Yes... Our trains are very reliable and totally never cancelled a whole train cart which absolutely wasn't reserved by two school classes and then didn't just come twenty minutes or more too late. Nope. Not our very good Deutsche Bahn, they'd NEVER.
That feels a bit estranged, as if you had the opportunity to meet each other and missed it. The very thought of this feels cold in a pacifying, lifeless way.
@Horst Girtew Yeah, instead of openly communicating you perform an short play for each other, which may express mutual appreciation but doesn't bridge the gap between people. It's like greeting people on the other side of a river or channel. It's nice that you had _some_ contact but it is still distant. I think the German response "muss" on the question "how are you?" may be short but can still express to a further extent how you are. You can express how you are a bit better since you don't have to rely on the particular intonation of "fine".
I ditched school excessively and nothing happened. 😄 It has to do with your school and it's principle. In Germany you are required to send your kids to school as a parent. When you involve the police, the police has to do its duty and to check on you of course, but mostly with the background whether you are OK, and you aren't kept from being sent to school, to get a good education. I wish my school had cared more. -They didn't care at all. I could miss school for 3 months and no one called... Nothing. (Arg... my phone.)
in some parts of germany the police (and firefighters) even offers rides to school ,for kids who dont have a (opportunity/possibilty?) to get there. (e.g. if you live in a really small town (kaffxD))
Depends. Occasionally being absent is no problem. Not showing up in school at all is a case for the police and maybe a relocation to a government ward since the parents seem not to be responsible.
@@lifeingermany_ It can be very different 30km away in the countryside. We even have regions where the people behave and talk different on the other side of the river. For example Mannheim and Ludwigshafen. Funny is, the average person of Ludwigshafen knows the city of Mannheim, but the average person of Mannheim don't know much of Ludwigshafen. That resulted for example in a outlet store in Ludwigshafen from a famos store in Mannheim. You sometimes got te same stuff just cheeper 3km away in Ludwigshafen. And if you listen to the people talking, you hear from which side of te river they are. Even if the distance of the houses is just 300m.
There is one thing that really bugs me to no end is Americans (and I think Brits, too) saying:"Me and my friends" while in Germany it's considered a deadly sin to mention yourself first (der Esel nennt sich selbst zuerst)....
When I lived in the US for a while many people announced to pop by and then they never did. That was strange to me because when we say that in Germany we usually mean it. So it's safer to make an appointment so you know when to clean up your place before you have a visitor, lol.
In Scotland we also expect them to keep their appointment, but usually it's just a phrase they say. So actually, sometimes we need to ask if they're definitely coming up. I think it's different in England.
The funny thing is in German schools you are taught in English class that you don't have to answer the question "What's up" in English because otherwise you are immediately identified as a foreigner 😂👌🏻
It really depends on your personality and connection with the person. Not much is a typical response if not all of the time. That way if you want to continue the conversation you can add on after but it isn't forced.
@@keepinitkawaii exactly! I moved from the south East and we usually give two sentences at least. “How are you?” “ oh, I’m so tired. End of school year” *then never sees that person again*. I moved to west coast and people are like 😳 when I respond to “how are you?”
Soo as a German 17 year old kid I can tell you from my experience that you will find people with dark enough humor to make ww2 jokes with (or any other sensitive topic) BUT of course you have to very careful about that and definitely wait until you know a person well enough to judge if they are fond of it. Also it is up to you to decide wether it’s morally okay to make some of these jokes.
ich glaub eher dass deutsche mit deutschen darüber witze machen aber z.B. ein ami zu einem deutschen käm nich so gut an (zumindest bei meinen freunden is des so)
@@H.G.Halberd Seh ich, aber Nazis mag ja nun eh niemand und darum ist es doch eigentlich egal, ob ein deutscher nen Witz über Hitler macht, ein Vietnamese, Croate oder eben ein Ami. Aber I guess das ist dann personal preference, wie du schon sagstest: in deiner Freundesgruppe zB.
The German saying is "Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben". This way to look at Life is also the reason we don't congratulate before the event. It has nothing to do with bringing bad luck, it just means that bad luck can't be ruled out, and thus early congratulation can prove to be premature. You don't congratulate a player in a match before the final result. So don't congratulate someone before he actually has reached the point worth the congratulation.
Oh doch. Yes, traditionally it does have to do with bad luck, although 99.9% of the Germans won't actually believe in it anymore than that you get unlucky from breaking a mirror or having a black cat cross your way. Celebrating something before it happens is traditionally said to be "tempting god", who might punish you for your hybris to take it for granted that you will live to see your next birthday. Although according to that, the bad luck should derive more from accepting premature congratulations than from other people speaking them.
