Feli, just fyi, umgangssprachlich wird zwar von Beamtenbeleidigung gesprochen, aber ich habe es vor einiger Zeit recherchiert. Diesen Straftatbestand gibt es im deutschen Recht nicht.
@@FelifromGermany Hm, im Video ist aber von Beamtenbeleidigung die Rede (siehe ab 11:50 Minuten), deswegen habe ich darauf aufmerksam gemacht. Aber fein, allet jut. Gutnacht.
I am German and I love your videos. I learn a lot (I didn't know most of the laws you mentioned, I just naturally follow this because I grew up with it) and love how respectful you talk about both cultures!
When I was stationed in Germany in the early 80's, my barracks was on a small Air Force installation in Wiesbaden, Lindsey Air Station, which was actually in a residential neighborhood; from time to time, guys in the barracks would blast music from their stereos on a Sunday with their windows wide open, disturbing the German neighbors across the street. Unfortunately for them, the Polizei had the authority to come onto the installation and confiscate their stereos, and confiscate they did. Surprise, surprise, suckers! I was glad they did it too, because I like peace and quiet on a Sunday myself.
Well, you were still within the borders of another country, even though I thought I heard somewhere that military bases are an exception to that rule. Meh, could just depend on the situation, I guess.
Military bases aren't usually considered sovereign territory like an embassy is. Most countries aren't like the US in terms of having military bases in other countries either. In the vast majority of cases, that country claims the land as part of their own, then establishes a military base to reinforce that claim (see China, any number of islands in the South China Sea, for example). So while they may be overseas bases, they are still in their home country, or at least their claimed territory. The US operates a little differently in that we often times share (lease portions of) an ally's base to entice them to keep it open and remain present in a region (see UK, Diego Garcia, Indian Ocean) or lease the land and build a base for ourselves (see US/NATO, Ramstein AFB, Germany). In the latter two examples, should the host country decide they no longer want the US present, we have to leave. Caveat to this is that the details of the agreements can establish time frames and hand overs of power, and one would hope any such occurrence would be amicable and following the terms, but we still have to go, because the land isn't sovereign territory of the US. (I forget the name of the base, but this has happened in Australia. The US got an agreement to come in and build a base for satellite monitoring or something like that, was building the base out when Aus elected a new Prime Minister that wasn't a fan of the project and kicked the US out of that base, and then moved Aus personnel in... Because why let a nice new base go to waste.)
@@Stant123 De Gaulle kicked the US military out of France in the 1960s. I was a child at the time and I remember my great uncle, who was a retired colonel in the French army warmly approving the move. Most French people thought then that the US was trying to meddle in French domestic politics, which did not go down well at all.
I just love your bright and shiny optimistic disposition ❤!!! We need more people with your outlook. As a longtime Cincinnati resident, thank you for making our town a better place.
My boyfriend lived in Lebanon, Ohio and invited me to his h.s. reunion in '15. Excellent place! There's a Lebanon in Ga., Pa., and Tenn. too., but I've never been to the one in Ga.-where I live.
0:32 :"are Germans obsessed with rules?". I'm from the Netherlands and this is what we says about our German neighbors "In the Netherlands everything is allowed, unless it's explicitly forbidden. In Germany everything is forbidden, unless it's explicitly allowed" 🤣
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it is perfectly legal to mow the lawn on a sunday or play piano 24/7. what is illegal is to bother your neighbors with noise, thats the spirit of the law, not the ban of doing some stuff. if you dont have neighbors or a soundproof room you can do whatever you want.
There is actually the Rasenmäherlärmschutzverordnung, which explicitely forbids using lawnmowers and devices for blowing fallen leaves together in residential areas during Sundays and the protected hours in residential areas for private purposes. For the piano and almost everything else you are right, you just have to keep the noise down to the legally accepted levels at your neighbours estates, so if you are far enough away from other people's houses or have a well isolated room, you can make noise there 24/7.
So, if you have an electric or a manual push mower that makes little or no noise, you can use it on Sunday then? I have a push mower, and that's what I like about it; I can mow my grass early or late, and not upset my neighbors.
Thank you so much for all you have shared with us. I lived in McGraw Kaserne, Garmisch, Berchesgarten, and Chiemsee from 70-73. Became a DOD teacher and spent 79-83 in Stuttgart. Still married to the taxie driver I met at the Messe in Cologne in 2004. Strangest German law I've heard is needing a license (Platzreife) to play golf in Germany. Insurance is not required. Liebe die Deutschen.🇩🇪
Platzreife is not a license nor is it particularly German. It is proof that a player has acquired the skills to play. Usually subject to a test (theory and practice). Applies in Switzerland and Austria too.
The one about making noise on Sunday reminded me of Oliver Hardy telling Laurel "Stanley, if you must make noise, do it QUIETLY." The camera then moves to Stan Laurel with that blank expression thinking "How the heck am I supposed to do this?"
I really enjoyed your presentation. I lived in Germany for over 25 years. After learning the language the one thing that impressed me greatly was the text written on the courthouse in Frankfurt a M, Something that shaped my thinking and life. The most important thing I have ever read, "Die Würde des Menschen ist unantastbar".
unfortunately it's no longer "silence" while many people are talking loud with their smartphones all the time. Was in Japan some time ago, and that was much better, as even noone will talk (may only whisper) in metro or busses
I´m 47 and from Berlin, Germany. Yes, I agree, the generation of the seventies ande the eighties, has a appreciation for silence and respect. I learned this from my familiy.We call this ,,Anstand" = Decency. Younger Generations and a lot of imigrants are different in behavior and prefferences. And the respect goes away, more and more, sadly.
Where I'm from, it's ten o clock courtesy. I got this from camping as I usually don't have many neighbors in the Northwest. Ten o clock courtesy seems to apply across all of America.
Well except I thought the Germans were supposed to be efficient, and it is extremely inefficient for everyone to be designated to take the same day off. Because then if I'm free to do something because I'm not working at my job, now there's no point because everything is closed on the same day I'm taking off too.
The laws are actually quite similar across European countries, so these doesn't apply only for Germany. I'm from Slovakia and I can assure you, that most of these "crazy" laws apply in Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and many more. (some even in UK) The contrast is only strong if you are comparing Europe to US.
I’m a Brit who has lived in Germany for several years. Their rules and regulations are sensible AND, contrary to preconceptions, Germans are fun loving and have a great sense of humour. 🤣❤️
Meanwhile, here in the USA, some guy named Superman gives a cop the middle finger after running out of gas on the highway while bringing his late father home in an urn.
Love the fact that you mentioned it's illegal to leave your car on the side on the Interstate in Youngstown, Ohio. I wish this were enforced! I'm from Youngstown, and let me tell you, there are cars on the side of the interstate DAILY!!! lol By the way, I have also lived in Germany. First while stationed there in the Army. Then, after I got out, I moved back with my German wife (now ex-wife). I really enjoy watching your videos. It's bringing back so many wonderful memories. ❤Thank you!!!
I live pretty close to Youngstown and was not aware of that. I'll definitely have to be careful now when I go there for the cheaper gas! 😂 But yeah, there's always a ton of abandoned cars along the highways around the area.
She should've explained the reason, because of course there is one, hehe: Broken down cars (the avoidable ones with missing gas for example), morons with bicycles or walking on the Autobahn, people who forgot how to secure their break-down or accident (with effing correct placed warning triangles and safety vests ... that basic knowledge is PART of the driving license test) are responsible for around 140 deaths and a much bigger number of life-threatening/changing injuries (statistics based on 2020). Those are AVOIDABLE! You may get the wrong imagination, but the total number of deaths per year on the Autobahn is 2600. Those 140 are massive, tragic and as I said avoidable just by common sense and getting over your own laziness ... oh, and they are lost forever. Greetings from a random fire department girl here in Germany. I wish you good and above all accident-free driving, Joe!:)
Hi Feli, even though you make these videos more for the US citizens to explain how things work in Germany it is for me coming from the Netherlands really interesting to understand how some things actually work in the US. The Netherlands and Germany are off course neighbours so a lot you tell about Germany is the same for us like all the rules plus we dutchies also like to plan almost every minute of our day, even if we do nothing we like to plan that in advance🥴! One difference is that we can take a urn back home even though I think that is kind of creepy. Greetings from the Netherlands (not far from the German border and city Nordhorn)🙋🏼♂️
Good that you mentioned that, I'm from the Netherlands but I've been living in Germany since quite some time now, and I was really surprised that you're not allowed to take an urn home... my Dutch grandmother has her urn at home so I was used to that. Weird :) But I think the rest of the laws apply in the Netherlands as well, besides the fact that we're also loud people :D
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I'm Dutch myself and I do feel (though not with scientifical evidence ;-)) that in the Netherlands law enforcement prefers not to act upon people breaking laws if they don't have to (or hope that their presence will be enough to stop it), and in Germany they would more often feel it as their duty to enforce the laws at all times.
Hey Feli, bin auch Auslandsdeutscher, und finde daher dein Blog besonders zutreffend. Hast du dir überlegt evtl. ein Paar deiner Videos auf deutsch zu drehen? Es würde wahrscheinlich nicht nur die paar deutsche wie wir die langfristig im Ausland wohnen interessieren, sondern auch andere in den USA die sich sprachlich erweitern wollen. Nur eine Idee, weiter so! Olli
In my German classes, I was taught that "du" is a familiar form only to be used with close friends. Everyone else is "Sie", unless they say call me "du". That is a sign of someone extending a hand of friendship. I held this rule well when I was living near Mainz, and it always worked out well, even though Americans tend to be more casual in their conversation.
Just a suggestion, but your fellow RUclipsr Caitlin at “Ask a Mortician” might be interested in talking to you about German funeral laws. Her channel is about death and burial customs, but she keeps it pretty light and good humored despite the subject matter.
As a Danish trucker I was often stopped by the German police. During the last maybe 20 years I think, they have loosened up a bit using the informal du. And I have done the same to them, without running into any trouble. And while we are at it: I was once employed by a company owner (trucks) of German origin, and I never had a boss who was more honest to work with. Not alone did he follow the rules, but he didn't try to bend them, as people often do.
As a (retired) german cop, I usually try to assess the situation and use either Du or Sie depending on the environment/atmosphere and the type of person I'm talking to...and the reason for talking to them. If it's just a stop without any suspicion of a crime and if it's friendly atmosphere then I tend to say Du, if it's something serious where etiquette matters it's a Sie from me. If someone uses Du to talk to me I would usually Du them back unless it's a serious thing, then I'd make them realize that they've used the wrong terminology to adress me as a person of respect. It's also an age thing, I would usually never say Du to a person significantly older then me unless they Du me first, that's a common way to approach this, that the older person decides if it's a Du or a Sie. If it is ever fined (which I never heard of) then it must be because the other person uses Du to disrespect the police officer/detective (I would assume).
@@moos5221 This is a perfect common sense approach. Here in Italy we use "tu" for "do" and "lei" for "Sie" and the approach is exactly the same: depending on the situation/atmsphere we use one or the other and the older, usually, decides. The main difference is that using "tu" in the wrong situation may be considered a "minor" lack of respect which will be corrected but cannot lead to any fine.
@@garrettjackson7865 You don't get stopped for not wearing seatbelts, for having children standing on the seats or having broken lights or if you run a stop sign, red light or going twice the speed limit in America? Or what are you trying to say? Those aren't considered crimes in Germany, it's Ordnungswidrigkeiten.
The best German "law" I came across was when visiting some friends in Hamburg. We were stopping a short train ride away from the city and I was desperate to use the bathroom/toilet. A friend told me to go to the local fish restaurant and ask to use theirs. I did and there was no questioning looks given me. As there is/was no public toilet to use a restaurant apparently cannot deny usage of the bathroom area. Seems very sensible to me.
To my knowledge, they can ask for a small amount of money, however. No matter whether that's true or not, if time is running short for a restroom visit, you better don't start a debate about what your rights are... and 50% of what you read about it in the internet is wrong anyway. Give a 1-2€ tip, run into the toilet and say thank you when you leave. That's better than getting your will and having shitty underwear for the rest of the day. A small tip is good manners anyway.
I used to go south on U.S. Highway 127 in Kentucky and along the way I would see a shop with a sign saying Hitler's Welding. I assume it was the welder's last name. You said that it illegal in Germany to name a child Hitler, but I assume you are talking about the child's first name. What about the last name and does Germany have business signs like the one I used to see in Kentucky. I have not travelled down that highway for about 20 years, so I don't know if the business is still there. Apparently, since it looked to be an old business, the name was not fatal to the enterprise.
12:22 can confirm. When I moved to Germany I had to ask cops for directions and I used the "Du" a few times, until one politely told me to stick to "Sie". Yo yes; if you are a foreigner you get some degree of patience in that regard. Greetings from Düsseldorf. Subscribed :)
Most of our police officers are patient and polite. My father forgot his driver's license and his ID AND forgot to wear his helmet while driving his moped. Result? My mom and I looked confused as two policemen walked in our kitchen, helping my father carrying the groceries while telling him to not forget such important things. No fee, just a friendly warning. Will never forget the scene...policeman with a salad..
In Virginia we have annual vehicle safety inspection every year for all vehicles registered in the Commonwealth. Also, you can be fined by the State Police for running out of fuel on the interstate. Recently in the last couple of years it is also illegal to travel in the left lane if not passing but it rarely gets enforced.
Strange that you recognize that Virginia is a commonwealth yet still call the police State Police? How does that compute? If Virginia is not a state, how can they have state police? (yes I grew up in Virginia)
Yeah…in Iowa the left lane thing is true. I e never seen someone get pulled over for it…despite going 80 mph (limit is 65mph). The should lose their license for life, but again…never the cherries and berries (pulled over…refers to lights)
_'illegal to travel in the left lane if not passing but it rarely gets enforced.'_ Lane discipline is important because its improves road safety and travel efficiency.
@@birdandcatlover5597 "Cherries and berries", that's funny! When I was growing up, State Police had a big red rotating light on the roof and we called them "gumballs". That term has long gone extinct, though.
@@jamesf5150 you should see the lights the newer Iowa police or state trooper vehicles use...you can see them as long as nothing is blocking your vision! Lights on the license plates, lights around all the taillights, lights in the window...all of them moving. And the standard bar of lights on the roof
By the way, "du" fascinates me as a word. It is a cognate cognate of "thou" in English (previously "Þu" in Old English) and "tu" in Spanish. It's interesting that Þ looks like a D and the D is what German ended up using in "du". The Þ made a th sound and is where we got "thou" from in early modern English, though it is archaic to use now. But it was in fact the formal way to say "you". Spanish doesn't use the d or Þ, but rather the t. Spanish being Latin based shares an older connection to the Germanic languages in Indo-European. So, it's really so interesting that the Þ, which manifests as D in other Germanic languages, made a th sound, because the D in spanish also make more of a th sound than a hard D sound. Sorry for the novel.
Other way around. The formal way was ye (you was originally object pronoun of ye). The informal way was thou. But since the French came up with their vous (which sounds a bit as you), it became very rude to use thou. So everybody started using the formal ye/you/your/yours instead of the informal thou/thee/thy/thine for formal *and* informal situations. And now they start saying y'all/you guys to distinguish between singular and plural. That is crazy.
@@lexmole If thou was the original informal, then what I said is right. Tú in Spanish is also the informal. What am I missing. Are you saying that Þu in Old English and du in German are the formal forms? Not arguing. I'm getting clarification on what you're correcting me about.
I was stationed at Ramstein Air Base in the Air Force and worked on the flight line. We did very limited air operations on Sundays because it violated the German noise laws.
