Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| falschliegen | /ˈfalʃˌliːɡn̩/ | |
| danebenliegen | ||
| irren | /ˈɪʁən/ | reflexive |
In German, there are several ways to express that someone is wrong or holding an incorrect opinion. You can use the verb falschliegen or the reflexive verb sich irren to indicate being mistaken. To say someone holds an incorrect opinion or is in the wrong, you can use the phrase Unrecht haben. If you want to describe something as being incorrect or erroneous in an adverbial sense, you can use falsch or verkehrt.
What does it mean word for word?
The colloquial verb danebenliegen literally means 'to lie beside/next to it', which implies that a person has missed the mark or the point.
Which one should you use?
While falschliegen and sich irren are standard ways to say one is wrong, danebenliegen is a colloquial way to say someone is 'off the mark' or completely wrong in their judgment. For expressing that someone holds an incorrect opinion, Unrecht haben is also commonly used.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb irren is used reflexively as sich irren to mean 'to be wrong' or 'to be mistaken'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈfalʃˌliːɡn̩/
Did you know?
- The verb irren is the root of the German word Irrenhaus, an old colloquial term for a psychiatric hospital or 'madhouse'.
- In German, the word verkehrt for 'wrong' literally means 'inverted' or 'turned upside down'.
- While Unrecht haben means to be wrong, the word Unrecht also refers to 'injustice' or a 'wrong' committed against someone.
Examples in context
- Die irren sich nie.They are never wrong.Tatoeba #11764490 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #11764475 by Fenrir
- Tom muss sich irren.Tom must be wrong.Tatoeba #2776100 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2648318 by CK
- Die irren sich immer.They're always wrong.Tatoeba #8824671 by wolfgangth, translation #2252738 by CK
- Meine Antwort war leider falsch.My answer was unfortunately wrong.
- Ihre Behauptung ist unrichtig.Your claim is incorrect.
- Der Berechnungsalgorithmus ist fehlerhaft.The calculation algorithm is faulty.
- Das ist falsch, du liegst komplett daneben.That is wrong, you're completely off.
- Das hast du völlig verkehrt verstanden.You completely misunderstood that.
- Tut mir leid, aber das war falsch gedacht.I'm sorry, but that was a wrong assumption.
- 64 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maximilian and Sarah are debating a fact about a movie.
- MaximilianDer Film beginnt um acht Uhr.The movie starts at eight o'clock.
- SarahIch glaube, du liegst hier falschliegen.I think you are wrong here.
- MaximilianWir könnten es im Internet prüfen.We could check it on the internet.
- SarahJa, damit wir sehen, wer falschliegt.Yes, so we can see who is wrong.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wrong” translations and entries falschliegen, irren, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