The matter is : you congratulate in german. But not in english. In English you wish a happy day, and this you can do in advance in Germany too. Like wishing somebody shall have a nice birthday party. So it's more as stupid as congratulating the winner of a marathon, 1 hour before he arrives the finish line. There is nothing more stupid or arrogant you can do.
@@holger_p ... In case of a Birthday.. but on many ocations englishspeakers will say "concratulations" .... Just like in German and they will also do so before the actuall day...
Rivalry challenge: Go to the Christmas market (after Corona, when it's crowded), in the middle of people, point to the Flammkuchen stand and say "Hey, let's eat that pizza!"
Im Saarland ist üblich: A: Unn (und wie gehts dir, was macht die Familie, Freunde etc) B: Jo (alles ok, wie immer, du weist ja etc.) A: Eijo (Bei mir das gleiche, alles wie immer) B: Alladann ( French: allez - also ich geh dann mal wieder) A: Alladann - ( man geht wieder seiner Wege)
The "do not pop by" is very true. Most people would never do it, and if it does happen I hate that and consider it rude because all my plans are overthrown
If you feel really really chatty then maybe you can reply with "Moin, moin". But if that happens more than 2 times a week then it will mark you as an incorrigible chatter box.
Very well observed. The whole random “How’s it going” situation is so true😂 I remember my first time in the States I was so confused by people greeting me and asking how I was doing. I seriously wondered: Do I know them?😂 Funny anecdote: I was at a grocery store in Hawaii once and the cashier said hi and asked how I was doing & I was like: oh hi, thanks pretty well. How are you doing today? 😂😳 she was so confused and didn’t even know what to say...I could tell she was wondering now: do I know her?😂😂 It’s such a small thing, but yes in Germany you just don’t ask something and don’t expect a proper answer. Yes, also WWII, very correct. Germans don’t use the word Nazi as if they are simply saying a...hole, don’t talk about Hitler as if they are talking about Goethe...it’s still such a dark shadow and considered so damn serious that they won’t even wanna say it out loud. Not kidding. If someone jokes around and uses those words it’s like: WTF’s wrong with this idiot!? I was really curious what you would mention in this vid and everything was spot on!👏
About number 1 and WWII: Just don't try to teach us our history. That's all I want to ask for. And in genreal: Don't make jokes about genocides and wars and basically just people killing other people.
It s really interesting to see an outside perspective on stuff I grew up with. About being punctual: Its basically a disrespect for the (limited) lifetime of the other person to make them wait and considered unfriendly and also somewhat dominant behaviour. I m in a relationship with someone from Latinoamerica, you can imagine how that goes :D. The looking in the eye while saying prost... its said you have bad sex if you don t look the other person in the eye while doing it. Thats why everyone takes it very serious.
I think the whole not-saying-sorry thing is actually just a consequence of so many Germans being incredibly ruuudde😂 My mother would have killed me if I hadn't said sorry to people when trying to get past them. So I still do the "Entschuldigen Sie bitte, könnten Sie mal kurz..." instead of just walking by. And I also apologise for standing in the way.😅
Ich weiß nicht, warum sich die Amerikaner darüber immer beschweren. Ich bin auch so erzogen worden, dass ich mich entschuldige, wenn ich vorbei will oder wenn ich im Weg stehe, ich kenne es so von meinen Eltern und meiner Verwandtschaft und von meinem sozialen Umfeld. Natürlich gibt es Stoffel, aber die finden wir Deutschen doch auch unmöglich, oder?
@@ingevonschneider5100 selbstverständlich finden wir Deutschen die auch unmöglich. Aber man kann leider nicht bestreiten, dass die große Mehrheit (gerade unter den jüngeren) inzwischen diese, für uns selbstverständlichen, Höflichkeiten abgelegt hat
@@needacookie211 Das kann ich so auch nicht bestätigen. Ich hab schon genug ältere Menschen erlebt, die sich an einem vorbeiquetschen und sich im besten Fall noch beschweren, weil man ihr Anliegen nicht sofort telepathisch erkannt hat und zur Seite gesprungen ist. Genauso verhält es sich mit dem Grüßen. Wir wohnen in einem kleinen Dorf und gerade, die ältere Generation, die sich gerne über die unhöfliche Jugend beschwert, bekommt den Mund nicht auf. Auch schön: Mittags im Supermarkt den Handwerker-Azubi, der offensichtlich gerade seine Pause hat, mit 2 Sachen in der Hand an der Kasse natürlich NICHT vorlassen. Das liegt aber sicherlich auch an der Region in der man wohnt. Hier sind prinzipiell die Älteren etwas verschroben. Das ist natürlich auch nicht die beste Vorbildfunktion für die jüngere Generation. Zum Glück ist hier noch kein besonderes Defizit feststellbar. 😁
@@c.d.5657 Ein weiterer Aspekt ist (meiner Meinung nach), dass viele in Deutschland nach dem Motto leben "zeig dich selbstbewusst, mach dich nicht klein vor anderen". Und sich zu entschuldigen ist für diese Leute eine Form von "sich klein machen".