My Ex came back to me few days ago I got help from a Relationship Restore Dr Kayode Who was able to mend back my broken relationship and make my ex to come back and beg for a second chance.He can bring your ex back,and he also do a lot of work also like Financial problem,and court case, lottery spell etc....
My Ex came back to me few days ago I got help from a Relationship Restore Dr Kayode Who was able to mend back my broken relationship and make my ex to come back and beg for a second chance.He can bring your ex back,and he also do a lot of work also like Financial problem,and court case, lottery spell etc.....
I am German and live close to a military base and I can confirm that these super loud aircrafts are annoying on Sundays. Typical German here as it seems :-)
I loved the five years I lived in Germany (Hesse, Friedberg, Bad Nauheim and Ffm). One of the reasons I enjoyed my time there was that the society had structure. I knew what to expect in conversations, dining or just wanderung. (My favorite German law was the reinheitsgebot..) This give me Heimweh.
Hi, ich lebe in Deutschland und schaue Deine Videos sehr gerne, da sie zum einen immer informativ und interessant gestaltet sind, zum anderen aber auch, weil mich die Sichtweise der Amerikaner auf uns Deutsche so besser verstehen kann.
I found the point at 10:40 quite interesting as someone living in India! In Hindi, "Tu" similar to "Du" is the informal way to refer to someone while "Aap" is the formal way to do that
That's cool. In Spanish, it's also "tú." (The accent mark on the u doesn't change its pronunciation, but simply differentiates it from "tu" meaning "your.")
Yes! We found the limits on cemeteries very interesting when we visited family in Germany on one of our recent trips. It would be good to hear your perspective on cemetery rules and how families honor their loved ones after the limits are met. I’m also wondering how expensive it is to have a funeral and to purchase a burial plot.
Just back from a German funeral. The undertaker organized everything, cremation, obituary, flowers, notifying the offices and all, and takes ca. € 5000. Where I grew up (Nuremberg area), it is customary to have fresh flowers and a burning lantern on the graves twice a year, on Good Friday and on 1st November (All Saint's Day). Moreover, you should always keep your graves neat and clean. This mirrors your respect for your deceased relatives, in the same way that your neat and clean front yard mirrors your character. City people may object, but life in German villages is like this.
One interesting bit is the regulations for what you are allowed to have on your headstone. Yes, even that is regulated. You can't just have random quotes or symbols on a headstone.
@@uliwitness Being the last in my line there is no need for me to have a headstone or even a burial. Lasst die wildschweine gut fressen an mich. Horiddo/Weidmannsheil.
Came here to say that. "Beamten" have no better status than anybody else, It's more like it's getting legally pursued more often by cops, and that there are usually two of them, so they have witness to the incident.
3 is so interesting. When I lived there I worked with German hairstylist who was around 60yrs at the time on base who basically denied it. I was astonished. I also knew a girl who in the mid 1990.s was around 20 yrs old & she didn’t think Eastern Germans were “really” German. It was crazy to me. I’m loving your videos.
Just a slight correction: Checking your car every 2 years is actually called "Hauptuntersuchung" or HU. TÜV is just the organisation that had a monopole performing those check ups for a long time. Nowadays there are plenty of other places as well. As always thx for your video!
In Great Britain cars have to be inspected every 12 months, referred to as an MOT (from Ministry of Transport). My car has just failed its MOT, some expensive repairs to do! :-(
In America, the law is different from state to state. I'm in Maryland, and we have checks every 2 years for toxic emissions in the exhaust, but the full vehicle check is only required when it is being sold. Nearby in Virginia, they have a full check every 2 years (which includes the exhaust), and are required to put a state-issued sticker on the window to prove they are up to date.
@@evilbob840 Fun fact, US rules for emissions from diesel cars are more restrictive than any German or European law, despites we got a reglementation about how clean a car must run to enter urban areas. BMW sells in the US cleaner cars than at home and forbids to built in parts produced for the US market into EU versions to get cars green enough for German cities. BMW = a**holes.
10:26 Yes, I'd like you to talk about funerals and cemeteries and the differences between German and American ones. I also noticed differences between German cemeteries and those of other countries like France or the UK for instance which are usually more spectacular in grave architecture. At lest where I'm from in Germany, I don't know how this applies to other regions or whether there's a difference between protestant and catholic cemeteries for instance.
Since you mention it: iirc... there is this law commonly refereed as "Law of the rest of the dead". Which basically means that you may get fined for screaming or making noise while visiting a cemetery :)
The biggest difference is that cemeteries in the US are usually run by funeral companies or religious groups who sell their grave sites and set their rules individual. In Germany, the cemeteries usually belong to the municipality or city, or municipal companies. In a few regions they still belong to the churches (but must be open for every religion or atheists). There are only very few private companies in this part of business, e.g. FriedWald. Municipalities and cities determine the individual options for funerals. Since there is a funeral obligation in almost all federal states, you do not have to advertise for customers and need to accept every special requests. Mostly they allow what is most cost-effective for them. Maintaining cemeteries is extremely expensive. The burial fees, you have to pay for a grave, do not cover the costs. In the two largest cemeteries in Europe, the Hauptfriedhof in Vienna and that in Hamburg Ohlsdorf, hygienic considerations played a role. In the big cities you didn't know where to go with the many corpses (many more people died than in our time, the birth and death rate was enormous), the cemeteries around and in churches were full and became a health risk. Therefore, the cemeteries were moved far outside the city and burials within the city walls were forbidden. Our burial traditions are ancient, some of them are from pre-Christian times. They correspond to the climatic and geological conditions on site. In the USA and GB there is no (longer) this uniform culture. Bill Bryson describes in his book "At Home: A Short History of Private Life" (2010) how the great cemeteries in England came about. It's very interesting and a bit disgusting.
@@Irochi Yes and no. Making noise at a cementary is of course usually forbidden, but that is in the local house rules of the community that runs the cementary and (if it is a public cementary) can be fined as a misdemeanour (Ordnungswidrigkeit). The law you mean that is called Störung der Totenruhe (§ 168 StGB) has nothing to do with being quiet, Ruhe is more accurately translated as "rest" in that context ("disturbing the rest of the dead"). That law rules the crime of damaging or defiling a grave or memorial to a dead person or stealing, damaging or defiling a corpse.
German cemeteries are usually rather new, hence they look quite monotone. Visit one of the few surviving older ones - and you will see that in the 19th century we had some great grave architecture, too. In Hannover that would be the Gartenfriedhof, for example.
What amazed me about German Cemeteries is that you don't buy a grave site you rent it. If your family doesn't keep paying for grave the remains are moved to an unmarked section and the tombstone removed and someone else can rent the plot and put their tombstone on it. In the US you buy the grave site and it belongs to you forever.
Lol! I love this! I am a 65 yr old American man through and through. That being said though, I am also a thoughtful American who desires to live at peace with my neighbors and family, and so with freedom comes responsibility. I don't find the laws mentioned here to be that terrible. I would wholeheartedly be behind them. However, it's fun and informative to hear what other countries are doing. Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to the next time! How do you like Cincinnati? I grew up in and around Newark and the Buckeye Lake area back in the 60s and 70s. It is so different now from that time.
My relative vacationed in Germany with her family. She said that if you wanted to do any shopping in the small town where they were staying, you had to get up early because all of the shops closed at noon. Back in the 70’s, Texas had blue laws that outlawed the sale of certain items on Sunday. Once, a clerk at the grocery store told me that I couldn’t buy a quart of motor oil on Sunday so I drove to the auto parts store and bought the oil.
That sounds to me sonehow exaggerated or at least very special; I was raised in a small village in Hessia, and as far as I can remember (over 50 years!) the shops are open at least up to 6pm. They might be closed sometimes during noontime between 1 and 3pm, which is btw not so long as in Italy for example...
That was probably on a Saturday then. Smaller shops are often only open until 1 pm or 3 pm on Saturdays, then the weekend begins for them and they open again on Monday. During the week, pretty much all shops are open the whole day (during normal business hours). Small shops may have a noon break though. I also know some shops that also have other businesses running, like e.g. their workshop as a bike shop, and they are only open half a day, but they mostly choose the afternoon.
I believe in the aviation world it is illegal to run out of fuel too. This doesn't include mechanical problems with the aircraft but more specifically when too little fuel is pumped into the fuel tanks.
Certain airlines have gotten into trouble with this because they decide to use smaller airplanes for longer trips to save money, but then have to land mid-flight to refuel if they end up using more fuel than expected.
Very interesting video about German laws and here in Norway, Sundays are considered quiet rest days too, where you're not allowed to use noisy equipment that could annoy others. I'm actually going to your hometown Munich next year and I'm so excited to go! I'm planning on working on my German until then so the Babbel app could come in very handy for that! :)
In the USA, in my neighborhood on Sunday, you hear more chainsaws and lawnmowers than on any other day. I'd lose a lot of sleep on Sunday, If I didn't run an effective white-noise generator in my bedroom.
Hallo Feli, when I lived in Germany back in the early 80’s there was a law that you could not do laundry, work on your car, no stores were open etc. on Sunday’s. It was taboo. We used have our stores closed on Sundays as well except one small one that was open from 9am-1pm. Almost everyone went to church. Was nice and quiet and relaxing. Thank you for your videos. 😊
The stores are still mostly closed on Sundays - not many people go to church now though (people identifying as Christian are a minority in Germany now).
Just about everything would close on Saturdays and Sundays in Germany. Except the bars. That was many years ago maybe things have changed. But some laws are crazy. We used to have a law here in SA that shops could be open on Sundays but could not sell pool chemicals or dog food. Those were cordoned off with a fence. I don't know what they had against dogs...
My original college major was music performance with piano as primary instrument. To have my technique, performance ability, and sight reading skill at that level of proficiency, I practiced 4 to 5 hours on weekdays throughout high school (the Amazon Original movie Nocturne captures truths about devotion to the instrument). I didn't, however, live in a rental apartment. I can't imagine subjecting people, other than my parents, to an hour daily of scales, arpeggios, Hanon, and Schmitt exercises before turning to new material. Listening to the repetition would have driven most people out of their minds. In hindsight, there are a variety of good reasons to place time limits on nascent piano perfectionists, not the least of which involves interacting with people other than the piano.
German here. The existance of rule does not mean, that everybody sticks to them ... Might be okay in some casese, and very, very not okay in other. There is this german saying: "Wo kein Richter, da kein Angeklagter!" - If there is no judge, the is no defendant. As long as nobody calls the police for playing the piano to long, there is no problem. Also interesing in this context: Children can be as loud as they want to be, because the sounds of them playing are not considered as "noise" from a legal point of view. Playing with each other, if they play the piano, the cited "law about musik at home" might come into action, i am no lawyer, sorry!
@@justus8675 Interesting! Also similar to, "If a tree falls in a forest and there is no one around to hear it..." The children's play exception makes me think of, perhaps funny, hypothetical situations where two young kids play a duet on a toy piano. Given, it may not be funny to hear for any prolonged period... The specificity creates questions such as, does it have to be a real piano? Are all percussion instruments included? Would a harpsichord or organ be included? It's also interesting that a trumpetist or trombonist would be granted more practice time, if I remember correctly. There usually are not many legal restrictions on playing instruments in apartment or condominium complexes here, although incurring the wrath of your neighbor could be worse than a legal transgression!
In the Czech Republic, up until recently, you could not give your child an English name. It had to be on the approve list of Czech names. So an American married to a Czech had to agree on a Czech name.
Well, similar situations with almost every country - primarily due to convenience, names are to be used by others (mainly locals) calling their holders ;) In Poland we have a general rule names should exist, not be a short form of another name and be able to be spoken by a Polish person. If a registry official has doubts if the name is valid, he can ask the Polish Language Council for a binding opinion if the name can be used or not (in the latter case, it can land on the list of prohibited names). Also traditionally names that end with -a are reserved for females, due to grammar.
Yes, we have the same in Poland, you cannot give your child a pagan name like Kasia, Asia, Basia, Jadzia, Tadzik, Kazik, and you can only give christian names instead and old pagan names are nowadays considered diminutive form and christian name is considered the main form of a particular name. Not Kasia but Katarzyna, not Asia but Joanna, not Basia but Barbara, not Jadzia but Jadwiga, not Tadzik but Tadeusz, not Kazik but Kazimierz.
Not in that case. You could always (last 20 years) give a foreign name if your spouse was from a foreign country or if you were expected to live in a foreign country with a child. And there was never a list per se. It's only limited to existing names and when in doubt, you have to prove that it is an existing name.
The names situation is quite interesting: A lot of it depends on the official handling your case (which is usually assigned to you based on the first letter of your last name, so randomly). If they accept a name you're usually fine. Some are quite liberal, others insist on "germanic" names. There are also exceptions for foreigners, letting them pick a name from their own culture. In the end, if you can convince your official, and the name is not an insult, you're golden. People have got through Lord of the Rings names by finding a similar-sounding Swedish name and claiming it was just a different transcription of that old Germanic name.
that's not exactly true, there are rules about how you can name your child and if you want to name your child with some "unusual" name it has to be approved by expert witness/judge advocate (soudní znalec v oboru jména). The name you want has to be used anywhere in the world as actual name. If you were denied to name your child with English first name it was wrong.
Hi, Feli from Germany! I like your lawn mowing and music playing laws! I like to sleep late on weekends and I hate it when people work early on weekends! And, yes, we have a lot of weird laws in America, too!
Saturday is considered a working day in Germany. So, of course people who can’t mow their grass during the week are doing it at that day, without any problem.
@@agn855 Oh, so you only get one day off on the weekend? I guess it is too hard for you to have some courtesy for you neighbors and start your mowing later in the day! (and people complain that Americans are rude?)
A few years ago, there was an EU study on regulatory density. It found that within the EU, Germany has only a medium number of laws and regulations. Italy, for example, which is considered more casual, has almost a third more legal regulations. The difference is then probably that Germans also adhere to the rules. On the other hand, rules in some countries are also applied arbitrarily not to say only if there is not a small "donation".
Absolutely right. Before our daughter went to Bulgaria for a students exchange we got informations about the youth protection laws there. Much stricter then Germany. And then the information that nearly nothing is enforced.
@@janosvarga962 Enforcement is only one aspect here. I totaly agree that rules will be disregarded if they are not enforced. But there is also a common attitude beyond the fear of punishment.
In Mexico's case many of the laws are just because the police is extremely lazy and very rarely do investigations (a few years back Amnesty International denounced in some prison it was about 90% of the inmates were caught on the spot and for between 40-50% of robberies were for amounts equivalent to about 50€). So laws are in many cases not exactly to make living easier but to stop someone with less impediment and it's easier to see on the street: a random stop sign on a thoroughfare, bike lane ends and can't ride on sidewalk as it isn't shared as would normally happen in many other places, "one-and-one" intersection with a two lane street so if you do the most logical thing of both cars passing at the same time one of them can still be stopped by police, and so on...
I am so glad I happened to watch this today because I also happened to find myself a little puzzled as to why these two sentences were so different: “Kommst du aus Russland, Boris?” vs “Kommen Sie aus Schweden, Herr Nobel?”
There is an old American saying about the difference between America and European countries. " In America, everything is permitted unless it is prohibited by law and in Europe, everything is prohibited unless it is permitted by law."
I was stationed in Germany while in the US Army some time ago,. I would routinely drive on the Autobahn in a 4x4 Army truck. One winter day there was a light snow and traffic was backed up a bit especially on the Ausfart (Exit Ramp). I could see that I could easily take a short cut to my exit by leaving the pavement for a short distance downhill in the snow so I did... What surprised me when I looked into my rear view mirror was that I had a short line of German vehicle following me, kind of like sheep, all they needed was a leader...
