I still use my 3 years of high school German when traveling abroad. It goes a long way to making people feel comfortable and does a good job of removing certain stereotypes of Americans.
I found German to be rather easy to understand in context. Didn't help me speak it, but I didn't have too difficult a time understanding it when it was printed
Well, I like that I will not need my two years of German, aber ich möchte ein bisschen Deutsch sprechen. I still remember when I went to Italy and I got complimented on speaking Italian as an obvious American as well as I did. That is kind of my high, learning languages that will impress native speakers. Italian was easy after two years of high school Latin und Deutsch für mir war immer einfach and next Japanese so I can take my Fiancée there once we are married.
After “hello”, I find that the question “do you speak English?” is incredibly important, whether in German or in English, because it just comes across as incredibly arrogant when it is simply assumed that everyone understands you.
My husband's first language is German but he has grown up in North America. Wherever we went throughout Germany the minute they heard him speak about 4 German words with his North American accent they would switch completely to English. He was quite surprised how quickly they knew he was a tourist and how well the English language is known there.
As a person from cologne I don’t agree with every point you mentioned 😅 of course these are generalizations anyway - but THANK YOU for pointing out the n*zi Joke thing!! I have watched a lot of videos in the style of yours but this point has never been made and it is soooo crucial!! I can’t tell you the amount of times I went to other countries , even as far away as Australia, and the n*zi jokes kept coming - or the times people came here and joked about it! Not only is it an immediate turn off but also in my case, as my grandpa was a resistant fighter (Edelweisspirat) and used his time of life to go to schools and podiums etc. and talk about the time back then - I grew up hearing all of these terrible stories (which I am sure a lot of Germans have) making me feel super super anxious when I even just see any type of symbolism anywhere today (like in movies and museums etc.) etc. let alone being associated with these inhumane crimes that have happened! It’s a very dark and traumatizing part of german history - and this is me saying that, without even being Jewish or anything so I can’t even imagine how it must be for them - and it has resulted in Germany in general having a very weird relationship with national pride. It would be unimaginable here to have a german flag in every classroom, every house outside on the street - this immediately would give off n*zi vibes and I feel like people over here (who are not ‘rechts’) try really hard to be open minded and not to step on anyones toes or anything because of our history in worry that It might repeat itself! Millions of people lost their lives and if left more than a whole generation traumatized which is still reflected in generational trauma in the younger generations today. So yeah…not funny at all 🙈
I can’t even imagine joking about this!! Insane. Thank you for sharing your point of view so eloquently. Similarly, I have a good Japanese friend who said they didn’t teach much about WWII in history class because it’s such a mixed bag for them. Similarly, in the US we don’t learn enough about our government’s role in almost eliminating our native population. Shame.
Hey mark Im traveling to Germany in a few weeks, and it’s my first time traveling abroad, I’m so nervous! I appreciate the germany videos, I’m watching all of your videos to prepare😀🇩🇪
bring some cash.. cash is still king. many small places dont accept credit cards or dont have a card reader at all. If you need help, ask the younger people.. anyone under 40 should speak at least a little bit of english. please keep in mind, drinking in public is allowed.. so grab a beer/wine from the store, find a place with a view and enjoy. Have fun and welcome to Germany
I traveled to a rather small town in Germany where many people didn't speak English so I wish I'd learned a few of these. I'd studied German on Duolingo for a few months before going but I found myself struggling. It didn't wreck my trip and my experience was amazing as a German-American whose family spent hundreds of years in that town, it just would have helped to know more of the language. Especially numbers and how to ask simple questions and some understanding of the response.
Everybody in Germany learns english at school from the age of 10 or even earlier. Small villages or big towns don‘t make a diffrerence. The only difference is that in the eastern parts of Germany many teachers don‘t speak english what sometimes makes the english lessons a joke.
Ah, you're back in Germany! 😍 And you've put together a great little language guide with a lot of emotional intelligence, as always. 👍🏻 Us Germans _secretly_ enjoy being called Sir and Ma'am, by the way. 😉 Feel free to add that to German phrases ("Danke, Ma'am!", "Wie viel, Sir?"). ...Slightly off-topic: I feel like most Americans stick a little to the Western parts of the country (except for Berlin as the capital). Make sure to also explore the east at some point, e.g. Dresden, Leipzig, Weimar; the mines in the Ore Mountains and the vineyards of the Saale-Unstrut region. Everything's a little less cosmopolitan, but so rich in culture and nature! ...plus, not too expensive and very down-to-earth. 😍
@@woltersworld Oh yeah the Harz is underrated too, even among our own people. I bet you've seen more of the East than 80% of all West Germans. Sorry, that east-west estrangement still hasn't faded. 🙈 Anyway, love your insightful + entertaining work! 🙏🏻
Hi Mark, I love your videos BTW, they are really helpful for travelers on where you're going. I was in germany last month and used some of these phrases as mentioned in the video. I was wondering if you please could do travel video about Istanbul or Turkey soon. That'll be great 👍
Guten tag Wolter💜 its so funny here in California ive had so many folks ask me if im German, i say no im Swedish lol great video again Wolter👍👍👍 oh gosh all those side dishes look yummy beyond belief👍👍
The southern German greeting "Grüß Gott" doesn't mean "Greetings to God." It's the short form of "Grüß Sie/dich/euch Gott." In English "May God greet you." So it's the other way round.
