01
erfunden
made-up
Not corresponding to the truth; made up and not real.
example
Seine Ausrede, warum er zu spät kam, war offensichtlich frei erfunden.
His excuse for why he was late was obviously completely made up.
erfunden
invented / made-up
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word family
'Erfunden' (invented/made-up) is the past participle of the verb 'erfinden' (to invent). It is used as an adjective to describe that something is not genuine, but made up.
EXAMPLE
Die Figur des Sherlock Holmes wurde von Arthur Conan Doyle erfunden.
The character of Sherlock Holmes was invented by Arthur Conan Doyle.
Typical combinations
The adjective is often used for things that can be told or made up, such as 'eine erfundene Geschichte' (a made-up story), 'eine erfundene Ausrede' (a made-up excuse), or 'ein erfundener Name' (a made-up name).
EXAMPLE
Er erzählte eine erfundene Geschichte, um seine Verspätung zu erklären.
He told a made-up story to explain his delay.
Fixed expression
A very common combination is 'frei erfunden' (completely made up). This emphasizes that something is entirely invented and has no basis in truth.
EXAMPLE
Die Gerüchte über ihn sind komplett frei erfunden.
The rumors about him are completely made up.
Compare with
erfunden vs wirklich
really
'wirklich' and 'erfunden' are opposites when it comes to truth and reality. 'wirklich' says that something is real or actually happened. 'erfunden' says that something is made up and does not correspond to the truth. The contrast is especially clear with stories, reasons, names, or events: a story can have really happened, or it can be made up.
erfunden
Im Urlaub erzählt Tom eine erfundene Geschichte über seine Nachbarn.
On vacation, Tom tells a made-up story about his neighbors.
wirklich
Die Geschichte ist wirklich passiert, auch wenn sie unglaublich klingt.
The story really happened, even if it sounds unbelievable.
In real life
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