The problem with this is, it is also illegal on german "Autobahn" to leave it on another way than the official "Ausfahrt". In fact you have to drive further on, if an "Ausfahrt" is blocked.
Thats illegal in Germany but also very illegal in the USA. Commonsense tells you that practice is very dangerous. Ignoring lanes and exits is common in Thailand (where my wife is from). They also have one of the highest accident and death rates in proportion to the number of miles driven, mainly because of ignoring rules.
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I heard it is apparently illegal in Germany to wash your car on the street or on private property. You have to take it to an actual car wash so they can dispose of the soapy run-off water properly to protect the environment. As someone who regularly forgets to wash their car, that's not too much of an issue for me but driveway/on-street car washing is quite common in the UK.
German here, its true.. i am not allowed to wash my car in my property.. but it depents very much in which part of germany you live in. In some Municipals its allowed to rinse it off with clear water, but some municipals say its forbitten because of all the greese and oil that could come off.. some parts of germany allow cleaning the car if the property has a drainage for grey/black water..
Thats actually true and because of the potential of environmental pollution. Therefore we have designated cleaning parks or specific cleaning places at car stations. Those areas are ground sealed in order that no oil or other liquids are able to penetrate the soil. But those cleaning parks or even the automated systems at gas stations are usually closed during Sundays due making noise...
@@ClaudiaG.1979 If you do equip the drain of your garage with a oil separator ( Ölabscheider) you are allowed to wash your car in your garage. But most people don’t do this of course.
Regarding baby names, there are similar rules in Australia. Late last year, a TV show attempted to demonstrate the process. A pregnant presenter on the show WTFAQ (What The FAQ, a show that addressed viewer questions) registered her baby name as "Amphetamine Rules" to show how it would be rejected. It passed. Fortunately for the child, they recognised it as a mistake and corrected it.
There are books devoted on listing crazy American laws that are still in effect. For instance, if you have a refrigerator on your front porch in Pennsylvania (more common than you think, actually) it's illegal so sleep on it. I do, in fact, know someone who was issued a warning for this. He was smoking (not tobacco) on his front porch one warm July night and fell asleep on top of his nice, cool freezer chest. The cops woke him up and informed him it has been illegal since at least the mid-19th century. Pennsylvania also has laws about singing in the shower. If your neighbors can hear you (think if you live in an apartment complex with thin walls) they can, perhaps rightly, call the police and you will receive a citation.
That only applied to Autobahns. I used to travel at night and I remember seeing queues of trucks waiting for midnight (or maybe 11pm) then they would all start up and set off.
@@csnide6702 That would be trash in the usa. Bigger road network, more areas are reachable by vehicle than by train. But you don't care about people in areas outside your own.
When getting my Aufenthaltserlaubnis in Bayern I had to sign a form declaring that I was not a member of a whole page of different groups. One by one I went through the list and declared that I wasn't affiliated with one group then another. The best part, though, was the final question, which asked me, "have you lied on this form?".
After taking German nationality due to Brexit (we've lived in Germany for 32 years) One question on the form was "Are you prepared to give up your original nationality?" I ticked the "no" box. In the interview I was told you have to say yes otherwise you won't get the German nationality. I'm still dual nationality now but I have to be "prepared" to give up my UK nationality if needs be 😊
Yeah that's cool, isn't it? I've seen such a question myself somewhere on a form and you better be honest with the answer. Though, more often than not you just need to confirm that you told the truth and did not lie.
Here in Austria the rules about making noise vary by Gemeinde, but for where we live it's : Weekdays & Saturday - No noise before 08:00, between 12:00 - 14:00 or after 19:00. Sunday - No noise at all. When i moved here from the UK (basically no rules) i found it really strange and restricting, but i've grown to like it a lot. It means planning things a bit more, but that's not really a hardship.
@@ProctorsGamble We actually have local noise laws in my village in Ohio. The problem is that people do not know of them, and would ignore them anyway.
"Whether it'll be a reason for bullying later in life." That right there, parents in the U.S.A. name their kids anything they WANT, they're not worrying about bullying later in life, they're just naming their kids, thinking "it's just a name" but when people joke about their name, then it's something different.
Correct. Michael is a popular first name and Hunt a popular surname. But you don't call your son Michael if your surname is Hunt, as Michael is very often abbreviated to Mike. I'll let you work that one out 🥶🥵
Here in America, the state of New Jersey removed a child from its parents because they named their child Hitler. They also removed another child within a day after birth to prevent another child from another name disaster. This was done during the mid '90's. The parents were full blown Neo-Nazis.
Makes me think of that skit with the teacher in the classroom😅"La-sha?!" / "It's pronounced "La-dash-uh" 🤣Parents like that need Judge Judy Sheindlin in their life
Yes. In a lot of other countries, many of these things are also illegal, but they tend to come under broader laws that leave more room for interpretation. As an example, here in the UK it's not explicitly against the law to run out of fuel on a motorway, but if you run out of fuel and end up blocking a live lane, you are likely to get in trouble, even worse if there is an accident.
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I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but the corresponding word for 'you' in German is 'Sie,' and the equivalent for the old English 'thou' is 'du.' Interestingly, at some point, English speakers began using the more respectful form 'you' not just for authority figures like policemen, but for everyone.
My Ex came back to me few days ago I got help from a Relationship Restore Dr Kayode Who was able to mend back my broken relationship and make my ex to come back and beg for a second chance.He can bring your ex back,and he also do a lot of work also like Financial problem,and court case, lottery spell etc....
@@Julian-tf8nj There are noise ordnances in cities and towns in the US. If your neighbor is having a very loud party, you can report them to the police. The police generally give a warning at least with the first violation. But if it continues the neighbor will get a fine for violating it.
9:28 Feli, this segment of your video inspired me to suggest a collaboration with fellow RUclipsr Caitlin Doughty of "Ask a Mortician". IMO, it would be fascinating to explore funeral customs, laws, etc. outside the U.S.
Another very enjoyable video! I was only unaware of der Friedhofszwang, possibly because the topic, thankfully, never came up while I was living in Germany. In Vienna, Austria, I received permission to keep the Urn with the ashes of my wife when she passed after 40 years of marriage. I had to jump through a number of hoops (receiving written permission from the owner of the building was the most difficult, because the owner was on an extended vacation and the management company in charge of everything else couldn´t give approval) aber ende gut, alles gut. The Urn has a place of honor in the living room. Very interesting that Bremen is a bit different than other parts of Germany. I enjoyed my time there very much, even though I spent much more time in Baden-Würtemberg and the Pfalz (or Palz, as the locals say).
Me, a German, practising my electronic drums on speakers 3 h straight, in my apartment on the highest floor, sweating, fearing for people below and around me to become annoyed. Good thing is that my apartment building apparently has good sound isolation. Although, I frequently hear a clarinet from the flat diagonally from me hehehe. Tbh, most Germans are like "as long as noone is bothered and telling me so, I'll just do it", at least according to instruments.
It's like other things where it's technically illegal but so long as nobody bothers to report it youll get away with it ... e.g. not allowed to swear in the street in UK ... it its not like the police have the time/inclination to trawl around for people to arrest/fine
@@jodiejackson3089 exactly. Also, I didn't even know practicing yiur instrument can be illegal. I always thought that the only time you can't be (too) loud is from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., our "Nachtruhe".
Seriously that's really weird! You don't need laws for that. I thought "not bothering your neighbors with loud music/instruments" was a common sense. I play electric guitar and I'm always careful with the volume depending on the time of the day. Only had one complaint to this day and tbh I was drunk and didn't notice that the volume was a bit too much for 11pm 😂 My neighbour told me I was too loud, I turned it off. Problem solved! I'm glad to hear most Germans also handle it this way! P.S. I'm definitely voting for "Eskimo Callboy" If they go to Eurovision 😁
The inspections are called HU (Hauptuntersuchung), the TÜV is just one of the companies (like Dekra as well), doing this inspection. It is not mandatory to use winter tyres during winter, only when you have 'winterliche Straßenverhältnisse' (winter road conditions), so ice, snow or slush. It is also forbidden to tow away a stranded car on an Autobahn further than to the next exit. You have to leave the Autobahn as soon as possible. You might want to ask Edward Snowden about the American freedom of speech. There are everywhere regulations about it. The night time period is from 10 pm to 6 am. There are just a few things, which are forbidden at 8 pm already.
@@pox1396 German law says that you have winter tyres on your car, when you meet winter conditions on the road. So technically you can get away with summer tyres in winter, as long as there is no snow, ice and cold temperatures. A starting date and end date doesn't exist. But this also means, that you will be in trouble, when you have an accident with ice or snow in autumn or spring, when a surprise early or late snowfall hits you, and still have or have already switched back to summer tyres on your car. The German lawmaker does this on purpose to leave the responibility for this with the car owners, because you would have done nothing wrong, when you caused an accident due to ice or snow outside of such fix dates while beeing on summer tyres. Due to the structure of German law regarding this, you could even try to blame the German government and claim compensation. This way it is always up to the car owners to do the right thing and it's independent from weather surprises.
Yes, I would be interested in a video about the differences between German and American cemeteries and funerals. And I agree with the folks who suggested a crossover with the Ask a Mortician channel.
My Ex came back to me few days ago I got help from a Relationship Restore Dr Kayode Who was able to mend back my broken relationship and make my ex to come back and beg for a second chance.He can bring your ex back,and he also do a lot of work also like Financial problem,and court case, lottery spell etc....
In 1985 I joined a group of students from Los Angeles City College to go to the Munchen German Language School for a month. My host family lived in Pullach and we had S/U bahn passes to get to and from the school. In that entire month, the family had the car out of the garage twice. Once to pick us up at the airport and another time they had a late, formal affair to attend and the trains would have stopped running! I always felt those commuter trains were brilliant and it was too bad that so many US cities did not have them.
USA has "case law" system, meaning every court case/ruling is becoming a law. This way many weird wordings could occur. I heard in Alaska there is a specific law prohibiting a "throwing out" of a living deer out of the plane during the flight ;)
... In Chicago it's prohibited to the firefighter to save from fire an undressed (properly) women ;) Felicia, you could make series based on "weird" US laws. Can't remember in which state, but it was a law prohibiting the people to wear an ice-cream in the back pocket...penalty is 3 days in prison...wow
Another series sequence could be made on US IFU (instructions for use)... E.g. in the IFU for electric blankets there is "It can't be used as a protection against tornado" ;) IFU for microwave oven states: "It can't be used for drying out pets" and it's based on a true story...
Case law in the US is only created by the appellate courts. Most cases do not reach the appellate courts. And the appellate judges normally apply the principle of stare decisis which means that they are bound so much as possible by prior decisions of the same court.
Being first generation Canadian, I grew up in a German/ polish home. And it was very quiet, no yelling, no making noise in the house. And now that I'm nearing 40, I very much enjoy my quiet time at home. With nothing playing in the background. The only thing I wish I did was upkeep on my German language lol.
There is a good reason for the "Friedhofszwang" in Germany. As there are often quarrels between relatives, gravesites are supposed be on public ground. That way everyone get's to visit the gave and mourn their loved one. Otherwise it could happen, that someone keeps the urn on his private property and denies others access to the grave.
what can be annoying is that children of deceased people are obliged to pay for the funeral, even if you are estranged. only in the case of very few scenarios you are not obliged to do so (iirc this includes something like being the victim of sexual molestation by that parent).
When I was stationed in West Germany in 1978-82. It was against the law to put your washing on the line on a Sunday, and shops were closed and big furniture stores were allowed to be open but there weren’t any transactions were allowed to take place. It was the best posting I had whilst I was in the army 👍👍👍👍👍
One remark: there is a difference between actual laws (as they have been passed by a parliament) and legal ruling by courts. In both cases you have legal bindings/rights/obligations, yet they differ quite a lot (one is democratically legitimised the other is a specification based on preexisting cases and interpretation of aforementioned laws). It is worth noting, that although the US/UK and German administration's are based on the rule of law, they have very distinct traditions. In Germany this goes back to Roman law and a law-on-case mantality: there is a different book of law for every situation. However, the US and the UK are both more hands on. They only pass laws every now and then in some broad manner and leave most of the details to the courts. There the laws are refined based on cases after its release. Germany does that as well, but far less extensive than other countries.
I LOVE your videos. It is so interesting to be able to learn about different cultures even if I can't go there, and I especially love your thoughts on America. Thanks for making these. 🙏
I once crossed a street in Germany - all quiet, no traffic, and a helpful German pointed out that the pedestrian crossing light was red. He was not scolding me, but bringing something to my attention that I must have missed. He was being helpful! I was amazed!
My Ex came back to me few days ago I got help from a Relationship Restore Dr Kayode Who was able to mend back my broken relationship and make my ex to come back and beg for a second chance.He can bring your ex back,and he also do a lot of work also like Financial problem,and court case, lottery spell etc.....
My Ex came back to me few days ago I got help from a Relationship Restore Dr Kayode Who was able to mend back my broken relationship and make my ex to come back and beg for a second chance.He can bring your ex back,and he also do a lot of work also like Financial problem,and court case, lottery spell etc.....
One American law that my European friends and relatives find odd is the law against public drinking. So you have to put your cans and bottles in a sack to drink from them. That's how you make it private when it's in public.
how about you? Don't you find it odd? When you drink out of a bag, it's more obvious that you're drinking alcohol than drinking straight from a bottle. I mean, what's the point of the law, since all it does is the exact opposite of what it's meant to do, which is limiting the promotion of alcohol. I am not saying alcohol should be promoted, but keeping a law that intends to limit the promotion of alcohol, that in fact promotes alcohol, is not not promoting alcohol.
I'm American and it drives me crazy. Germany seems to have laws where you want them (quiet, not ruining your kid's life with a bad name) and no laws when you don't need a law (no speed limits, no restriction on outside drinking). I really like the sounds of it. Here you are free to play music out loud while you hike, ruining everyone else's vacation with trap music, yet you can't have a beer in a park. Makes no sense.
I’m pretty sure putting cans and bottles in a sack doesn’t “make it private.” That’s just a way hobos drink in public so it’s not obvious. It doesn’t suddenly make it legal
@@vintifada7115 why do hobos do it then? They're hobos, not stupid. They know everyone knows that's alcohol in that bag. The police knows as well, cause they're not stupid either, and they rarely if ever do something about it too.
In Texas as long as we are not within 1000 ft of a school, church, or halfway house we can drink alcohol. Walking down the sidewalk and drinking is fine. Some larger cities in th e business district it is not allowed. State law other than within CBD with approval from the state, prohibiting open containers is prohibited. Open containers is only one of three things you cannot be arrested for a traffic stop. No seat belt, no turn signal etc., you can be arrested (usually given tickets, they can arrest), not open container though.
And everywhere in Australia, voting is compulsory and cyclists must wear helmets. Many drugs available off the counter in most other countries are prescription only or not even sold in Australia, phenibut is an example of one banned altogether.
Re: point 6, this is called a “T-V distinction” in linguistics. (The name comes from “ty” vs. “vy” in Russian, or “tu” vs. “vous” in French, etc.) In German’s closest relative, Dutch: “jij” vs. “U” (note also capitalization). English historically had “thou” vs. “ye/you”: over time, “thou”, originally the informal pronoun, eroded until it is now associated with religious use. [Ironically, in spoken “Flemish” Dutch, “gij”, the cognate of “thou”, is used instead of both “jij” and “U”.] Semitic languages like Hebrew or Arabic don’t have T-V (in Hebrew, if you want to be really deferential, you speak about somebody in the third person: as Abraham addressed G-d, “shall not the Judge of All the Earth do justice”?).
@@disuser-lp3qv1tm8f My recollection is that garbage cans inside MCDonald's in the Netherlands say "Dank U" on them, as if to say thanks for throwing away your trash and not leaving it on the table.