It's crazy how they say English and Deutsch come from the same family tree, because a lot of things are different. English and Spanish are more mutually intelligible, and yes, modern English has a heavy Latin influence on it.
they are both Germanic languages. They are about as similar as English and German. I'm Dutch myself, and sometimes English is easier to follow then German, but that may be because I'm more trained in the English language.
Wolters: "Germans are really good with money." -Suffered at the hands of enemies in two world wars in less than 50 years. -Is the top economic power in Europe 75+ years later.
For northern Germany you can use "moin" as a greeting. 24 h a day. It is always right.
I still use my 3 years of high school German when traveling abroad. It goes a long way to making people feel comfortable and does a good job of removing certain stereotypes of Americans.
I found German to be rather easy to understand in context. Didn't help me speak it, but I didn't have too difficult a time understanding it when it was printed
GREAT video!!!!!
Moin, this will work evertime in the north of germany.
Well, I like that I will not need my two years of German, aber ich möchte ein bisschen Deutsch sprechen. I still remember when I went to Italy and I got complimented on speaking Italian as an obvious American as well as I did. That is kind of my high, learning languages that will impress native speakers. Italian was easy after two years of high school Latin und Deutsch für mir war immer einfach and next Japanese so I can take my Fiancée there once we are married.
After “hello”, I find that the question “do you speak English?” is incredibly important, whether in German or in English, because it just comes across as incredibly arrogant when it is simply assumed that everyone understands you.
Excellent! Very helpful!
WC means Water closet.
Currently traveling in Germany, and I am so grateful for all of your awesome videos!!
That's awesome to hear. Thank you. Hope you have a great trip!
Enjoyed your video , thanks for sharing , stay connected !
Come and see the Czech countryside! sleeping in a Czech inn in the middle of nowhere and being woken up by the chickens or geese is lovely!
@@spannaspinna Thought that was obvious enough not to include
My husband's first language is German but he has grown up in North America. Wherever we went throughout Germany the minute they heard him speak about 4 German words with his North American accent they would switch completely to English. He was quite surprised how quickly they knew he was a tourist and how well the English language is known there.
so helpful! i love these basics videos.
As a person from cologne I don’t agree with every point you mentioned 😅 of course these are generalizations anyway - but THANK YOU for pointing out the n*zi Joke thing!! I have watched a lot of videos in the style of yours but this point has never been made and it is soooo crucial!! I can’t tell you the amount of times I went to other countries , even as far away as Australia, and the n*zi jokes kept coming - or the times people came here and joked about it! Not only is it an immediate turn off but also in my case, as my grandpa was a resistant fighter (Edelweisspirat) and used his time of life to go to schools and podiums etc. and talk about the time back then - I grew up hearing all of these terrible stories (which I am sure a lot of Germans have) making me feel super super anxious when I even just see any type of symbolism anywhere today (like in movies and museums etc.) etc. let alone being associated with these inhumane crimes that have happened! It’s a very dark and traumatizing part of german history - and this is me saying that, without even being Jewish or anything so I can’t even imagine how it must be for them - and it has resulted in Germany in general having a very weird relationship with national pride. It would be unimaginable here to have a german flag in every classroom, every house outside on the street - this immediately would give off n*zi vibes and I feel like people over here (who are not ‘rechts’) try really hard to be open minded and not to step on anyones toes or anything because of our history in worry that It might repeat itself!
Millions of people lost their lives and if left more than a whole generation traumatized which is still reflected in generational trauma in the younger generations today. So yeah…not funny at all 🙈
I can’t even imagine joking about this!! Insane. Thank you for sharing your point of view so eloquently.
Similarly, I have a good Japanese friend who said they didn’t teach much about WWII in history class because it’s such a mixed bag for them. Similarly, in the US we don’t learn enough about our government’s role in almost eliminating our native population. Shame.
I ❤️ GERMANY! I wish to live there.
Hey mark Im traveling to Germany in a few weeks, and it’s my first time traveling abroad, I’m so nervous! I appreciate the germany videos, I’m watching all of your videos to prepare😀🇩🇪
good luck im off to frankfurt this weekend 3rd time in germany from the uk, still makes me nervous🤣
bring some cash.. cash is still king. many small places dont accept credit cards or dont have a card reader at all. If you need help, ask the younger people.. anyone under 40 should speak at least a little bit of english.
please keep in mind, drinking in public is allowed.. so grab a beer/wine from the store, find a place with a view and enjoy.
Have fun and welcome to Germany
I was preparing for some bad pronunciations and was very surprised about how good it all sounded, well done! :D
Danke
I traveled to a rather small town in Germany where many people didn't speak English so I wish I'd learned a few of these. I'd studied German on Duolingo for a few months before going but I found myself struggling. It didn't wreck my trip and my experience was amazing as a German-American whose family spent hundreds of years in that town, it just would have helped to know more of the language. Especially numbers and how to ask simple questions and some understanding of the response.
