bit more fatalistic and whiny than the Spesen-thing, which leans more toward mild irritation or stoic acceptance :). “Alles umsonst.” would be a closer fit in German.
We often say “nothing to show for it”, as in “all that effort and nothing to show for it”. Also variations on “waste of time/money/energy/resources”, like “it was all a big fat waste of time”.
Anonymous
In English, we often say something like, “After expenses, there was nothing left.” But this refers to money and not quite what you were talking about. Just thought I’d throw this in there.
Antonio
I would like to earnestly extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the people who have contributed to the subsidy of memberships to those who may not afford it at the moment, such as inhabitants of countries wherein the acquisition of foreign currency is increasingly onerous and exorbitant. As soon as an opportunity to do so emerges, I plan to donate and thereby contribute to the continuance of such a virtuous and sympathetic purpose. I would have not concluded this comment without having expressed my indebtedness to Mr. Schuchart for everything! Saying thank you hardly suffices after all what you do.
Herzlichen Dank nochmal,
Antonio
RuthE
Vielen Dank um auf noch einen falschen Freund hinzuweisen. Selbst wenn ich mich nicht erinnere, zumindest geht meine Warnglocke aus. (I couldn’t decide whether to use um or auf, so I used both for fun.)
Obwohl er zufrieden sein mag, Ihren hilfreichen Artikel zu lesen, dürfte ein Französischer noch in einem amerikanischen Restaurant geärgert werden, wenn er ein “French dip sandwich served “with au jus“” bestellen würde.
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Thanks a lot for the article! Why is die Speisekarte only for fancy restaurants?
The normal way to say it is just “Karte” but you’d definitely be understood of course. It’s just nothing you’ll hear too often in daily life.
danke schone
can anyone tell me the root word of spenden
You can find it in my dictionary, together with the entire family line :)
https://yourdailygerman.com/meaning/spen/spenden/#wordfamily-anchor
Hallo
Ich habe mich ueber das Wort “beitragen”und seinen Unterschied zu “spenden” gewundert? Es scheint, dass “spenden” fuer monetaere Zwecke verwendet wird und “beitragen” fuer nicht-monetaere Zwecke?
Ich werde zu dieser Sache beitragen.
Ich werde Geld fuer diese Sache spenden.
Vielen Dank
“beitragen” is “contribute”, “spenden” is “donate”.
Is there an Indo-European root behind the Latin? I recently came across σπένδω spendō in the Greek New Testament, there meaning “pour out as a libation/drink offering.” Seems to fit in there somewhere, although it’s hard to see much connection to the “pend” root.
“Spende/spenden” and “ausgeben” always screws up my English (and that of my German-speaking American friends) – it’s kind of funny that “spend” and “give out” have almost the exact opposite meanings to “spenden” and “ausgeben” respectively.
Yes, there’s an Indo-European ancestor and it actually includes more words than one owuld expect (pensive and spider for instance). Here’s the entry on Etymonline:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/*(s)pen-
It doesn’t mention the Greek word but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be related.
Dankeschön! very useful for me as a beginner of learning Deutsch.
Ich nehm’ die Einhornsuppe als Vorspeise and the Kobe Unicorn Ribeye als Hauptspeise.
—>und das :)
Ich würde ‘treat’ in diesem Kontext (iPhone) nicht sagen. Ich weiß aber nicht, welches Wort richtig ist, außer ‘endowed’ (zu formal) oder ‘pimped’ (zu umgangssprachlich). ‘Treat’ würde ich nur in diesem Sinn sagen, wenn es um eine Person geht, zB ‘I’ll treat you to a coffee’.
Und für ‘Aus Spesen nichts gewesen’, könnte man vielleicht ‘today was a total waste of makeup’ sagen!
I like the “waste of makeup”-phrasing :). Is that common?
The closest English equivalent that I can think of for “Außer Spesen nix gewesen” – although not commonly used – is “BFH”, as explained here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullseye_(UK_game_show)
‘If they succeeded, they received the Star Prize and kept their previous winnings; if not, they lost all cash/prizes they had risked… the host would tell the team that they would receive only their “BFH” (bus fare home) if they lost.’