Yeah, the English is the same as politeness in French and German: Plural majestatis. The 2nd person plural is used for a singular person. The informal then "eroded" as you say, fell out of use, and is only found in really old texts (or texts trying to invoke the image of being old, like certain additions to religious texts).
@@disuser-lp3qv1tm8f wrong. You say "U" to ANYbody as a sign of respect (superiors, unknown persons, officials, etc.), as you say "jij" to anybody informally (friends, family, subordination, etc.). God has nothing to do with that.
@@eric1966tomson That doesn't make me wrong, it makes you claim more than you can prove. Originally, U was reserved for the name of God and any other pronouns etc. that refer to Him. Later, U was used to include people in high positions, such as kings, princes, dukes etc. Still later its use was gradually expanded to include anyone in Formal writing. Nowadays, the respect that was once reserved for the Creator has been watered down to include plebeians in fastfood chains.
Hello Feli, i am also german and i found your youtube channel these days. First of all a big big praise on how you teach americans the mentality and let's say "the german way of life" ;). That winter tires are mandatory in in winter in germay, is not totally correct as you are also allowed to use "full year tires" or also called "all weather tires". Depending on the formal address, there exists a well known anecdote in soccer in germany. A faimous german soccer player of the 70's, Willi "Ente" Lippens (Willi Lippens the duck, played at dallas tornado in 1979), had a conversation with the referee. Because it's impossible to tranlate it into english, i use german : referee : "Herr Lippens ich verwarne Ihnen." Answer of Lippens as a joke: "Herr Schiedsrichter ich danke Sie." Depending on this answer, "Ente" Lippens got the red card. For the amerkans: The referee uses wrong grammar with the formal address. As a joke, "Ente" Lippens uses also wrong grammar with the formal address at the answer. Correct it should be this way: "Herr Lippens ich verwarne Sie." "Herr Schiedsrichter ich danke Ihnen." Probably Lippens would have got also the red card using correct grammar, because nobody would say thank's, if got warned, This can be interpet as a voilation of the referee's authority as well.
The funniest law in German history was documented by journalist William Shirer in his book "Berlin Diary". Sometime during World War II, they required every person to salute any German wearing a military uniform they pass on the street. Shirer followed some uniformed soldiers to see how well this law worked. He saw Germans suddenly crossing the street or stepping into cafes and bookstores as soon as they saw the soldiers coming.
In Munich the Feldherrenhalle had a memorial to the Nazi putschists of 1923; passersby were required to render the Nazi salute. But is was also possible to take a detour down Viscardigasse just before reaching the monument; Viscardigasse was then nicknamed "Drueckebergergasse" ("Shirker's Alley").
I thought the best one was the law requiring the "Hitler Greeting" (aka Nazi salute) on all occasions. After a spate of railway accidents where drivers mistook it for the "right away" signal they had to introduce a special exemption for railway platforms!
In our very first Airbnb stay in western Germany the landlord, who lived on the upper floor, had a book of rules. One of them was that she could enter the apartment whenever we were out. It felt like invasion of privacy for us, because she also moved some of our belongings. Now I’m thinking it might be safer to stay in a hotel next time. PS: She was a “super host” too.
When I was in the US Army and stationed in Bamberg in the 1990s, I was surprised that if you were driving a car and, for example, hit a farmer's pig and killed it, you would not only have to compensate the farmer for the pig you killed, but also for all of the pigs that the pig could have had had it not been killed. Or, another example, if you destroyed a farmer's grape plant at a winery, you would have to compensate the farmer for the grape plant plus all of the other potential grape plants that it could have produced had you not destroyed it. Another one was about the environment...if you spilled gas at a gas station you would be charged for the clean up which included removing a six cubic foot area around the spill!!
That is why everyone has a Haftpflichtversicherung, an insurance that covers all damage a person can be responsible for. So you drop a bottle of perfume in the sink at your mothers house, and the sink is cracked, you simply put it forward to your Haftpflichtversicherung. Mine is 11,99€ a month and includes damage my dog may cause. It may sounds OTT, but it is a life saver if you cause a real mess. And basically everyone has one, or a family has one for all family members.
I never heard about these particular laws but they sound reasonable since if you damage/kill something belonging to somebody else you should pay for the actual value - so if it takes a tree/grape plant years to finally be as profitable the owner should be compensated accordingly. Nevertheless I fail to understand what was so suprising to you about this law. It's not like we had villages where pigs still roam the streets, in 45 years I haven't seen one in a public place. You'd need to be on private property and even most likely pass a fence to finally being able to run one over - I'd think that wouldn't be allowed in the US either.
In my country it is illegal to let stock wander on the roads, so if you hit the pig the farmer would be liable for the damage to your car. Farmers can however drive a herd of sheep down the road, and in that case the sheep have the right-of-way!
I remember hearing some similar things here in Poland when we first came here - esp. about the naming of babies. I was shocked that they couldn't name their children whatever name they wanted. So that one is similar to Germany.
That's because you cannot easily change your given name in Germany. If you parents name you after some funny idiotic cartoon character, you're stuck with that name for the rest of your life. "Hi, my name's Sponge-Bob, wanna go on a date with me?" Actually, there's an exception to the no-name-change policy. Not an easy process, but a few people had been allowed to change their names because the names were insulting.
@@mgntstr You can think whatever you want, you are just not allowed to publish it. If you will deny the Holocaust in a private conversation you will possibly get nothing but heads shaking. But if you do it in an interview or a publication you most certainly will be prosecuted.
@@katharinawinter3788 Thats too far, Holocaust denial is both factually and morally incorrect, but its crazy to think someone could go to jail for expressing that belief, no matter the setting.
The first time i visited Germany, one thing that struck me was how pedestrians would wait at crossings until the pedestrian lights allowed them to cross. This contrasts to the UK where it's common to rush across as soon as there is anything like a gap. It wasn't until talking to an Emglish friend who lived in Germany that i realised that jaywalking was illegal. Apparently they found out when shortly after moving they rushed over a crossing when the pedestrian lights were against them, and were spotted by a police officer. Unlike in some places where they would have got a fine, the officer on realising they were not German explained to them the rules and told them to not break them again. The other confusion was crossing a road when the pedestrian lights were green, and having a car come towards me. I initially stopped, probably to the drivers frustration, but then i realised they were stopping and did that funny quick jog with the raised sorry/thanks hand. I then later realised that German junctions are often set up to allow right turn when the pedestrian crossing to the right is being used, as long as long as pedestrians get right of way. That's one i still find a bit weird when in Germany, especially given in the UK, drivers of German cars have quite a reputation for being loose with rules. Actually, another thing i still find odd when in Germany is seeing German cars using indicators, since it's a rare sight here in the UK.
I grew up in ex Yugoslavia. There was no law against keeping urns at homes but I never heard that anyone actually had one at home. It would be considered extremely weird and even a bit creepy.
I wouldn't say it's common in the US. I've never seen an urn with ashes in it myself. Although my sister does have our Mother's ashes and I just have not visited her since our Mom died. I used to do service calls to houses and have been to 1K different houses for sure.
"keeping the urn at home" also includes, for example, burying it in your garden. That, too, is not allowed in Germany. And no idea why some people in the US think it's a good idea to keep your deceased loves ones' ashes on a shelf.
Oh yeah, I was cutting my grass on a Sunday when I lived in Niederndorf. My neighbor quickly came out and shouted at me that cutting my grass on Sonntag ist verboten! I happily put my mower away for the day.
I lived in Bitburg Germany while I was stationed there in the 80's. I remember how regulated how things were done. You have speak respectfully no matter what.
When I was in grad school, I taught at the Intensive English Center, teaching ESL. There was a social event where students from various countries did skits protraying their cultures. The group of German students portrayed how Americans stand in line (sloppy, crooked, slouching, etc.) and how Germans stand in line (very orderly, good posture, neat, etc.). They made us laugh.
If there is one thing Germans don't, won't and seemingly can't it's waiting in line. Fortunately in supermarkets there are shelves separating the lines of customers waiting for the different cashiers. Otherwise I promise, we'd see fights at Aldi & Lidl every Saturday. ;-)
The Standesamt will evaluate if the first name you want for your baby sounds ridicolous / is a pun combined with the last name. There was a discussion not long ago about a family named "Rackete" (rocket). They wanted to name their baby boy Silvester. It's a existing name, so nothing wrong with it. But the name Silvester Rackete is a pun, meaning something like "rocket for New Years Eve". After a long fight, the name passed the registration.
I once read in a newspaper, that a turkish father wanted to name his daughter "Elbe", like the river in Germany. He had to prove, that it is a common habit in turkey, to name daughters after rivers. The final compromise was, to give the daughter a second more "usual" name. So it would be easier for her when she is grown up, to pick the other name, if she detestes the unusual name. The reporter commented, that a name "Danube" might be fine, but "Warthe" ("wait!") or "Wandse" (sounds like "bed-bug") are less appreciated.
I lived in Germany during the 1980s and the apartment complex that I lived in had a rule that you weren’t allowed to hang clothes on the drying lines on Sundays.
In the 1990s movie "LA Story" (which pokes fun at Los Angeles), Steve Martin's character is asked about local noise rules. Sara: "If a person were to be making a lot of noise, what time should they start?" Harris: "What kind of noise - like construction?" Sara: "No - like deep sustained booming sounds." Harris: "Ah - deep sustained booming sounds - around nine, nine fifteen." (We later find out Sara plays the tuba).
*Correction on point 2: Since 2008, it's not relevant anymore that the name clearly indicated the gender of the child.
Germany is occupied by antiwhtes who hate the country
Feli, just fyi, umgangssprachlich wird zwar von Beamtenbeleidigung gesprochen, aber ich habe es vor einiger Zeit recherchiert. Diesen Straftatbestand gibt es im deutschen Recht nicht.
@@B.A.B.G. Das habe ich doch genauso im Video gesagt 😅 Der Tatbestand ist einfach Beleidigung.
@@FelifromGermany Hm, im Video ist aber von Beamtenbeleidigung die Rede (siehe ab 11:50 Minuten), deswegen habe ich darauf aufmerksam gemacht. Aber fein, allet jut. Gutnacht.
@@TrumpyBear_Armageddon Go away, troll. If you think you are oppressed, then you have no effing clue what oppression is.
„The freedom of one person ends where the right of another person begins.“ That‘s a common German saying that summarizes many of these laws.
A lot of Americans believe the same.
Yeah and it’s bullshit. Freedom is always the answer.
@@emilioortega7513 "Yeah and it’s bullshit. Freedom is always the answer."
"Freedom" to violate the rights of other people is a recipe for tyranny.
@@calguy3838 tyranny by authoritarian government is ALWAYS and always has been the largest threat. Ask Germans.
@@emilioortega7513 That in no way negates what I said.
I am German and I love your videos. I learn a lot (I didn't know most of the laws you mentioned, I just naturally follow this because I grew up with it) and love how respectful you talk about both cultures!
Sehr guter Kommentar!! Hier genau so.
@@bernhardbruening7546 Ihr kanntet die MEISTEN der Gesetze nicht? Krass
Hello. I agree with you-- it's refreshing to see someone like Feli speak respectfully of different cultures and the reasons behind their differences.
When I was stationed in Germany in the early 80's, my barracks was on a small Air Force installation in Wiesbaden, Lindsey Air Station, which was actually in a residential neighborhood; from time to time, guys in the barracks would blast music from their stereos on a Sunday with their windows wide open, disturbing the German neighbors across the street. Unfortunately for them, the Polizei had the authority to come onto the installation and confiscate their stereos, and confiscate they did. Surprise, surprise, suckers! I was glad they did it too, because I like peace and quiet on a Sunday myself.
I was TAD in Augsburg.
Well, you were still within the borders of another country, even though I thought I heard somewhere that military bases are an exception to that rule. Meh, could just depend on the situation, I guess.
Don‘t go to war with german neighbors. They actually do think they can win the war, so it might get pretty annoying.
Military bases aren't usually considered sovereign territory like an embassy is. Most countries aren't like the US in terms of having military bases in other countries either. In the vast majority of cases, that country claims the land as part of their own, then establishes a military base to reinforce that claim (see China, any number of islands in the South China Sea, for example). So while they may be overseas bases, they are still in their home country, or at least their claimed territory. The US operates a little differently in that we often times share (lease portions of) an ally's base to entice them to keep it open and remain present in a region (see UK, Diego Garcia, Indian Ocean) or lease the land and build a base for ourselves (see US/NATO, Ramstein AFB, Germany). In the latter two examples, should the host country decide they no longer want the US present, we have to leave. Caveat to this is that the details of the agreements can establish time frames and hand overs of power, and one would hope any such occurrence would be amicable and following the terms, but we still have to go, because the land isn't sovereign territory of the US. (I forget the name of the base, but this has happened in Australia. The US got an agreement to come in and build a base for satellite monitoring or something like that, was building the base out when Aus elected a new Prime Minister that wasn't a fan of the project and kicked the US out of that base, and then moved Aus personnel in... Because why let a nice new base go to waste.)
@@Stant123 De Gaulle kicked the US military out of France in the 1960s. I was a child at the time and I remember my great uncle, who was a retired colonel in the French army warmly approving the move. Most French people thought then that the US was trying to meddle in French domestic politics, which did not go down well at all.
I just love your bright and shiny optimistic disposition ❤!!!
We need more people with your outlook.
As a longtime Cincinnati resident, thank you for making our town a better place.
...that's nice of you to say...
You are doing a great job at changing the views some people may have about the looks and behavioral traits of arch-typical Germans.
@@oswaldoramosferrusola5235 She will tell you that many/most Germans STILL fit the stereotype of being too "Stiff"!
My boyfriend lived in Lebanon, Ohio and invited me to his h.s. reunion in '15. Excellent place! There's a Lebanon in Ga., Pa., and Tenn. too., but I've never been to the one in Ga.-where I live.
Why would I want to name my son Superman? But can I name my dog T'Ami?
0:32 :"are Germans obsessed with rules?". I'm from the Netherlands and this is what we says about our German neighbors "In the Netherlands everything is allowed, unless it's explicitly forbidden. In Germany everything is forbidden, unless it's explicitly allowed" 🤣
😂😂😂
Germany is the Biblical Assyria and in bible prophecy Germany will lead a revived holy Roman empire into world war 3
Zebulon Rise!
My Ex came back to me few days ago
I got
help from a Relationship Restore Dr Kayode
Who was able to mend back my broken relationship and make my ex to come back and
beg for a second chance.He can bring your
ex back,and he also do a lot of work also like
Financial problem,and court case, lottery spell etc.....
This is interesting and is also used in the UK to explain the difference between UK law and French/Napoleonic/some EU law.
it is perfectly legal to mow the lawn on a sunday or play piano 24/7. what is illegal is to bother your neighbors with noise, thats the spirit of the law, not the ban of doing some stuff. if you dont have neighbors or a soundproof room you can do whatever you want.
Use a scythe so no noise no problems
There is actually the Rasenmäherlärmschutzverordnung, which explicitely forbids using lawnmowers and devices for blowing fallen leaves together in residential areas during Sundays and the protected hours in residential areas for private purposes. For the piano and almost everything else you are right, you just have to keep the noise down to the legally accepted levels at your neighbours estates, so if you are far enough away from other people's houses or have a well isolated room, you can make noise there 24/7.
You can get electric lawnmowers now that are quieter than a normal conversation. I wonder how they are affected?
It is illegal to smile or tell a joke on Sunday... 😂
So, if you have an electric or a manual push mower that makes little or no noise, you can use it on Sunday then? I have a push mower, and that's what I like about it; I can mow my grass early or late, and not upset my neighbors.