Of cause we say Entschuldigung, when we bump into someone by accident for example, or when someone kind of is in our way and we would like to pass.... Then you will hear a simple.... Entschuldigung, while passing.
Yes, for sure! But you’ll notice in my example, “wanting to get by someone” not many would say “sorry” or if you have a question, a Canadian may start by saying “sorry, can I ask you a question quickly?”
The difference between "passing by" (and apologize) for a north-american and a german person is the distance... no german would say "sorry" while passing by beeing on the edges of an aisle at the supermarket. We do so, but only if it gets to close. For north-americans the distance of 1 meter+ is already "to close" so they're obliged to say sorry. One may say the "escape distance" (Fluchtdistanz) of north-americans is much higher, because of the vast extent of the country, it seldomly get cramped or crowded...so they respect a wider distance to each other.
I think witty2u has a point. For me as a German it, too, feels totally normal to say: "Entschuldigung, darf ich dich/Sie mal was fragen?" And I even hear the younger people say the actual english word "sorry" in front of many sentences. Maybe the point is this: Maybe Germans don't say it as often as North American people do, but it's not in the category of 'do not ever say this'. I think, no German will ever feel offendet or embarassed, if you do.
Maybe it seems to you that way, because you say I'm sorry at times, where a German would not say it? I am in contact with Americans on a daily basis, and when I tell them a funny story, what happened to me the other day, which made me laugh, they respond with I'm sorry, even though no one got harmed.. Or just a simple remark like... I should have asked for ______ gets commented by them with "I'm sorry" .A German might just make a remark like... Yeah, that had been better in deed, but would not say I'm sorry, unless you got hurt, or something got damaged.. That way it might occur to you, that we don't say it, because you are missing it in occasions, where an American would respond with I'm sorry. I have noticed that you use " Im sorry" in a way like you say "how are you". That is the big difference.
German here living in Denmark. No popping by here either. Even I was surprised to find that you got written invitations to dinner from 25 year olds 2 weeks in advance... Dinner is at 6 by the way sharp, be on time and when a party starts at 8 you better be there at 8. And I am quite german and mostly 5 minutes early😉
what bothers me is how 6 o'clock during Sommerzeit is actually 5 o'clock naturally, which is why it can be hard to force oneself to eat at that time. but if the dinner actually starts with talking and stuff, it can be nice since you can stretch the time till you "really" eat dinner.
I am German and made the experience that people who ask "How are you?" just want to hear "Good. And you?" and so not necessarily pay attention to your answer.. they want to SEEM polite but are both interested unless you are close friends..
Es geht nicht darum, ob in Deutschland ehrlich geantwortet wird oder nicht. Im Englischen gehört das "what's up" oder "how do you do" zur Begrüssung dazu. Es wird vom Gegenüber gar nicht darauf reagiert. Darum ist es für Amis etc. komisch, wenn sie auf ihr deutsches "wie geht's" eine Reaktion erhalten. Das hat Jane gemeint.
@@lschwab86 das hab ich schon verstanden. Ich wollte nur ausdrücken, dass sich in Deutschland auch nur die wenigsten wirklich um die Antwort scheren und es deshalb eigentlich völlig überflüssig ist, darauf zu antworten ;)
i am German and I had problems with the Sie/Du thing to.. I had an internship and so I said to everyone "Sie" and if I felt like, the person is cool with me, I asked, if I could that "Du" and later my mentor told me, that she didn't had a problem with it, but some other colleges think, the older person has to ask first or to offer the "du" and I shouldn't ask for it.. (its unfriendly for them). so I will not ask for a "du" in my future work environment again :D
Depends on the other person heavily. In my business in the IT branch it is quite common to get to "Du" very fast. In financial, political, educational branches it is more common to say "Sie"... Kinda depends if your work in a field where it is more traditional and expertise focused or more getting the job done as a team spirit.
