forgery / fake
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fake / forgery
An object that has been made as a copy of an original in order to deceive. It can involve art, documents, money, or branded products.
Das Gemälde im Museum entpuppte sich als eine geschickte Fälschung.
The painting in the museum turned out to be a skillful forgery.
forgery
The act of making a copy with fraudulent intent; the process of forging something.
Die Fälschung von offiziellen Dokumenten ist eine schwere Straftat.
The forgery of official documents is a serious crime.
'Die Fälschung' (the forgery / fake) is the noun from the verb 'fälschen' (to forge / to fake). The ending '-ung' forms feminine nouns that often describe an action or its result.
Er wurde verhaftet, weil er Pässe gefälscht hat.
He was arrested because he forged passports.
The sentence tells you whether the object (m01) or the act (m02) is meant. If someone speaks of 'einer Fälschung' (a forgery / fake) or describes it, the object is meant. If it is about 'die Fälschung von etwas' (the forgery of something), the action is meant.
Dieses Zertifikat ist eine Fälschung.
This certificate is a forgery.
When referring to the forged object, you often hear combinations like 'eine plumpe Fälschung' (a crude forgery), 'eine perfekte Fälschung' (a perfect forgery), or 'auf eine Fälschung hereinfallen' (to fall for a fake).
Der Experte erkannte sofort, dass es sich um eine plumpe Fälschung handelte.
The expert recognized immediately that it was a crude forgery.
To describe the act of forging, the structure 'die Fälschung von + [noun in the dative plural/genitive]' is often used. Typical examples are 'die Fälschung von Dokumenten' (the forgery of documents) or 'die Fälschung von Kunstwerken' (the forgery of works of art).
Ihm wird die Fälschung von Unterschriften vorgeworfen.
He is accused of forging signatures.
copy
A Kopie is an exact reproduction and can be made without any intention to deceive. A Fälschung, by contrast, is a copy that is intended to be passed off as an original. Use Kopie for an authorized or neutral reproduction, and Fälschung when it is used fraudulently.
Das Museum erkannte, dass das Gemälde eine Fälschung war und als Original verkauft werden sollte.
The museum realized that the painting was a fake and was intended to be sold as the original.
Für den Unterricht machte ich eine Kopie des Gemäldes, ohne sie als Original auszugeben.
I made a copy of the painting for class without passing it off as the original.