Thank you so much for all you have shared with us.
I lived in McGraw Kaserne, Garmisch, Berchesgarten, and Chiemsee from 70-73. Became a DOD teacher and spent 79-83 in Stuttgart. Still married to the taxie driver I met at the Messe in Cologne in 2004. Strangest German law I've heard is needing a license (Platzreife) to play golf in Germany. Insurance is not required. Liebe die Deutschen.🇩🇪
Platzreife is not a license nor is it particularly German. It is proof that a player has acquired the skills to play. Usually subject to a test (theory and practice). Applies in Switzerland and Austria too.
The one about making noise on Sunday reminded me of Oliver Hardy telling Laurel "Stanley, if you must make noise, do it QUIETLY." The camera then moves to Stan Laurel with that blank expression thinking "How the heck am I supposed to do this?"
I really enjoyed your presentation. I lived in Germany for over 25 years. After learning the language the one thing that impressed me greatly was the text written on the courthouse in Frankfurt a M, Something that shaped my thinking and life. The most important thing I have ever read, "Die Würde des Menschen ist unantastbar".
That's a quote from our constitution
@@theowaigel8588 I know! It is written on the courthouse wall in Frankfurt am Main
The first paragraph.
@@theowaigel8588 the real Theo Waigel? ^^
I will spare the non-German speakers the indignity of having to translate this quote it says "Human dignity is inviolable".
@@the_sylance - Theo Waigel: _"Das Würgen von Brezen ist unanpassbar!"_
I love the German appreciation for silence.
That's respect! Respect for all.
unfortunately it's no longer "silence" while many people are talking loud with their smartphones all the time. Was in Japan some time ago, and that was much better, as even noone will talk (may only whisper) in metro or busses
I´m 47 and from Berlin, Germany. Yes, I agree, the generation of the seventies ande the eighties, has a appreciation for silence and respect. I learned this from my familiy.We call this ,,Anstand" = Decency. Younger Generations and a lot of imigrants are different in behavior and prefferences. And the respect goes away, more and more, sadly.
Where I'm from, it's ten o clock courtesy. I got this from camping as I usually don't have many neighbors in the Northwest. Ten o clock courtesy seems to apply across all of America.
Well except I thought the Germans were supposed to be efficient, and it is extremely inefficient for everyone to be designated to take the same day off. Because then if I'm free to do something because I'm not working at my job, now there's no point because everything is closed on the same day I'm taking off too.
@ALEJANDRO DAVID BOLANOS sadly my neighbours seem to not love it
The laws are actually quite similar across European countries, so these doesn't apply only for Germany. I'm from Slovakia and I can assure you, that most of these "crazy" laws apply in Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and many more. (some even in UK) The contrast is only strong if you are comparing Europe to US.
I’m a Brit who has lived in Germany for several years.
Their rules and regulations are sensible AND, contrary to preconceptions, Germans are fun loving and have a great sense of humour. 🤣❤️
Der war gut
Meanwhile, here in the USA, some guy named Superman gives a cop the middle finger after running out of gas on the highway while bringing his late father home in an urn.
We Germans despite humour but in order to do so you have to know it very well.
Germans will sit around discussing how much fun they are having.
😂😂@@chrisgualtieri
Love the fact that you mentioned it's illegal to leave your car on the side on the Interstate in Youngstown, Ohio. I wish this were enforced! I'm from Youngstown, and let me tell you, there are cars on the side of the interstate DAILY!!! lol
By the way, I have also lived in Germany. First while stationed there in the Army. Then, after I got out, I moved back with my German wife (now ex-wife). I really enjoy watching your videos. It's bringing back so many wonderful memories. ❤Thank you!!!
I live pretty close to Youngstown and was not aware of that. I'll definitely have to be careful now when I go there for the cheaper gas! 😂
But yeah, there's always a ton of abandoned cars along the highways around the area.
a friend looked up the law and it specifies an area downtown, not on 680
It is also illegal to walk on the interstate.
She should've explained the reason, because of course there is one, hehe:
Broken down cars (the avoidable ones with missing gas for example), morons with bicycles or walking on the Autobahn, people who forgot how to secure their break-down or accident (with effing correct placed warning triangles and safety vests ... that basic knowledge is PART of the driving license test) are responsible for around 140 deaths and a much bigger number of life-threatening/changing injuries (statistics based on 2020). Those are AVOIDABLE! You may get the wrong imagination, but the total number of deaths per year on the Autobahn is 2600. Those 140 are massive, tragic and as I said avoidable just by common sense and getting over your own laziness ... oh, and they are lost forever. Greetings from a random fire department girl here in Germany.
I wish you good and above all accident-free driving, Joe!:)
Hi Feli, even though you make these videos more for the US citizens to explain how things work in Germany it is for me coming from the Netherlands really interesting to understand how some things actually work in the US.
The Netherlands and Germany are off course neighbours so a lot you tell about Germany is the same for us like all the rules plus we dutchies also like to plan almost every minute of our day, even if we do nothing we like to plan that in advance🥴!
One difference is that we can take a urn back home even though I think that is kind of creepy.
Greetings from the Netherlands (not far from the German border and city Nordhorn)🙋🏼♂️
We in the U.S. have only recently come around to cannabis freedom. Amsterdam did this way back in '76.
Good that you mentioned that, I'm from the Netherlands but I've been living in Germany since quite some time now, and I was really surprised that you're not allowed to take an urn home... my Dutch grandmother has her urn at home so I was used to that. Weird :) But I think the rest of the laws apply in the Netherlands as well, besides the fact that we're also loud people :D
My Ex came back to me few days ago
I got
help from a Relationship Restore Dr Kayode
Who was able to mend back my broken relationship and make my ex to come back and
beg for a second chance.He can bring your
ex back,and he also do a lot of work also like
Financial problem,and court case, lottery spell etc.....
I'm Dutch myself and I do feel (though not with scientifical evidence ;-)) that in the Netherlands law enforcement prefers not to act upon people breaking laws if they don't have to (or hope that their presence will be enough to stop it), and in Germany they would more often feel it as their duty to enforce the laws at all times.
Hey Feli, bin auch Auslandsdeutscher, und finde daher dein Blog besonders zutreffend. Hast du dir überlegt evtl. ein Paar deiner Videos auf deutsch zu drehen? Es würde wahrscheinlich nicht nur die paar deutsche wie wir die langfristig im Ausland wohnen interessieren, sondern auch andere in den USA die sich sprachlich erweitern wollen. Nur eine Idee, weiter so! Olli
In my German classes, I was taught that "du" is a familiar form only to be used with close friends. Everyone else is "Sie", unless they say call me "du". That is a sign of someone extending a hand of friendship. I held this rule well when I was living near Mainz, and it always worked out well, even though Americans tend to be more casual in their conversation.
When I was working in Germany, colleagues would propose using "du" after a while. "Wollen wir uns nicht duzen?"
Just a suggestion, but your fellow RUclipsr Caitlin at “Ask a Mortician” might be interested in talking to you about German funeral laws. Her channel is about death and burial customs, but she keeps it pretty light and good humored despite the subject matter.
That'd be a very nice crossover, indeed.
These two would get along really well.
Good idea, Caitlin has a great channel.
Great idea! Would make a great topic and video.
I just subbed to her and now I'm seeing deathlings everywhere.
As a Danish trucker I was often stopped by the German police. During the last maybe 20 years I think, they have loosened up a bit using the informal du. And I have done the same to them, without running into any trouble. And while we are at it: I was once employed by a company owner (trucks) of German origin, and I never had a boss who was more honest to work with. Not alone did he follow the rules, but he didn't try to bend them, as people often do.
As a (retired) german cop, I usually try to assess the situation and use either Du or Sie depending on the environment/atmosphere and the type of person I'm talking to...and the reason for talking to them. If it's just a stop without any suspicion of a crime and if it's friendly atmosphere then I tend to say Du, if it's something serious where etiquette matters it's a Sie from me. If someone uses Du to talk to me I would usually Du them back unless it's a serious thing, then I'd make them realize that they've used the wrong terminology to adress me as a person of respect. It's also an age thing, I would usually never say Du to a person significantly older then me unless they Du me first, that's a common way to approach this, that the older person decides if it's a Du or a Sie.
If it is ever fined (which I never heard of) then it must be because the other person uses Du to disrespect the police officer/detective (I would assume).
@@moos5221 This is a perfect common sense approach. Here in Italy we use "tu" for "do" and "lei" for "Sie" and the approach is exactly the same: depending on the situation/atmsphere we use one or the other and the older, usually, decides.
The main difference is that using "tu" in the wrong situation may be considered a "minor" lack of respect which will be corrected but cannot lead to any fine.
@@moos5221 Stop without any suspicion of a crime? Thats why I love Americas 4th ammendmant so this doesnt happen
@@garrettjackson7865 You don't get stopped for not wearing seatbelts, for having children standing on the seats or having broken lights or if you run a stop sign, red light or going twice the speed limit in America? Or what are you trying to say? Those aren't considered crimes in Germany, it's Ordnungswidrigkeiten.
The best German "law" I came across was when visiting some friends in Hamburg. We were stopping a short train ride away from the city and I was desperate to use the bathroom/toilet. A friend told me to go to the local fish restaurant and ask to use theirs. I did and there was no questioning looks given me. As there is/was no public toilet to use a restaurant apparently cannot deny usage of the bathroom area. Seems very sensible to me.
That's how it is in most places in Europe.
It’s also good business, since some time in the future they may wish to buy your product.
To my knowledge, they can ask for a small amount of money, however. No matter whether that's true or not, if time is running short for a restroom visit, you better don't start a debate about what your rights are... and 50% of what you read about it in the internet is wrong anyway. Give a 1-2€ tip, run into the toilet and say thank you when you leave. That's better than getting your will and having shitty underwear for the rest of the day. A small tip is good manners anyway.
@@berttrapp Or just relieve yourself outside their premises in protest 😛 Maybe the Hamburg people are very nice?
I used to go south on U.S. Highway 127 in Kentucky and along the way
I would see a shop with a sign saying Hitler's Welding. I assume it was the welder's last name. You said that it illegal in Germany to name a child Hitler, but I assume you are talking about the child's first name. What about the last name and does Germany have business signs like the one I used to see in Kentucky. I have not travelled down that highway for about 20 years, so I don't know if the business is still there. Apparently, since it looked to be an old business, the name was not fatal to the enterprise.
12:22 can confirm. When I moved to Germany I had to ask cops for directions and I used the "Du" a few times, until one politely told me to stick to "Sie". Yo yes; if you are a foreigner you get some degree of patience in that regard.
Greetings from Düsseldorf. Subscribed :)
Most of our police officers are patient and polite. My father forgot his driver's license and his ID AND forgot to wear his helmet while driving his moped.
Result? My mom and I looked confused as two policemen walked in our kitchen, helping my father carrying the groceries while telling him to not forget such important things. No fee, just a friendly warning. Will never forget the scene...policeman with a salad..
In Virginia we have annual vehicle safety inspection every year for all vehicles registered in the Commonwealth. Also, you can be fined by the State Police for running out of fuel on the interstate. Recently in the last couple of years it is also illegal to travel in the left lane if not passing but it rarely gets enforced.
Strange that you recognize that Virginia is a commonwealth yet still call the police State Police? How does that compute? If Virginia is not a state, how can they have state police? (yes I grew up in Virginia)
Yeah…in Iowa the left lane thing is true. I e never seen someone get pulled over for it…despite going 80 mph (limit is 65mph). The should lose their license for life, but again…never the cherries and berries (pulled over…refers to lights)
_'illegal to travel in the left lane if not passing but it rarely gets enforced.'_ Lane discipline is important because its improves road safety and travel efficiency.
@@birdandcatlover5597 "Cherries and berries", that's funny! When I was growing up, State Police had a big red rotating light on the roof and we called them "gumballs". That term has long gone extinct, though.
@@jamesf5150 you should see the lights the newer Iowa police or state trooper vehicles use...you can see them as long as nothing is blocking your vision! Lights on the license plates, lights around all the taillights, lights in the window...all of them moving. And the standard bar of lights on the roof
Please do explain about the funerals and burials, love your videos! So much information, I’m moving there soon, bit nervous!!!😊
By the way, "du" fascinates me as a word. It is a cognate cognate of "thou" in English (previously "Þu" in Old English) and "tu" in Spanish. It's interesting that Þ looks like a D and the D is what German ended up using in "du". The Þ made a th sound and is where we got "thou" from in early modern English, though it is archaic to use now. But it was in fact the formal way to say "you". Spanish doesn't use the d or Þ, but rather the t. Spanish being Latin based shares an older connection to the Germanic languages in Indo-European. So, it's really so interesting that the Þ, which manifests as D in other Germanic languages, made a th sound, because the D in spanish also make more of a th sound than a hard D sound. Sorry for the novel.
Other way around. The formal way was ye (you was originally object pronoun of ye). The informal way was thou. But since the French came up with their vous (which sounds a bit as you), it became very rude to use thou. So everybody started using the formal ye/you/your/yours instead of the informal thou/thee/thy/thine for formal *and* informal situations. And now they start saying y'all/you guys to distinguish between singular and plural. That is crazy.
@@lexmole If thou was the original informal, then what I said is right. Tú in Spanish is also the informal. What am I missing. Are you saying that Þu in Old English and du in German are the formal forms? Not arguing. I'm getting clarification on what you're correcting me about.
@@lexmole Oh, I see what you're talking. I typed formal instead of informal. That was a mistake.
I was stationed at Ramstein Air Base in the Air Force and worked on the flight line. We did very limited air operations on Sundays because it violated the German noise laws.
I hate so many laws and restrictions here in Germany but the rules and laws about Sundays are actually pretty awesome imho
My Ex came back to me few days ago
I got
help from a Relationship Restore Dr Kayode
Who was able to mend back my broken relationship and make my ex to come back and
beg for a second chance.He can bring your
ex back,and he also do a lot of work also like
Financial problem,and court case, lottery spell etc....
My Ex came back to me few days ago
I got
help from a Relationship Restore Dr Kayode
Who was able to mend back my broken relationship and make my ex to come back and
beg for a second chance.He can bring your
ex back,and he also do a lot of work also like
Financial problem,and court case, lottery spell etc.....
I am German and live close to a military base and I can confirm that these super loud aircrafts are annoying on Sundays. Typical German here as it seems :-)
the craziest law is that if you question the holobunga, you go to prison. As well if you question jewish power or jewish influence.
I loved the five years I lived in Germany (Hesse, Friedberg, Bad Nauheim and Ffm). One of the reasons I enjoyed my time there was that the society had structure. I knew what to expect in conversations, dining or just wanderung. (My favorite German law was the reinheitsgebot..) This give me Heimweh.
Will have a Kultbräu (Ockstädter beer) 🍺 - served at "Die Dunkel" (Friedberg, Kaiserstraße) - on your behalf 😇. Greetz
@@agn855 Danke!
Hi, ich lebe in Deutschland und schaue Deine Videos sehr gerne, da sie zum einen immer informativ und interessant gestaltet sind, zum anderen aber auch, weil mich die Sichtweise der Amerikaner auf uns Deutsche so besser verstehen kann.
I found the point at 10:40 quite interesting as someone living in India!
In Hindi, "Tu" similar to "Du" is the informal way to refer to someone while "Aap" is the formal way to do that
That's cool. In Spanish, it's also "tú." (The accent mark on the u doesn't change its pronunciation, but simply differentiates it from "tu" meaning "your.")
Not surprising at all. Indogermanic languages...