But yes commonly the "higher" one wants to offe the Du. But if you can not clearly see the higher status just ask for it. But be prepared to change back on a stage or whatever if customers are listening and you want to display more the expertise side of your business it is quite common to change back to Sie during such a presentation.
I had to work once with an Indian back office and they always started the phone calls with "Hello, how are you?" and expected a quick answer back like described in the video Me, the German given an honest answer definitely did not helped :D Most of the times the answer was "Not good, bc I just received a phone call from our customer that your performance is bad" :D
I'm from german and I joke about the second world war, because not talking about it doesn't make the situation any better. But don't worry, I look out that I don't make jokes in the wrong time or with the wrong person.
well a woman once told me that you actually can talk about age with a women. and she instantly explained to me what i didn't know until then: women get 25 and then they stop aging! since then, i always congrat my female friends and collegues on their birthdays with "happy 25th!" and i must say, she was right! it does work perfectly fine!
The age is something most germans say as the second thing when they are introducing themselves. I don't think anybody minds the age in Germany (except for a few special insecure people)
Yeah, it's interesting. I haven't lived in Germany, just visited, but I don't like people just "popping by." I have an American friend who likes to do this. An example, (phone rings) "hey I'm here in the area and I have an hour wait here, why don't you just come by?" It happens that I haven't see this person in a year and a half and we live in the same city. She has called me during this one year and a half to check in and tell me that she misses me, but then she doesn't plan to meet with me, but expects me to drop everything at a moment's notice and just get out of the house and meet her. Yes, I definitely don't like to just pop by or have others expect me to do so. I like to plan ahead. I guess I would feel at home with this aspect in Germany.
- "Sorry" does exist in every day German conversation like for example when you have to move past someone in a narrow space you would say "Sorry, could I just move past you". However sometimes the polite form is often conferred in a different way along the lines of a "may I please ... ". And then some people are just plain rude, no matter the country. - Also, good on you for not taking sh*t from that Baumarkt guy - I swear, you give some people the smallest amount of power and they instantly become mini-tyrants. - You are misinformed about them being legally required to offer free tap water. What you are likely talking about is the 2019 law (actually they called it a guide line) that "strongly recommends" doing so. They actually tried passing a legal requirement, but the law was ..... wait for it .... "watered down" by Germany. The thing is that, unlike in the US for example (I am admittedly unsure about Canada in this regard) restaurant servers are actually paid a living wage in Germany and the profit margins for restaurants are much smaller. Also, comparatively the food in restaurants is actually cheaper. Restaurants do make the largest portion of their income from drinks as you said yourself. Would it be possible to change it? Perhaps. Will you find a lot of Germans agreeing with this change? Probably not.
I used to own a tiny coffeeshop with 4 tables and 16 seats. I wasn't happy when customers ordered tap water because that meant less income while still having to pay the costs of a waitress, the dishwasher , rent etc. I even had a customer who ordered 1 cup of tea and afterwards just hot water to put in her used teabag for a 2nd time. I found that annoying especially because she did that on a regular basis.
Addressing people is very confusing in German. There is not only the du-first name and Sie-last name option! Du-first name: children, family, friends, students in university, sometimes musicians. Sie-last name: strangers. Du-last name: employed by colleagues working with small children, imitating their way of talking. Sie-first name: used by teachers to address students above 15-16 years old. Ihr, Euch: old way of addressing people, nowadays used for high-ranking persons like ambassadors, royalties, or religious leaders. Er, Sie - used in the singular: used only to establish a master-to-servant-relation. So, please, please, be careful! There is ample opportunity to upset and/or offend someone...
@@xolang Not necessarily. My daughter is a teacher of students whom she didn't know before. I asked her today and she said, she addresses her students "Sie - first name", too.
@@Paradise-on-Earth Yes, and I hate that. Some big chains have adopted the "per Du" as well, I'm not saying which, but everybody knows that big furniture-store from Sweden and a supermarket chain, that divided up Germany into a northern and southern part (if you haven't noticed yet, check the tickets). Talking to customers in this manner is like saying: you're minor and below the age of consent. So.... should they really do business with them?