Everybody in Germany learns english at school from the age of 10 or even earlier. Small villages or big towns don‘t make a diffrerence. The only difference is that in the eastern parts of Germany many teachers don‘t speak english what sometimes makes the english lessons a joke.
How long will you be here? What are the next cities you visit? Any plans to see Mannheim or Heidelberg?
I like to watch German Pod 101
Beautiful
Hey @Wolters World. Do you know that there is a brewery in my hometown Braunschweig which is called Wolters? Looks like the perfect beer for you ;)
Ah, you're back in Germany! 😍 And you've put together a great little language guide with a lot of emotional intelligence, as always. 👍🏻 Us Germans _secretly_ enjoy being called Sir and Ma'am, by the way. 😉 Feel free to add that to German phrases ("Danke, Ma'am!", "Wie viel, Sir?").
...Slightly off-topic: I feel like most Americans stick a little to the Western parts of the country (except for Berlin as the capital). Make sure to also explore the east at some point, e.g. Dresden, Leipzig, Weimar; the mines in the Ore Mountains and the vineyards of the Saale-Unstrut region. Everything's a little less cosmopolitan, but so rich in culture and nature! ...plus, not too expensive and very down-to-earth. 😍
I love the harz mountains region. So many people miss it
@@woltersworld based on your recommendation we spent a weekend there in 2019. So much fun and didn't hear a word of English the whole time.
@@woltersworld Oh yeah the Harz is underrated too, even among our own people. I bet you've seen more of the East than 80% of all West Germans. Sorry, that east-west estrangement still hasn't faded. 🙈 Anyway, love your insightful + entertaining work! 🙏🏻
Thüringer forest
If you're meeting a German for the first time, it's better to use the formal "Wie geht's Ihnen" rather than the informal "Wie geht's dir".
If you want to give them a tip, you give them the amount and if it's over, you say "Das Stimpt" eg, this is correct amount...
Hi Mark, I love your videos BTW, they are really helpful for travelers on where you're going. I was in germany last month and used some of these phrases as mentioned in the video. I was wondering if you please could do travel video about Istanbul or Turkey soon. That'll be great 👍
Guten tag Wolter💜 its so funny here in California ive had so many folks ask me if im German, i say no im Swedish lol great video again Wolter👍👍👍 oh gosh all those side dishes look yummy beyond belief👍👍
Radagadoon on a cannonball - they're chasin' their canvas pants throughout the borshtsh belt
This would have been super helpful when my wife and I went to Germany for our honeymoon...well, guess we have to go back now to use it 😅
you're welcome!
What happened to the Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire video you said you were editing?
Slight correction: A bar is "eine Bar" in Deutsch. A Pub is "eine Kneipe".
Walters welt ist großartig 😀
Danke
I was thinking that see you later is bis speter?
WC sounds as Hey Hey.
Wey say is much better
The southern German greeting "Grüß Gott" doesn't mean "Greetings to God." It's the short form of "Grüß Sie/dich/euch Gott." In English "May God greet you." So it's the other way round.
😁👍❤️
Just listen to a bunch of Rammstein before you go 😆
👏👏👏👏👏👏💖💖👍👍👍👍👍👍
Are we more likely to have language barriers in smaller towns like Wittenberg?
Yees
Even I as a german native have problems understanding the people in small villages in southern German
Counting with fingers ?
It's crazy how they say English and Deutsch come from the same family tree, because a lot of things are different. English and Spanish are more mutually intelligible, and yes, modern English has a heavy Latin influence on it.
👍😍🥰
Top Ten german words list is a good idea but I would've done a Top Nein ....
Danke. Bis Später Alligator.
Did your son have a beer in the Biergarten or was it applejuice?
Even for German standards that’s a bit young for a beer😂
I never knew it was easy to eat vegetarian in Germany!
I’ve been studying Dutch for almost 2 years so a lot of this was very familiar. Don’t know how far it would go in Germany
they are both Germanic languages. They are about as similar as English and German. I'm Dutch myself, and sometimes English is easier to follow then German, but that may be because I'm more trained in the English language.
Wolters: "Germans are really good with money."
-Suffered at the hands of enemies in two world wars in less than 50 years.
-Is the top economic power in Europe 75+ years later.
Why?
west germany was doing well with buisness, maybe with the help from the western allegiance?
@@SK-qc6fb Because of the ingenuity and culture of hard work of the Germans.
Suffered at the hands of enemies....? Wow.
So they don't need you to speak German but they appreciate the effort? Like some kind of bizzaro Paris?
It's in every country, a sign of respect.
Sorry / excuse me: entschuldigung
If planning on returning: bis zum nächsten mal
German is a easy language
Like I always said: "Ich will" doesn't exist!
Tatsächlich - a most useful German word, especially if you're being nagged for doing something wrong.
Meaning, please?
@@alwaystruetoblue Is that so?
@@alandowning1320I don't know. Is it? Lol 😂
Thanks for the translation.
Are masks mandatory in Germany right now? I hope not
Doesn't hurt to bring a few of your own