Yes! We found the limits on cemeteries very interesting when we visited family in Germany on one of our recent trips. It would be good to hear your perspective on cemetery rules and how families honor their loved ones after the limits are met. I’m also wondering how expensive it is to have a funeral and to purchase a burial plot.
Just back from a German funeral. The undertaker organized everything, cremation, obituary, flowers, notifying the offices and all, and takes ca. € 5000. Where I grew up (Nuremberg area), it is customary to have fresh flowers and a burning lantern on the graves twice a year, on Good Friday and on 1st November (All Saint's Day). Moreover, you should always keep your graves neat and clean. This mirrors your respect for your deceased relatives, in the same way that your neat and clean front yard mirrors your character. City people may object, but life in German villages is like this.
Buying a plot only keeps it for for you for 25 years. Then you must pay up again, its a moneymaking cartel.
One interesting bit is the regulations for what you are allowed to have on your headstone. Yes, even that is regulated. You can't just have random quotes or symbols on a headstone.
@@uliwitness Being the last in my line there is no need for me to have a headstone or even a burial. Lasst die wildschweine gut fressen an mich. Horiddo/Weidmannsheil.
It's a common mistake, but there is no law called "Beamtenbeleidigung" in Germany. There is only the law § 185 StGB "Beleidigung" -> Insult
That is correct!
But Majestät Beleidigung - ask Böhmi...
Came here to say that. "Beamten" have no better status than anybody else, It's more like it's getting legally pursued more often by cops, and that there are usually two of them, so they have witness to the incident.
She did mention that too in de video.
Klugscheißer
3 is so interesting. When I lived there I worked with German hairstylist who was around 60yrs at the time on base who basically denied it. I was astonished. I also knew a girl who in the mid 1990.s was around 20 yrs old & she didn’t think Eastern Germans were “really” German. It was crazy to me. I’m loving your videos.
I watch like almost every video of you as a german and learn so much things about Germany :D thanks for that
Just a slight correction: Checking your car every 2 years is actually called "Hauptuntersuchung" or HU. TÜV is just the organisation that had a monopole performing those check ups for a long time. Nowadays there are plenty of other places as well. As always thx for your video!
Wrong - actual you can go to DEKRA for your Hauptuntersuchung too.
In Great Britain cars have to be inspected every 12 months, referred to as an MOT (from Ministry of Transport). My car has just failed its MOT, some expensive repairs to do! :-(
In America, the law is different from state to state. I'm in Maryland, and we have checks every 2 years for toxic emissions in the exhaust, but the full vehicle check is only required when it is being sold. Nearby in Virginia, they have a full check every 2 years (which includes the exhaust), and are required to put a state-issued sticker on the window to prove they are up to date.
@@evilbob840 Fun fact, US rules for emissions from diesel cars are more restrictive than any German or European law, despites we got a reglementation about how clean a car must run to enter urban areas. BMW sells in the US cleaner cars than at home and forbids to built in parts produced for the US market into EU versions to get cars green enough for German cities. BMW = a**holes.
@@Saturnous That is crazy. You would think they would just charge extra for the cleaner parts and everybody wins.
10:26 Yes, I'd like you to talk about funerals and cemeteries and the differences between German and American ones. I also noticed differences between German cemeteries and those of other countries like France or the UK for instance which are usually more spectacular in grave architecture. At lest where I'm from in Germany, I don't know how this applies to other regions or whether there's a difference between protestant and catholic cemeteries for instance.
Since you mention it: iirc... there is this law commonly refereed as "Law of the rest of the dead". Which basically means that you may get fined for screaming or making noise while visiting a cemetery :)
The biggest difference is that cemeteries in the US are usually run by funeral companies or religious groups who sell their grave sites and set their rules individual.
In Germany, the cemeteries usually belong to the municipality or city, or municipal companies. In a few regions they still belong to the churches (but must be open for every religion or atheists). There are only very few private companies in this part of business, e.g. FriedWald.
Municipalities and cities determine the individual options for funerals. Since there is a funeral obligation in almost all federal states, you do not have to advertise for customers and need to accept every special requests. Mostly they allow what is most cost-effective for them. Maintaining cemeteries is extremely expensive. The burial fees, you have to pay for a grave, do not cover the costs.
In the two largest cemeteries in Europe, the Hauptfriedhof in Vienna and that in Hamburg Ohlsdorf, hygienic considerations played a role. In the big cities you didn't know where to go with the many corpses (many more people died than in our time, the birth and death rate was enormous), the cemeteries around and in churches were full and became a health risk. Therefore, the cemeteries were moved far outside the city and burials within the city walls were forbidden.
Our burial traditions are ancient, some of them are from pre-Christian times. They correspond to the climatic and geological conditions on site.
In the USA and GB there is no (longer) this uniform culture.
Bill Bryson describes in his book "At Home: A Short History of Private Life" (2010) how the great cemeteries in England came about. It's very interesting and a bit disgusting.
@@Irochi Yes and no. Making noise at a cementary is of course usually forbidden, but that is in the local house rules of the community that runs the cementary and (if it is a public cementary) can be fined as a misdemeanour (Ordnungswidrigkeit). The law you mean that is called Störung der Totenruhe (§ 168 StGB) has nothing to do with being quiet, Ruhe is more accurately translated as "rest" in that context ("disturbing the rest of the dead"). That law rules the crime of damaging or defiling a grave or memorial to a dead person or stealing, damaging or defiling a corpse.
German cemeteries are usually rather new, hence they look quite monotone. Visit one of the few surviving older ones - and you will see that in the 19th century we had some great grave architecture, too. In Hannover that would be the Gartenfriedhof, for example.
What amazed me about German Cemeteries is that you don't buy a grave site you rent it. If your family doesn't keep paying for grave the remains are moved to an unmarked section and the tombstone removed and someone else can rent the plot and put their tombstone on it. In the US you buy the grave site and it belongs to you forever.
Lol! I love this! I am a 65 yr old American man through and through. That being said though, I am also a thoughtful American who desires to live at peace with my neighbors and family, and so with freedom comes responsibility. I don't find the laws mentioned here to be that terrible. I would wholeheartedly be behind them. However, it's fun and informative to hear what other countries are doing. Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to the next time! How do you like Cincinnati? I grew up in and around Newark and the Buckeye Lake area back in the 60s and 70s. It is so different now from that time.
My relative vacationed in Germany with her family. She said that if you wanted to do any shopping in the small town where they were staying, you had to get up early because all of the shops closed at noon.
Back in the 70’s, Texas had blue laws that outlawed the sale of certain items on Sunday. Once, a clerk at the grocery store told me that I couldn’t buy a quart of motor oil on Sunday so I drove to the auto parts store and bought the oil.
That sounds to me sonehow exaggerated or at least very special; I was raised in a small village in Hessia, and as far as I can remember (over 50 years!) the shops are open at least up to 6pm. They might be closed sometimes during noontime between 1 and 3pm, which is btw not so long as in Italy for example...
That was probably on a Saturday then. Smaller shops are often only open until 1 pm or 3 pm on Saturdays, then the weekend begins for them and they open again on Monday.
During the week, pretty much all shops are open the whole day (during normal business hours). Small shops may have a noon break though. I also know some shops that also have other businesses running, like e.g. their workshop as a bike shop, and they are only open half a day, but they mostly choose the afternoon.
I believe in the aviation world it is illegal to run out of fuel too. This doesn't include mechanical problems with the aircraft but more specifically when too little fuel is pumped into the fuel tanks.
Certain airlines have gotten into trouble with this because they decide to use smaller airplanes for longer trips to save money, but then have to land mid-flight to refuel if they end up using more fuel than expected.
Very interesting video about German laws and here in Norway, Sundays are considered quiet rest days too, where you're not allowed to use noisy equipment that could annoy others. I'm actually going to your hometown Munich next year and I'm so excited to go! I'm planning on working on my German until then so the Babbel app could come in very handy for that! :)
Viel Spaß mit unserer wunderschönen, aber etwas komplizierten Sprache. 😎
In the USA, in my neighborhood on Sunday, you hear more chainsaws and lawnmowers than on any other day. I'd lose a lot of sleep on Sunday, If I didn't run an effective white-noise generator in my bedroom.
Hallo Feli, when I lived in Germany back in the early 80’s there was a law that you could not do laundry, work on your car, no stores were open etc. on Sunday’s. It was taboo. We used have our stores closed on Sundays as well except one small one that was open from 9am-1pm. Almost everyone went to church. Was nice and quiet and relaxing. Thank you for your videos. 😊
The stores are still mostly closed on Sundays - not many people go to church now though (people identifying as Christian are a minority in Germany now).
Just about everything would close on Saturdays and Sundays in Germany. Except the bars. That was many years ago maybe things have changed. But some laws are crazy. We used to have a law here in SA that shops could be open on Sundays but could not sell pool chemicals or dog food. Those were cordoned off with a fence. I don't know what they had against dogs...
My original college major was music performance with piano as primary instrument. To have my technique, performance ability, and sight reading skill at that level of proficiency, I practiced 4 to 5 hours on weekdays throughout high school (the Amazon Original movie Nocturne captures truths about devotion to the instrument). I didn't, however, live in a rental apartment. I can't imagine subjecting people, other than my parents, to an hour daily of scales, arpeggios, Hanon, and Schmitt exercises before turning to new material. Listening to the repetition would have driven most people out of their minds. In hindsight, there are a variety of good reasons to place time limits on nascent piano perfectionists, not the least of which involves interacting with people other than the piano.
German here. The existance of rule does not mean, that everybody sticks to them ... Might be okay in some casese, and very, very not okay in other. There is this german saying: "Wo kein Richter, da kein Angeklagter!" - If there is no judge, the is no defendant. As long as nobody calls the police for playing the piano to long, there is no problem.
Also interesing in this context: Children can be as loud as they want to be, because the sounds of them playing are not considered as "noise" from a legal point of view. Playing with each other, if they play the piano, the cited "law about musik at home" might come into action, i am no lawyer, sorry!
@@justus8675 Interesting! Also similar to, "If a tree falls in a forest and there is no one around to hear it..." The children's play exception makes me think of, perhaps funny, hypothetical situations where two young kids play a duet on a toy piano. Given, it may not be funny to hear for any prolonged period... The specificity creates questions such as, does it have to be a real piano? Are all percussion instruments included? Would a harpsichord or organ be included? It's also interesting that a trumpetist or trombonist would be granted more practice time, if I remember correctly. There usually are not many legal restrictions on playing instruments in apartment or condominium complexes here, although incurring the wrath of your neighbor could be worse than a legal transgression!
Well, that was fun to wake up to! 😃 Happy Friday, Feli! Hope you're doing well!
In the Czech Republic, up until recently, you could not give your child an English name. It had to be on the approve list of Czech names. So an American married to a Czech had to agree on a Czech name.
Well, similar situations with almost every country - primarily due to convenience, names are to be used by others (mainly locals) calling their holders ;)
In Poland we have a general rule names should exist, not be a short form of another name and be able to be spoken by a Polish person. If a registry official has doubts if the name is valid, he can ask the Polish Language Council for a binding opinion if the name can be used or not (in the latter case, it can land on the list of prohibited names). Also traditionally names that end with -a are reserved for females, due to grammar.
Yes, we have the same in Poland, you cannot give your child a pagan name like Kasia, Asia, Basia, Jadzia, Tadzik, Kazik, and you can only give christian names instead and old pagan names are nowadays considered diminutive form and christian name is considered the main form of a particular name.
Not Kasia but Katarzyna,
not Asia but Joanna,
not Basia but Barbara,
not Jadzia but Jadwiga,
not Tadzik but Tadeusz,
not Kazik but Kazimierz.
Not in that case. You could always (last 20 years) give a foreign name if your spouse was from a foreign country or if you were expected to live in a foreign country with a child. And there was never a list per se. It's only limited to existing names and when in doubt, you have to prove that it is an existing name.
The names situation is quite interesting: A lot of it depends on the official handling your case (which is usually assigned to you based on the first letter of your last name, so randomly). If they accept a name you're usually fine. Some are quite liberal, others insist on "germanic" names. There are also exceptions for foreigners, letting them pick a name from their own culture. In the end, if you can convince your official, and the name is not an insult, you're golden. People have got through Lord of the Rings names by finding a similar-sounding Swedish name and claiming it was just a different transcription of that old Germanic name.
that's not exactly true, there are rules about how you can name your child and if you want to name your child with some "unusual" name it has to be approved by expert witness/judge advocate (soudní znalec v oboru jména). The name you want has to be used anywhere in the world as actual name. If you were denied to name your child with English first name it was wrong.
Hi, Feli from Germany!
I like your lawn mowing and music playing laws!
I like to sleep late on weekends and I hate it when people work early on weekends!
And, yes, we have a lot of weird laws in America, too!
Saturday is considered a working day in Germany. So, of course people who can’t mow their grass during the week are doing it at that day, without any problem.
@@agn855 Oh, so you only get one day off on the weekend? I guess it is too hard for you to have some courtesy for you neighbors and start your mowing later in the day! (and people complain that Americans are rude?)
A few years ago, there was an EU study on regulatory density. It found that within the EU, Germany has only a medium number of laws and regulations.
Italy, for example, which is considered more casual, has almost a third more legal regulations.
The difference is then probably that Germans also adhere to the rules. On the other hand, rules in some countries are also applied arbitrarily not to say only if there is not a small "donation".
Living in Italy the last 2 years, I like to say that to Italians, traffic rules are considered just a suggestion.
Absolutely right. Before our daughter went to Bulgaria for a students exchange we got informations about the youth protection laws there. Much stricter then Germany. And then the information that nearly nothing is enforced.
Enforcement the word you looking for. Rules are rules but they worth is nothing without the other.
@@janosvarga962 Enforcement is only one aspect here. I totaly agree that rules will be disregarded if they are not enforced.
But there is also a common attitude beyond the fear of punishment.
In Mexico's case many of the laws are just because the police is extremely lazy and very rarely do investigations (a few years back Amnesty International denounced in some prison it was about 90% of the inmates were caught on the spot and for between 40-50% of robberies were for amounts equivalent to about 50€). So laws are in many cases not exactly to make living easier but to stop someone with less impediment and it's easier to see on the street: a random stop sign on a thoroughfare, bike lane ends and can't ride on sidewalk as it isn't shared as would normally happen in many other places, "one-and-one" intersection with a two lane street so if you do the most logical thing of both cars passing at the same time one of them can still be stopped by police, and so on...
I am so glad I happened to watch this today because I also happened to find myself a little puzzled as to why these two sentences were so different: “Kommst du aus Russland, Boris?” vs “Kommen Sie aus Schweden, Herr Nobel?”
ES kommt darauf an ob mann auf du und du getrunken hat....lol
There is an old American saying about the difference between America and European countries. " In America, everything is permitted unless it is prohibited by law and in Europe, everything is prohibited unless it is permitted by law."
True today as ever
Some people may behave like that, but technically it's like in the US
What would the UK be like if it had fewer laws: France. And if it had more laws: Germany.
CORRVPTISSIMA RE PVBLICA PLVRIMAE LEGES
@@juavi6987 Not even close, except for maybe in some blue states.
I love all these laws, especially the one about quiet.
I was stationed in Germany while in the US Army some time ago,. I would routinely drive on the Autobahn in a 4x4 Army truck. One winter day there was a light snow and traffic was backed up a bit especially on the Ausfart (Exit Ramp). I could see that I could easily take a short cut to my exit by leaving the pavement for a short distance downhill in the snow so I did... What surprised me when I looked into my rear view mirror was that I had a short line of German vehicle following me, kind of like sheep, all they needed was a leader...
The problem with this is, it is also illegal on german "Autobahn" to leave it on another way than the official "Ausfahrt". In fact you have to drive further on, if an "Ausfahrt" is blocked.