They did also get to “come and have a look at what [they] could have won”, which was delightfully cruel. Usually something really cool like a speedboat. Which was suspicious because whenever they did actually win the star prize it was a bottom-of-the-range British made hatchback car.
Hahaha… bus fare home, I like it :)
Would it be idiomatic/or funny-idiomatic to say “The meeting was BFH?”
You could say something like “The meeting was a waste of time – and they didn’t even give me[/but at least they gave me] my bus fare home!”
I haven’t heard it used in a long time, probably because it’s 20 years or more since it was last on telly. Many of my housemates at university were from Preston, Lancashire and readily adopted “northernisms” off the telly (Jim Bowen from Bullseye has a broad Lancashire accent). They would use the phrase towards the end of a night out to signify that they had drunk all their money and were going home, or were seeking a consensus to do so. The conversation might go like this: Student 1: “BFH?” Student 2 “Aye”. Talkative bunch.
I think the word treated in the third camera context works.
For the other one perhaps, after bills there was nothing?
I just found out that I am moving to Germany in less than five months! However, money has been tight after my motorcycle accident, and it’s hard to find a quality German language learning course on a tight budget. Thanks to the members that donated scholarships, I am able to study quickly and easily from an amazing course. Thank you all so much!
I’ve been away from this blog community for a while, but I’ve committed to becoming active again. I really like this blog.
That’s great to hear! Willkommen zurück :)
I didn’t understand your question. Lap cam or fluffy being idiomatic English?
I was wondering about the translation of “spendieren” as “to treat” in such a context of companies upgrading tech.
You will probably hear something like “all for nothing.” Example: I did this all for nothing. It literally means the same thing as Außer Spesen nix gewesen, just shorter. Sometimes, people may only use the idiom w/o a complete sentence. Example: I’m looking at all the work I just did after I find out that there is no pay off and I simply say, “all for nothing.”
Oh right, I totally forgot about that. I feel like “All for nothing” sounds a fair bit more fatalistic and whiny than the Spesen-thing, which leans more toward mild irritation or stoic acceptance :).
“Alles umsonst.” would be a closer fit in German.
I think there are many levels of emotions associated with “all for nothing.” From minor irritations to down and out.
We often say “nothing to show for it”, as in “all that effort and nothing to show for it”. Also variations on “waste of time/money/energy/resources”, like “it was all a big fat waste of time”.
In English, we often say something like, “After expenses, there was nothing left.” But this refers to money and not quite what you were talking about. Just thought I’d throw this in there.
I would like to earnestly extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the people who have contributed to the subsidy of memberships to those who may not afford it at the moment, such as inhabitants of countries wherein the acquisition of foreign currency is increasingly onerous and exorbitant. As soon as an opportunity to do so emerges, I plan to donate and thereby contribute to the continuance of such a virtuous and sympathetic purpose. I would have not concluded this comment without having expressed my indebtedness to Mr. Schuchart for everything! Saying thank you hardly suffices after all what you do.
Herzlichen Dank nochmal,
Antonio
Vielen Dank um auf noch einen falschen Freund hinzuweisen. Selbst wenn ich mich nicht erinnere, zumindest geht meine Warnglocke aus. (I couldn’t decide whether to use um or auf, so I used both for fun.)
Bezüglich “entrée for main course? Is that on purpose to tease the French?” :-D Ja, es ist Mehrzweck! Aber es ist doch keine dumm Amerikaner Verwendung. Ich habe hier eine Erklärung gefunden: https://www.casaschools.com/why-americans-say-entree-for-main-course/ Eine weitere Diskussion geht hier: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/101852/why-is-a-meals-main-course-referred-to-as-entree
Thanks for this info. I’m a history nerd and I found it very interesting.
You are quite welcome, fellow history nerd! :-D
Obwohl er zufrieden sein mag, Ihren hilfreichen Artikel zu lesen, dürfte ein Französischer noch in einem amerikanischen Restaurant geärgert werden, wenn er ein “French dip sandwich served “with au jus“” bestellen würde.
Ich finde es mehr als eine Quelle der Belustigung. Unfähiges Marketing, das nicht auf Englisch beschränkt ist. :-)