7:06 actually this is also common in Germany (i live in Nrw) f.e.when you ask a stranger something you often begin with "(Ent-)tschuldigung,...“ at least i do this every time
Oh yeah, I'm so glad we do this appointment-thing. xD It would put me under pressure and stress me out, if someone just showed up at my house without telling me beforehand. Because probably I would be in the middle of doing something and it would ruin all my plans for the day, or the house wouldn't be tidy, etc. xD
The "don't talk money" you have to correct in "don't talk income". It's no problem to tell how expensive wine and cheese is.But it's always more telling what you know, not asking. It can be almost a bargain hunt among some people, on "who got it for less". Of course, if you offer the cheese to your guests, you don't pronounce how cheap it was, before people said they like it. And maybe you mixup "sorry" and "excuse me" ? It's the same phrase in German "Entschuldigung" but in the meaning of "excuse me (if I interrupt you doing what you do" it's quiet common to use it. But saying sorry (apologize) for simple things, like choosing a wrong word, correcting somebody, this is really an American thing. They go like "I apologize for offering my help". It's more like a different understanding, what you have to apologize for. You never have to apologize for having an opinion.
@@fire7787 haha ja das stimmt, kommt aber auch drauf an wer da einem im Weg steht, dann hängt man noch ein en vorne dran oder halt auch einfach tschuldigung
Ich hoffe dem Mitarbeiter hast Du ordentlich die Meinung gegeigt. So überpünktlich bin ich selbst übrigens nicht. Bei mir im Familien-, Freundes- und Bekanntenkreis reizen wir gerne das akademische Viertel aus und betrachten bis zu 15 Minuten Verspätung nicht als solche. Ich finde es viel schlimmer, wenn ich jemanden zu mir nach Hause einlade und der kommt zu früh. Meistens ist mein Haushalt oder noch viel schlimmer ich selbst bin just in time fertig. Kommt da einer 10 Minuten früher, habe ich ein echtes Problem. Verfrühe ich mich selbst ausversehen mal, dann trödel ich also rum, schaue etwas auf meinem Handy etc., bis ich dann wirklich bloß nicht zu früh dran bin.
Jokes about WWII are only done in very close company, like very good friends or someone like that. Even then it is usually very rare and often only in drunk situations.
Funny, there's a video from "Wanted adventure" where Dana points out that Germans are so open about their money, what they earn etc. We must keep in mind that these impressions of single persons aren't always representative ...
The tap water thing brought back so much rage for me 😂. I live in the Netherlands and usually you will be given free tap water in my experience. But one time, I was on my period (hence the rage) and needed to take my next dose of ibuprofen. I had a water bottle in my bag, but that's rude, so I kindly asked whether they had some tap water and they literally told me that they didn't have any and pointed at a 25cl bottle of water for 3,50 euros (!?!!) on the menu. I explained that I only needed it to take the pill, but the answer was still no, the staff acted like I had asked something highly unusual and were very rude about it. So I did the most passive aggressive thing I have ever done, I opened my bag and took out my empty water bottle, marched to the toilets, filled it and went back to the table to swallow the pill. My parents always taught me that it's incredibly rude to bring your own food or drink to a place that sells food or drink, but I'm not paying 3,50 to swallow a pill. What if I catch on fire, are they going to estinguish me with 25cl bottles of water and charge me? I think it's fine to pay for water, if they had asked a euro for a glass of tap water I would have gladly payed it, but 3,50 for water is insane and I think in some situations it should just be customer service.
Dieses "Entschuldigen Sie, darf ich mal eben an Ihnen vorbei"-Ding ist hier auf dem Land Standard, zumindest nehme ich das so wahr. In Düsseldorf herrscht leider eine unfreundlichere Atmosphäre.
Absolut. Diese Höflichkeit wird von vielen immer noch als ein Ausdruck der Erziehung zum Respekt Anderen Menschen gegenüber betrachtet. In der "Anonymität" von großen Städten geht das leider immer mehr unter. Aber schon in kleineren Städten (unter ~100.000 Einwohner) gehört es zum Standard sich so zu verhalten. Dafür muß man nicht mal in ein Dorf gehen ...
@@misticue3403 Ist ja auch klar. Aufm Dorf kann ich auch jeden auf der Straße grüßen. In der Fußgängerzone mitten in der Stadt wird das dann eben doch irgendwann anstrengend.
Es kommt natürlich immer darauf an, Wie eng es wirklich ist, aber entsprechend dieser Aussage ist Köln Land. Hier ist es auch normal, sich mit einem "T'schuldigun" Gehör und Paltz zu verschaffen (Als Kölner verzichte ich höflich auf jeden Bewertung des möglicherweise in D'dorf vorherrschenden Verhaltens)
Fun fact: The rivalry between Köln and Düsseldorf dates back to the year 1288. In the wake of the "Battle of Worringen" Düsseldorf gained city rights and thus became a rival for power, prestige and money to the then more than 1200 year old "local champion" Köln.
@@Leo-qw4gh hahah probably because in DUS, there are statues and reminders everywhere that they won the battle of Worringen. 🙈 I can imagine Köln decided to bury that info deep haha. Super interesting history though if you do read more about it!
