Freund
/frɔʏ̯nt/
The German word for male friend is Freund.
Freund refers to a man with whom you have a friendly relationship but are not romantically involved.
Which one should you use?
The phrase ein Freund is often interpreted as 'a boyfriend' rather than 'a male friend' in many contexts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Bavaria, the term Der Spezi is used to express a close friendship.
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form of the noun is Freundin, which can mean either a female friend or a girlfriend.
How do you pronounce it?
/frɔʏ̯nt/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often say mein Freund to mean 'my male friend', but in German, this almost always implies a romantic partner.
Did you know?
- The term Kumpel is often used instead of Freund for a male buddy and originates from the language of miners.
- While Freund is used for a friend in German, its cognate in modern Norwegian and Swedish, frende and frände, shifted to specifically mean 'relative'.
- If you want to avoid any romantic ambiguity when talking about a male friend, you might use the word Bekannter, which literally translates to 'an acquaintance'.
Examples in context
- Ein Freund von mir kam gestern vorbei.A male friend of mine called on me yesterday.This sentence shows how to use Freund when referring to a friend of mine.Tatoeba #3368074 by Zaghawa, translation #244599 by CM
- Ich treffe mich heute mit einem Freund.I am meeting a friend today.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Felix are talking about her plans for the weekend.
- FelixHast du am Samstag schon etwas vor?Do you have plans for Saturday yet?
- JuliaJa, ich treffe einen Freund im Café.Yes, I am meeting a friend at the cafe.
- FelixIst das ein Date?Is that a date?
- JuliaNein, er ist nur ein Freund.No, he is only a friend.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry Freund, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Freund, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