Thats illegal in Germany but also very illegal in the USA. Commonsense tells you that practice is very dangerous. Ignoring lanes and exits is common in Thailand (where my wife is from). They also have one of the highest accident and death rates in proportion to the number of miles driven, mainly because of ignoring rules.
Always enjoy hearing about weird or funny laws in my own country and others, looking forward to others.
My Ex came back to me few days ago
I got
help from a Relationship Restore Dr Kayode
Who was able to mend back my broken relationship and make my ex to come back and
beg for a second chance.He can bring your
ex back,and he also do a lot of work also like
Financial problem,and court case, lottery spell etc.....
I heard it is apparently illegal in Germany to wash your car on the street or on private property. You have to take it to an actual car wash so they can dispose of the soapy run-off water properly to protect the environment. As someone who regularly forgets to wash their car, that's not too much of an issue for me but driveway/on-street car washing is quite common in the UK.
Thats actually true i guess
German here, its true.. i am not allowed to wash my car in my property.. but it depents very much in which part of germany you live in. In some Municipals its allowed to rinse it off with clear water, but some municipals say its forbitten because of all the greese and oil that could come off.. some parts of germany allow cleaning the car if the property has a drainage for grey/black water..
Thats actually true and because of the potential of environmental pollution. Therefore we have designated cleaning parks or specific cleaning places at car stations. Those areas are ground sealed in order that no oil or other liquids are able to penetrate the soil. But those cleaning parks or even the automated systems at gas stations are usually closed during Sundays due making noise...
@@ClaudiaG.1979
If you do equip the drain of your garage with a oil separator ( Ölabscheider) you are allowed to wash your car in your garage. But most people don’t do this of course.
@@ClaudiaG.1979 Or you could accidentally misalign your lawn sprinkler to irrigate your car as well as your lawn.
Regarding baby names, there are similar rules in Australia. Late last year, a TV show attempted to demonstrate the process. A pregnant presenter on the show WTFAQ (What The FAQ, a show that addressed viewer questions) registered her baby name as "Amphetamine Rules" to show how it would be rejected. It passed. Fortunately for the child, they recognised it as a mistake and corrected it.
There are books devoted on listing crazy American laws that are still in effect. For instance, if you have a refrigerator on your front porch in Pennsylvania (more common than you think, actually) it's illegal so sleep on it. I do, in fact, know someone who was issued a warning for this. He was smoking (not tobacco) on his front porch one warm July night and fell asleep on top of his nice, cool freezer chest. The cops woke him up and informed him it has been illegal since at least the mid-19th century. Pennsylvania also has laws about singing in the shower. If your neighbors can hear you (think if you live in an apartment complex with thin walls) they can, perhaps rightly, call the police and you will receive a citation.
Feliz, your presentation skills are outstanding. You have pizazz up the whazoo.
When I was traveling in Germany one law that I really liked was no commercial trucks on the road between 11PM Saturday until 11PM Sunday.
Of course we have many exceptions for this law :D
That would be GREAT in the US... ! way too many trucks on the road.... Not nearly enough shipping done by rail.
That only applied to Autobahns. I used to travel at night and I remember seeing queues of trucks waiting for midnight (or maybe 11pm) then they would all start up and set off.
@@csnide6702 That would be trash in the usa. Bigger road network, more areas are reachable by vehicle than by train. But you don't care about people in areas outside your own.
@@brandondavis7777 WTF...?
When getting my Aufenthaltserlaubnis in Bayern I had to sign a form declaring that I was not a member of a whole page of different groups. One by one I went through the list and declared that I wasn't affiliated with one group then another. The best part, though, was the final question, which asked me, "have you lied on this form?".
After taking German nationality due to Brexit (we've lived in Germany for 32 years) One question on the form was "Are you prepared to give up your original nationality?" I ticked the "no" box. In the interview I was told you have to say yes otherwise you won't get the German nationality. I'm still dual nationality now but I have to be "prepared" to give up my UK nationality if needs be 😊
Yeah that's cool, isn't it? I've seen such a question myself somewhere on a form and you better be honest with the answer. Though, more often than not you just need to confirm that you told the truth and did not lie.
If you want to do cemeteries, be sure to include New Orleans. The water table is so high that people are buried above ground.
Here in Austria the rules about making noise vary by Gemeinde, but for where we live it's : Weekdays & Saturday - No noise before 08:00, between 12:00 - 14:00 or after 19:00. Sunday - No noise at all. When i moved here from the UK (basically no rules) i found it really strange and restricting, but i've grown to like it a lot. It means planning things a bit more, but that's not really a hardship.
Everyone benefits from the quiet time. Society. Who knew that it would be good for people
@@ProctorsGamble We actually have local noise laws in my village in Ohio. The problem is that people do not know of them, and would ignore them anyway.
@@KR-ki9hw Good
@@KR-ki9hw That's USA problem. No respect for others and society. See Allen response below to you. I rest my case.
Where I live (in the U.S.) construction, yard work, or other loud sounds, starting at 7am, are allowed 7 days a week. The leaf blowers are the worst.
This was so informative! Thanks again for your research and preparation.
"Whether it'll be a reason for bullying later in life."
That right there, parents in the U.S.A. name their kids anything they WANT, they're not worrying about bullying later in life, they're just naming their kids, thinking "it's just a name" but when people joke about their name, then it's something different.
Correct. Michael is a popular first name and Hunt a popular surname. But you don't call your son Michael if your surname is Hunt, as Michael is very often abbreviated to Mike. I'll let you work that one out 🥶🥵
@@graemecatty9921 There’s nothing wrong with those names. I seen worse.
It's the same in the UK. Almost all children under 10 now have stupid names.
Here in America, the state of New Jersey removed a child from its parents because they named their child Hitler. They also removed another child within a day after birth to prevent another child from another name disaster. This was done during the mid '90's. The parents were full blown Neo-Nazis.
Makes me think of that skit with the teacher in the classroom😅"La-sha?!" / "It's pronounced "La-dash-uh" 🤣Parents like that need Judge Judy Sheindlin in their life
I think you should have a series where we can learn German from you!
I love when laws are specific and do not leave any space for the personal interpretation of it.
Yes. In a lot of other countries, many of these things are also illegal, but they tend to come under broader laws that leave more room for interpretation. As an example, here in the UK it's not explicitly against the law to run out of fuel on a motorway, but if you run out of fuel and end up blocking a live lane, you are likely to get in trouble, even worse if there is an accident.
I love German, the language, and really want to go to Germany! Totally appreciate the silence!
My Ex came back to me few days ago
I got
help from a Relationship Restore Dr Kayode
Who was able to mend back my broken relationship and make my ex to come back and
beg for a second chance.He can bring your
ex back,and he also do a lot of work also like
Financial problem,and court case, lottery spell etc.. ...
Then you should give the finish language go too
The silence (also known as laws against free speech)
@@elgatofelix8917 shut
@@elgatofelix8917 Yeah! How DARE they not let us disrespect the millions of lives lost to Germanys biggest sin!
I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but the corresponding word for 'you' in German is 'Sie,' and the equivalent for the old English 'thou' is 'du.' Interestingly, at some point, English speakers began using the more respectful form 'you' not just for authority figures like policemen, but for everyone.
I love the laws against terrorizing your neighbours with noise
My Ex came back to me few days ago
I got
help from a Relationship Restore Dr Kayode
Who was able to mend back my broken relationship and make my ex to come back and
beg for a second chance.He can bring your
ex back,and he also do a lot of work also like
Financial problem,and court case, lottery spell etc....
The craziest German laws are their thought policing and anti-free speech laws
we could use those law in the US - too many incredibly rude people here, when it come to noise 🤨
Lots of places in the world just don't understand not terrorising neighbours with noise. Thinking of Central American countries in particular here.
@@Julian-tf8nj There are noise ordnances in cities and towns in the US. If your neighbor is having a very loud party, you can report them to the police. The police generally give a warning at least with the first violation. But if it continues the neighbor will get a fine for violating it.
9:28 Feli, this segment of your video inspired me to suggest a collaboration with fellow RUclipsr Caitlin Doughty of "Ask a Mortician". IMO, it would be fascinating to explore funeral customs, laws, etc. outside the U.S.
There’s a list of approved names i Denmark too. Legal names are added annually but there’s still a lot of rejections of more unusual names.
Another very enjoyable video! I was only unaware of der Friedhofszwang, possibly because the topic, thankfully, never came up while I was living in Germany. In Vienna, Austria, I received permission to keep the Urn with the ashes of my wife when she passed after 40 years of marriage. I had to jump through a number of hoops (receiving written permission from the owner of the building was the most difficult, because the owner was on an extended vacation and the management company in charge of everything else couldn´t give approval) aber ende gut, alles gut. The Urn has a place of honor in the living room. Very interesting that Bremen is a bit different than other parts of Germany. I enjoyed my time there very much, even though I spent much more time in Baden-Würtemberg and the Pfalz (or Palz, as the locals say).
Me, a German, practising my electronic drums on speakers 3 h straight, in my apartment on the highest floor, sweating, fearing for people below and around me to become annoyed. Good thing is that my apartment building apparently has good sound isolation. Although, I frequently hear a clarinet from the flat diagonally from me hehehe.
Tbh, most Germans are like "as long as noone is bothered and telling me so, I'll just do it", at least according to instruments.
It's like other things where it's technically illegal but so long as nobody bothers to report it youll get away with it ... e.g. not allowed to swear in the street in UK ... it its not like the police have the time/inclination to trawl around for people to arrest/fine
@@jodiejackson3089 exactly. Also, I didn't even know practicing yiur instrument can be illegal. I always thought that the only time you can't be (too) loud is from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., our "Nachtruhe".
Seriously that's really weird! You don't need laws for that. I thought "not bothering your neighbors with loud music/instruments" was a common sense. I play electric guitar and I'm always careful with the volume depending on the time of the day. Only had one complaint to this day and tbh I was drunk and didn't notice that the volume was a bit too much for 11pm 😂 My neighbour told me I was too loud, I turned it off. Problem solved!
I'm glad to hear most Germans also handle it this way!
P.S. I'm definitely voting for "Eskimo Callboy" If they go to Eurovision 😁
The inspections are called HU (Hauptuntersuchung), the TÜV is just one of the companies (like Dekra as well), doing this inspection.
It is not mandatory to use winter tyres during winter, only when you have 'winterliche Straßenverhältnisse' (winter road conditions), so ice, snow or slush.
It is also forbidden to tow away a stranded car on an Autobahn further than to the next exit. You have to leave the Autobahn as soon as possible.
You might want to ask Edward Snowden about the American freedom of speech. There are everywhere regulations about it.
The night time period is from 10 pm to 6 am. There are just a few things, which are forbidden at 8 pm already.
„TÜV“ wird umgangssprachlich als Gattungsbegriff verwendet (so wie z.B. „Tempo“), aber du hast mit allem recht.
I dont know about Germany but in Czechia you have to have winter tyres from November 1st to March 31st even though there isnt snow.
In the US it varies by state. Many states require annual auto inspections, but others require none at all.
@@pox1396 German law says that you have winter tyres on your car, when you meet winter conditions on the road. So technically you can get away with summer tyres in winter, as long as there is no snow, ice and cold temperatures. A starting date and end date doesn't exist. But this also means, that you will be in trouble, when you have an accident with ice or snow in autumn or spring, when a surprise early or late snowfall hits you, and still have or have already switched back to summer tyres on your car.
The German lawmaker does this on purpose to leave the responibility for this with the car owners, because you would have done nothing wrong, when you caused an accident due to ice or snow outside of such fix dates while beeing on summer tyres. Due to the structure of German law regarding this, you could even try to blame the German government and claim compensation. This way it is always up to the car owners to do the right thing and it's independent from weather surprises.
"TÜV" ist ein Deonym zu "HU".
Yes, I would be interested in a video about the differences between German and American cemeteries and funerals. And I agree with the folks who suggested a crossover with the Ask a Mortician channel.
My Ex came back to me few days ago
I got
help from a Relationship Restore Dr Kayode
Who was able to mend back my broken relationship and make my ex to come back and
beg for a second chance.He can bring your
ex back,and he also do a lot of work also like
Financial problem,and court case, lottery spell etc....
In 1985 I joined a group of students from Los Angeles City College to go to the Munchen German Language School for a month. My host family lived in Pullach and we had S/U bahn passes to get to and from the school. In that entire month, the family had the car out of the garage twice. Once to pick us up at the airport and another time they had a late, formal affair to attend and the trains would have stopped running! I always felt those commuter trains were brilliant and it was too bad that so many US cities did not have them.
USA has "case law" system, meaning every court case/ruling is becoming a law. This way many weird wordings could occur. I heard in Alaska there is a specific law prohibiting a "throwing out" of a living deer out of the plane during the flight ;)
... In Chicago it's prohibited to the firefighter to save from fire an undressed (properly) women ;) Felicia, you could make series based on "weird" US laws. Can't remember in which state, but it was a law prohibiting the people to wear an ice-cream in the back pocket...penalty is 3 days in prison...wow
Another series sequence could be made on US IFU (instructions for use)... E.g. in the IFU for electric blankets there is "It can't be used as a protection against tornado" ;) IFU for microwave oven states: "It can't be used for drying out pets" and it's based on a true story...
It kinda deserves the tag of /r/suspiciouslyspecific :)
Case law in the US is only created by the appellate courts. Most cases do not reach the appellate courts. And the appellate judges normally apply the principle of stare decisis which means that they are bound so much as possible by prior decisions of the same court.
@@stevegfromnc3482 You replied on the above comments or just in general? ;)
Being first generation Canadian, I grew up in a German/ polish home. And it was very quiet, no yelling, no making noise in the house. And now that I'm nearing 40, I very much enjoy my quiet time at home. With nothing playing in the background. The only thing I wish I did was upkeep on my German language lol.
A ha! That is where that's where it came from ! Im not very German in that way!! My Mom loves to have the radio on! 📻 i don't like it quiet!!
Es ist nie zu spät. Stream your favorite movies in German, and watch the DW (Deutsche Welle) News - in both languages. Gutes Gelingen :)
There is a good reason for the "Friedhofszwang" in Germany. As there are often quarrels between relatives, gravesites are supposed be on public ground. That way everyone get's to visit the gave and mourn their loved one. Otherwise it could happen, that someone keeps the urn on his private property and denies others access to the grave.
Thank you - makes sense.
what can be annoying is that children of deceased people are obliged to pay for the funeral, even if you are estranged. only in the case of very few scenarios you are not obliged to do so (iirc this includes something like being the victim of sexual molestation by that parent).
I know that _I_ can't mourn for someone whose cinders are further than three dachshunds away from me.
@@FlatOnHisFace This is actually a pretty long distance.
Why doesn't everyone get a share of grandpa Fritz from the start?
When I was stationed in West Germany in 1978-82. It was against the law to put your washing on the line on a Sunday, and shops were closed and big furniture stores were allowed to be open but there weren’t any transactions were allowed to take place. It was the best posting I had whilst I was in the army 👍👍👍👍👍
Same it was a great posting Munster
One remark: there is a difference between actual laws (as they have been passed by a parliament) and legal ruling by courts. In both cases you have legal bindings/rights/obligations, yet they differ quite a lot (one is democratically legitimised the other is a specification based on preexisting cases and interpretation of aforementioned laws). It is worth noting, that although the US/UK and German administration's are based on the rule of law, they have very distinct traditions. In Germany this goes back to Roman law and a law-on-case mantality: there is a different book of law for every situation. However, the US and the UK are both more hands on. They only pass laws every now and then in some broad manner and leave most of the details to the courts. There the laws are refined based on cases after its release. Germany does that as well, but far less extensive than other countries.