Yes... You normally don't just walk by unexpectedly to say hi. 😊... And when you set a date, you should be on time, as being late would be distespectful, since we value time.
Interesting, so that's how a Canadian sees a German. Vieles was du genannt hast ist mir nicht mal aufgefallen, weil es total normal für mich ist 😁. Grüße aus 🇩🇪
The thing is, restaurants try to keep their prices for food reasonable, so they have to cover their costs through the drinks, so they kind of expect you to pick a drink.
Oh ja ich war im Urlaub in den USA und jeder sagte whats up oder how are you und ich habe IMMER geantwortet, bis mich leute aufgeklärt haben (es erwartet keiner eine Antwort auf dieses Whats Up oder How are you)
Austrian here - had no idea about the tap water problem in Germany 😅 In Vienna it's mandatory to get a glass of water with your coffee, it's just the way we do it Also in a restaurant, if I want a glass of water and I realise they charge for it (which some of them do) it's likely that I won't return. You just don't always feel like beer, wine or a soda pop or sometimes just want extra water.
Years ago a guy I know asked for an Alt in Cologne. He waited ages before the waiter brought him really 'flat' 'Kölsch' and said "is that old enough for you?"
Years ago, I was with customers of the company I worked for at a trade fair in Düsseldorf. We went to a BREWPUB and in the middle of dinner, one of our clients who lived in the French-speaking part of Switzerland but also spoke English and German asks the waiter "Ich hätte gerne ein Kölsch". If looks could kill, we'd have lost a customer right there....
I am the opposite..in my childhood it was no problem to pop up and meet friends but somehow it changed over the years..which i sometimes find very annoying.
So is it in the States really no problem to call your boss directly by his firstname instead using Mr.Smith ? Or when a teenager meets the father of his girlfriend the first time would he just says "Hello John" instead "Hello Mr. Smith" ? And don't you even have the awkward "Sir" thing ? So who would say "Hello John Sir" ? 🤨
thank you for mentioning the WW2 jokes. as a German-American growing up in Germany and discussing WW2 in school quite extensively, it's seriously nothing to joke about. consider the Vietnam war and cracking jokes about that. not cool in the US either. I would simply avoid joking about war in general, if I don't want to come across as an asshole. I actually got really upset at a Finnish friend of mine who joked about Nazis. he hadn't realized how sensitive the matter is for us Germans and apologized immediatly. I was really grateful for that.
Übers Gehalt wird vielleicht tatsächlich wenig gesprochen, aber über das Elterngeld habe ich damals mit vielen gesprochen. Und über das Kindergeld MUSS gar nicht gesprochen werden, da alle das Gleiche bekommen 🤷🏻♀️😇
Ehrlich gesagt verstehe ich diese "Über-Geld-spricht-man-nicht-Philosophie" in Deutschland nicht. Ich persönlich habe kaum ein Problem damit über das Thema zu sprechen.
Thats true, people still drop in by best friends house and also in little villages. Probably it got lost because if people are straingers or both parents are working hoole day or doing sports, it could be difficult to meet them and it is better to make an appointment.
@wmf831, so true. I really miss this uncomplicated hospitality. Im born in 1983 and when I was a kid my grandma took me to a lot „pop by“s and I loved it. Its also ok when the person is busy or not feeling for a chat so he or she is just saying that and we keep the visit very short. No problem. But it was very easy and natural. And nobody had to set up the apartment and make it „visitor-ready“. Nowadays even when I just want to call a friend I need to make an appointment. Oh, dear, this stresses me to be honest. On the other-hand-side those appointment for phonecalls or visiting each other are not really fixed very much. Im not that old (just 37) but often I feel I like it less complicated, more hospitile, more unperfect.
If you want tapwater with your espresso or with your wine, i don’t think they will complain. But in germany, like in the netherlands where i am from, not ordering a drink is like not giving a tip in the us bc the drinks are where the profit is.that is also one of the reasons you have to wait between courses...
I've never heard about Germans not saying sorry. I say "Entschuldigung" all the time. No big explanation or unnaturally friendly and obedient demeanour; just a simple Entschuldigung and maybe a short sentence following and people should know what you want. About ,,Deutsche Pünktlichkeit": I've proved all my foreign friends wrong about this by almost always being late and my German friends don't care too much about being on time either. It of course depends on the setting though; I would possibly avoid to be late for professional meetings, class, doctor's appointments, job interviews etc.
The American Express thing can be explained very quickly. It's just too expensive for the shops or restaurants to have this service available in comparison to the number of people who use it.
