Handy or handy?

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Das Handy looks English but is not: in German it is a mobile phone, while English says mobile or cell phone. The English adjective handy is praktisch in German.

das Handy

The mobile phone, neuter, plural die Handys. A German word built from English parts, unknown in English.

Mein Handy ist schon wieder leer.My phone is out of battery again.

praktisch

What English handy means: useful, easy to use. An adjective, so written in lower case.

Die kleine Tasche ist wirklich praktisch.The small bag is really handy.

The mistake

Diese App ist sehr Handy.

Diese App ist sehr praktisch.

In German, Handy is exclusively a noun naming a device. It does not exist as an adjective.

Rule of thumb

Capitalised it is in your pocket; in lower case the word does not exist - use praktisch there.

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