There’s an unwritten understanding in US: legislation isn’t law until it’s litigated.
I LOVE your videos. It is so interesting to be able to learn about different cultures even if I can't go there, and I especially love your thoughts on America. Thanks for making these. 🙏
Flowers for you gorgeous 💐💐❤️💐
I once crossed a street in Germany - all quiet, no traffic, and a helpful German pointed out that the pedestrian crossing light was red. He was not scolding me, but bringing something to my attention that I must have missed. He was being helpful! I was amazed!
My Ex came back to me few days ago
I got
help from a Relationship Restore Dr Kayode
Who was able to mend back my broken relationship and make my ex to come back and
beg for a second chance.He can bring your
ex back,and he also do a lot of work also like
Financial problem,and court case, lottery spell etc.....
My Ex came back to me few days ago
I got
help from a Relationship Restore Dr Kayode
Who was able to mend back my broken relationship and make my ex to come back and
beg for a second chance.He can bring your
ex back,and he also do a lot of work also like
Financial problem,and court case, lottery spell etc.....
It depends on where you are. If you're near Frankfurt, everyone is walking on red.
Vielen Dank für diesen hervorragenden Kanal.
One American law that my European friends and relatives find odd is the law against public drinking. So you have to put your cans and bottles in a sack to drink from them. That's how you make it private when it's in public.
how about you? Don't you find it odd? When you drink out of a bag, it's more obvious that you're drinking alcohol than drinking straight from a bottle. I mean, what's the point of the law, since all it does is the exact opposite of what it's meant to do, which is limiting the promotion of alcohol.
I am not saying alcohol should be promoted, but keeping a law that intends to limit the promotion of alcohol, that in fact promotes alcohol, is not not promoting alcohol.
I'm American and it drives me crazy. Germany seems to have laws where you want them (quiet, not ruining your kid's life with a bad name) and no laws when you don't need a law (no speed limits, no restriction on outside drinking). I really like the sounds of it. Here you are free to play music out loud while you hike, ruining everyone else's vacation with trap music, yet you can't have a beer in a park. Makes no sense.
I’m pretty sure putting cans and bottles in a sack doesn’t “make it private.” That’s just a way hobos drink in public so it’s not obvious. It doesn’t suddenly make it legal
@@vintifada7115 why do hobos do it then? They're hobos, not stupid. They know everyone knows that's alcohol in that bag. The police knows as well, cause they're not stupid either, and they rarely if ever do something about it too.
In Texas as long as we are not within 1000 ft of a school, church, or halfway house we can drink alcohol. Walking down the sidewalk and drinking is fine.
Some larger cities in th e business district it is not allowed. State law other than within CBD with approval from the state, prohibiting open containers is prohibited. Open containers is only one of three things you cannot be arrested for a traffic stop. No seat belt, no turn signal etc., you can be arrested (usually given tickets, they can arrest), not open container though.
here in Queensland Australia, it was illegal to have a voodoo doll until about 1990 lol.
And everywhere in Australia, voting is compulsory and cyclists must wear helmets. Many drugs available off the counter in most other countries are prescription only or not even sold in Australia, phenibut is an example of one banned altogether.
Weird, Voodoo dolls are not even a real thing in hoodoo and voudoun. The dolls are literally just a tourist thing with no basis in the religion.
Also in Queensland, Australia it is illegal to own a Bunny Rabbit as a pet unless you can prove you're a magician.
@@tjwells6824 yes because they were introduced vermin lol
Re: point 6, this is called a “T-V distinction” in linguistics. (The name comes from “ty” vs. “vy” in Russian, or “tu” vs. “vous” in French, etc.) In German’s closest relative, Dutch: “jij” vs. “U” (note also capitalization). English historically had “thou” vs. “ye/you”: over time, “thou”, originally the informal pronoun, eroded until it is now associated with religious use. [Ironically, in spoken “Flemish” Dutch, “gij”, the cognate of “thou”, is used instead of both “jij” and “U”.]
Semitic languages like Hebrew or Arabic don’t have T-V (in Hebrew, if you want to be really deferential, you speak about somebody in the third person: as Abraham addressed G-d, “shall not the Judge of All the Earth do justice”?).
A capitalized U in Dutch refers to God. So definitely "note the capitalization"!
@@disuser-lp3qv1tm8f My recollection is that garbage cans inside MCDonald's in the Netherlands say "Dank U" on them, as if to say thanks for throwing away your trash and not leaving it on the table.
Yeah, the English is the same as politeness in French and German: Plural majestatis. The 2nd person plural is used for a singular person. The informal then "eroded" as you say, fell out of use, and is only found in really old texts (or texts trying to invoke the image of being old, like certain additions to religious texts).
@@disuser-lp3qv1tm8f wrong. You say "U" to ANYbody as a sign of respect (superiors, unknown persons, officials, etc.), as you say "jij" to anybody informally (friends, family, subordination, etc.). God has nothing to do with that.
@@eric1966tomson That doesn't make me wrong, it makes you claim more than you can prove. Originally, U was reserved for the name of God and any other pronouns etc.
that refer to Him. Later, U was used to include people in high positions, such as kings, princes, dukes etc. Still later its use was gradually expanded to include anyone in Formal writing. Nowadays, the respect that was once reserved for the Creator has been watered down to include plebeians in fastfood chains.
Thanks!
The US law against hitching/tying your alligator to a horse post is a pretty good one. :)
In New Orleans there is an ordinance that protects your right to grow as tall as you would like.
There is (or was) a law in NYC where u can't tie your giraffe or elephant to street lamps
You don’t see how that would be problematic?
@@Docsfortune How else do I keep my alligator from wandering off?
@Jonathan Parks When I say "US law" I just mean a law that exists in the United States, not that it's a federal law.
Hello Feli, i am also german and i found your youtube channel these days. First of all a big big praise on how you teach americans the mentality and let's say "the german way of life" ;).
That winter tires are mandatory in in winter in germay, is not totally correct as you are also allowed to use "full year tires" or also called "all weather tires".
Depending on the formal address, there exists a well known anecdote in soccer in germany. A faimous german soccer player of the 70's, Willi "Ente" Lippens (Willi Lippens the duck, played at dallas tornado in 1979), had a conversation with the referee. Because it's impossible to tranlate it into english, i use german :
referee : "Herr Lippens ich verwarne Ihnen."
Answer of Lippens as a joke: "Herr Schiedsrichter ich danke Sie."
Depending on this answer, "Ente" Lippens got the red card.
For the amerkans: The referee uses wrong grammar with the formal address. As a joke, "Ente" Lippens uses also wrong grammar with the formal address at the answer. Correct it should be this way:
"Herr Lippens ich verwarne Sie."
"Herr Schiedsrichter ich danke Ihnen."
Probably Lippens would have got also the red card using correct grammar, because nobody would say thank's, if got warned, This can be interpet as a voilation of the referee's authority as well.
A fun anecdote, though I'd like to point out to any Americans reading that respecting a referee is far from related to libel/insult law though.
The funniest law in German history was documented by journalist William Shirer in his book "Berlin Diary". Sometime during World War II, they required every person to salute any German wearing a military uniform they pass on the street. Shirer followed some uniformed soldiers to see how well this law worked. He saw Germans suddenly crossing the street or stepping into cafes and bookstores as soon as they saw the soldiers coming.
Thats crazy but not very unusual If its from the 30s or 40s era.
@@_np7 What other countries had this law?
In Munich the Feldherrenhalle had a memorial to the Nazi putschists of 1923; passersby were required to render the Nazi salute. But is was also possible to take a detour down Viscardigasse just before reaching the monument; Viscardigasse was then nicknamed "Drueckebergergasse" ("Shirker's Alley").
I thought the best one was the law requiring the "Hitler Greeting" (aka Nazi salute) on all occasions. After a spate of railway accidents where drivers mistook it for the "right away" signal they had to introduce a special exemption for railway platforms!
@@davidjones332 Sounds like an urban legend.
In our very first Airbnb stay in western Germany the landlord, who lived on the upper floor, had a book of rules. One of them was that she could enter the apartment whenever we were out. It felt like invasion of privacy for us, because she also moved some of our belongings. Now I’m thinking it might be safer to stay in a hotel next time. PS: She was a “super host” too.
When I was in the US Army and stationed in Bamberg in the 1990s, I was surprised that if you were driving a car and, for example, hit a farmer's pig and killed it, you would not only have to compensate the farmer for the pig you killed, but also for all of the pigs that the pig could have had had it not been killed. Or, another example, if you destroyed a farmer's grape plant at a winery, you would have to compensate the farmer for the grape plant plus all of the other potential grape plants that it could have produced had you not destroyed it. Another one was about the environment...if you spilled gas at a gas station you would be charged for the clean up which included removing a six cubic foot area around the spill!!
I was in Erlangen 88-91.
That is why everyone has a Haftpflichtversicherung, an insurance that covers all damage a person can be responsible for. So you drop a bottle of perfume in the sink at your mothers house, and the sink is cracked, you simply put it forward to your Haftpflichtversicherung. Mine is 11,99€ a month and includes damage my dog may cause. It may sounds OTT, but it is a life saver if you cause a real mess. And basically everyone has one, or a family has one for all family members.
And if you have an accident and knock down a tree you have to pay for the tree
I never heard about these particular laws but they sound reasonable since if you damage/kill something belonging to somebody else you should pay for the actual value - so if it takes a tree/grape plant years to finally be as profitable the owner should be compensated accordingly.
Nevertheless I fail to understand what was so suprising to you about this law. It's not like we had villages where pigs still roam the streets, in 45 years I haven't seen one in a public place. You'd need to be on private property and even most likely pass a fence to finally being able to run one over - I'd think that wouldn't be allowed in the US either.
In my country it is illegal to let stock wander on the roads, so if you hit the pig the farmer would be liable for the damage to your car. Farmers can however drive a herd of sheep down the road, and in that case the sheep have the right-of-way!
I remember hearing some similar things here in Poland when we first came here - esp. about the naming of babies. I was shocked that they couldn't name their children whatever name they wanted. So that one is similar to Germany.
That's because you cannot easily change your given name in Germany. If you parents name you after some funny idiotic cartoon character, you're stuck with that name for the rest of your life.
"Hi, my name's Sponge-Bob, wanna go on a date with me?"
Actually, there's an exception to the no-name-change policy. Not an easy process, but a few people had been allowed to change their names because the names were insulting.
I so so wish this existed in the US. So many ‘parents’ name their kids horrible names that will cause life long disadvantages.
Very nice, assertive and poised explanation of the "no denying the Holocaust" law and the rationale behind it! 👏
really? You're clapping for policing thought and putting them in jail over thought crime?
@@mgntstr what?
@@mgntstr You can think whatever you want, you are just not allowed to publish it.
If you will deny the Holocaust in a private conversation you will possibly get nothing but heads shaking. But if you do it in an interview or a publication you most certainly will be prosecuted.
@@katharinawinter3788 and the lawyers too, if they defend their client like in any other dispute they too get the axe.
@@katharinawinter3788 Thats too far, Holocaust denial is both factually and morally incorrect, but its crazy to think someone could go to jail for expressing that belief, no matter the setting.
The first time i visited Germany, one thing that struck me was how pedestrians would wait at crossings until the pedestrian lights allowed them to cross. This contrasts to the UK where it's common to rush across as soon as there is anything like a gap. It wasn't until talking to an Emglish friend who lived in Germany that i realised that jaywalking was illegal. Apparently they found out when shortly after moving they rushed over a crossing when the pedestrian lights were against them, and were spotted by a police officer. Unlike in some places where they would have got a fine, the officer on realising they were not German explained to them the rules and told them to not break them again. The other confusion was crossing a road when the pedestrian lights were green, and having a car come towards me. I initially stopped, probably to the drivers frustration, but then i realised they were stopping and did that funny quick jog with the raised sorry/thanks hand. I then later realised that German junctions are often set up to allow right turn when the pedestrian crossing to the right is being used, as long as long as pedestrians get right of way. That's one i still find a bit weird when in Germany, especially given in the UK, drivers of German cars have quite a reputation for being loose with rules. Actually, another thing i still find odd when in Germany is seeing German cars using indicators, since it's a rare sight here in the UK.
Yes! Please do more on mortuary/post mortem laws in Germany.
I grew up in ex Yugoslavia. There was no law against keeping urns at homes but I never heard that anyone actually had one at home. It would be considered extremely weird and even a bit creepy.
I wouldn't say it's common in the US. I've never seen an urn with ashes in it myself. Although my sister does have our Mother's ashes and I just have not visited her since our Mom died. I used to do service calls to houses and have been to 1K different houses for sure.
"keeping the urn at home" also includes, for example, burying it in your garden. That, too, is not allowed in Germany.
And no idea why some people in the US think it's a good idea to keep your deceased loves ones' ashes on a shelf.
@@pixelmaster98 - Nun, ich hab ne Aldi-"Kaffee-Urne" in der Küche stehen. Geht
Oh yeah, I was cutting my grass on a Sunday when I lived in Niederndorf. My neighbor quickly came out and shouted at me that cutting my grass on Sonntag ist verboten! I happily put my mower away for the day.
I lived in Bitburg Germany while I was stationed there in the 80's. I remember how regulated how things were done. You have speak respectfully no matter what.
Number 6 used to be something that while not always a law was considered the social norm. Also, it is very inadvisable to give a cop the finger. 😬
Why cant u give a cop the finger?
@@ThePhantom712 Have you tried? 😂
When I was in grad school, I taught at the Intensive English Center, teaching ESL. There was a social event where students from various countries did skits protraying their cultures. The group of German students portrayed how Americans stand in line (sloppy, crooked, slouching, etc.) and how Germans stand in line (very orderly, good posture, neat, etc.). They made us laugh.
That’s ironic considering that Germans don’t actually stand in line 🤣😂
Actually the Finnish have the German's beat on line standing.
If there is one thing Germans don't, won't and seemingly can't it's waiting in line. Fortunately in supermarkets there are shelves separating the lines of customers waiting for the different cashiers. Otherwise I promise, we'd see fights at Aldi & Lidl every Saturday. ;-)
@@kimballscarr I though the British were the champion queuers.
@@alicemilne1444 I don't think so they usually get into fights and cut in... at least at the football matches.
The Standesamt will evaluate if the first name you want for your baby sounds ridicolous / is a pun combined with the last name. There was a discussion not long ago about a family named "Rackete" (rocket). They wanted to name their baby boy Silvester. It's a existing name, so nothing wrong with it. But the name Silvester Rackete is a pun, meaning something like "rocket for New Years Eve". After a long fight, the name passed the registration.
I once read in a newspaper, that a turkish father wanted to name his daughter "Elbe", like the river in Germany. He had to prove, that it is a common habit in turkey, to name daughters after rivers. The final compromise was, to give the daughter a second more "usual" name. So it would be easier for her when she is grown up, to pick the other name, if she detestes the unusual name.
The reporter commented, that a name "Danube" might be fine, but "Warthe" ("wait!") or "Wandse" (sounds like "bed-bug") are less appreciated.
I lived in Germany during the 1980s and the apartment complex that I lived in had a rule that you weren’t allowed to hang clothes on the drying lines on Sundays.
In the 1990s movie "LA Story" (which pokes fun at Los Angeles), Steve Martin's character is asked about local noise rules.
Sara: "If a person were to be making a lot of noise, what time should they start?"
Harris: "What kind of noise - like construction?"
Sara: "No - like deep sustained booming sounds."
Harris: "Ah - deep sustained booming sounds - around nine, nine fifteen."
(We later find out Sara plays the tuba).