No - its incorrect, Restaurants do NOT have to offer tap water for free in Germany (why do you think so?). Actually, there is a RECOMMENDATION from the EU to offer free tap water, but especially German restaurants dont follow that recommendation and they are not forced to offer free tap water. Last not least, you do not pay for the water (thats peanuts), you pay for the service, the waiter bringing you the water.
I guess I misunderstood the hundreds of comments that Germans wrote in my culture shock video & things that are free in Canada but not Germany videos when I mentioned tap water not being free, everyone lashed out on me saying legally it is... and I was incorrect. So now I’m just confused. 🤷🏽♀️ Moral of the story - ordering tap water for free (whether legal or not) is certainly not appreciated in Germany! And one can get a rather snarky response back.
@@lifeingermany_ From my experiences in France I can state that tap water is for free there, because everyone will order some wine on top...while germans will drink only the water for free to save money.
@@lifeingermany_ >everyone lashed out on me saying legally it is "Everyone"? Can you link to some of these? Actually you must not forget - most RUclips viewers are very very young and i dont think that these really KNOW or only BELIEVE. I am 61 and I really KNOW that tap water is NOT for free and there is no law or similar. Of course, if someone simply walks to the rest room and takes some sips from tap water, he may do so. But none restaurant MUST deliver free tap water to the table. As already said, you dont pay for the water, you pay for the service. And as "trinkgeld" in USA (and probably Canada - i dont know, you could help me about that) exceeds by far "trinkgeld" in Germany, you pay for the service as well - it only seems to be without costs. In Germany service fee is included in the price calculation, in the USA it adds up.
Klar kann man über den 2ten WK Witze machen hier. Man bekommt halt 2 mögliche Reaktionen. Entweder man bekommt einen besseren Witz zu hören oder man bekommt nen Schlag ins Gesicht. 😂
In France, if one's dinner hostess says that dinner will be at 20:00 hours, she'll be very angry if one arrives at the specified hour. She won't even be dressed by then.
@@H.G.Halberd The French husbands might object to that sort of thing and they might have pistols. Also, the French women have housekeepers (gouvernantes de maison) who receive the guests.
As a Canadian (who is of German descent), I actually agree with the parkette store employee(s), and it has NOTHING to do with Germany! During these times I go grocery shopping on my own since there are limits (and I'm in Toronto) of how many people can be in a store at once. While I'd like to bring the whole family it would be rude to others to do so since they'd have to wait outside as I'm taking up three spaces instead of one!
About the tap water: What I usually do when I'm really thirsty at a restaurant and don't want to spend more money on the drinks than on the food is I order a juice or a beer to show that I don't just want to cheap out and then ask for a large glass of tap water along with it. So far I haven't gotten any negative responses (I'm from Germany btw.)
I think this is a great tip! Funny enough I also usually order beer or apfelschorle because I don’t want to be cheap 🤣 but never though about actuallyasking at the same time for a glass of water - that’s a great suggestion!! Thanks so much! 🥰
I think the things you state are more true for older Germans than for younger Germans. People around my age (20~30) do not generally think badly about WWII jokes, as long as it doesn't go too far. But what goes too far and what doesn't is not that easy to explain, so I'd say just be a bit careful and make sure that you educated yourself about Germany's crimes so that you also know what you are talking about. For people older than me, just don't do it. Best way to stay on the safe side
3 года назад+2
When passing people I do not know it will depend on distance. When entering the private sphere I will attempt to either face my body somewhat towards them and say "Entschuldigung" or "Verzeihung" (particularly when intruding close to their front). Also the intonation of "Entschuldigung" can make a difference, essentially between really sorry or "you should move aside". Very much a question of individual character. Not saying anything at all I would also considered as rude / inpolite. I actually do not think this is fundamentally different between Germany (or Austria in my case) and the Anglosphere, probably more a question of personal upbringing.
True for Germany as well. You don't usually say anything if you can pass without touching or without getting uncomfortably close, but a polite person would definitely say Entschuldigung if he needed to squeeze past you or wanted you to move out of the way. Don't overdo it, though, say it with a casual tone and maybe shorten the word to "'tschuldigung", don't go all out formal and say "Entschuldigen Sie bitte" and don't use "Es tut mir leid" (the latter is only used for actually saying sorry for doing something wrong, not for situations in which you could use "Excuse me" in English"). If you ask someone to let you pass, it is also considered equally polite to use conjunctive instead of "Entschuldigung", e.g. "Könnten Sie mich bitte durchlassen" or "Könnte ich mal eben vorbei"
Hi, during GDR time it was no problem to speak about money. After unification it became part of the working contract not to speak about money. If I did not obey they could fire me. Now I am retired. It is not a big deal anymore. I can speak about my "Rente", but I cannot tell about wages because it has to stay secret. It is part of the capitalistic system in the Federal Republik Germany (BRD). There were processes and they cannot fire so easy anymore because of telling about money. .
The formal speaking is a question of the region too. At the German coast they more say Du although you don't know them. In southern Germany they are much more formal with that.😊
Oh no, not at all! I live in Bavaria and have the feeling, the further you go south, the more common is "Du", especially in the countryside. Maybe not for complete strangers, but as soon you work or live there, you here almost only "Du"
I would like to see you speaking German. Only for 5 Minutes. Please, do me the favour. Furthermore I want to make a compliment. Your English is very good to understand. No slang, you could work in an English Scholl, teaching English. I'm still improving my English skills and that's the reason why I'm watching Videos like yours and because I love Canada. I wish you good luck for your future and all the Best. Regards Sebastian
I actually talked at length with my German friends because I was wishing to understand the differences in America and Germany. Actually that talk is why I am moving to Germany.
Actually it is more like. A How are you? B I'm fine. How are you? A I'm fine, too. That's it. Just if you know each other good, it's more that you are really interested in, how someone really is. It's more to start a conversation.
Ich antworte mal auf deutsch, da ich zwar englisch gut verstehen, aber weder gut sprechen noch schreiben kann. Ich denke mal, dass trifft es genau. Meist ist es eh nur Floskel. Eine Antwort erwartet man eher im engeren Kreis. Bei bestimmten Personen sage ich allerdings mit Absicht nur "Hallo", weil ich mir die Leidensgeschichte (Rücken, Beine oder sonst was) gar nicht anhören will. Unser "Moin" im Norden passt da immer.
Hi, I am 14, I live in Austria 🇦🇹 and I love the way you explain this to people who don't really speak German ( sorry if this is not a correct sentence) 😅
You can say all that to a German, but not in every situation. Everyone in the world has moments when they don't want to talk about certain things. I live in an area where the last heavy battles of World War II took place. Last summer someone spoke to me in the pub that it is very touching to think about how much blood there is in the fields. I told him that if he finds blood here in the fields, it can also be an old farmer's rule. (Makes more sense in German: Wenn Du hier Blut auf den Feldern findest, kann das auch eine alte Bauernregel sein.) And the conversation began.
and the sorry thing: our englishteacher with a boyfriend from GB told us, that in GB you would say sorry to, if someone step on your feed on the street. in Germany you wouldn't do it.. instead you would worn friendly, so the person don't fall, or you would became angry and just say "Entschuldigung???" but not as a sorry, more as an ask for sorry from the other person. in Germany just the person, who do something wrong, has to say sorry, like if you step on the feed of someone else, you have to say sorry of corse.
- Lederhosen sind eine schöne deutsche Tradition! - Also... Ich bin ja Bayern Fan! - Das Bier ist viel zu stark! - Lebt Hitler eigentlich noch? (Die Frage wurde mir tatsächlich mal gestellt...) - Sorry, ich bin spät dran... - Alles Gute im Voraus! - Die deutsche Bürokratie ist wirklich hervorragend! - Pünktlich wie die Deutsche Bahn!
Lederhose und dirndl das sind die grössten mythen über deutschland hab nicht mal ein dirndl in echt gesehen und hab mit den in bayern auch nix zutun aber jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeder denkt wir tragen sowas im alltag
You get tapwater for free here without any problems, if the place doesn't offer/sell "stilles Wasser" (water without gas). But if they do offer it, it's found a bit offensive to want sth. for free, what they sell there. It's a bit like bringing your own food or drink.. But that's definitely only for bars/restaurants, etc.! In private that's of course absolutely no problem.
7:06 actually this is also common in Germany, f.e.when you ask a stranger something you often begin with "(Ent-)tschuldigung,...“ at least i do this every time
Schön recherchiert - und nur zu wahr. Question to you as a Canadian... a co-player of mine is from Canada, and I wonder if it is only him or typical canadian to be "overtly sensitive" - just giving him a straight up honest opinion on something can freak him out... I know we germans tend to be direct, but... is that so strange for a canadian?
Yes it is in my experience of Canadians. I found that Canadians go to the restroom, Americans go to the bathroom and Australians go to the toilet - apparently that's unmentionable in North America.?
Why would you not want a proper response to the question "how are you"? If a not that meaningful "fine" would suit you (sure, you both express concern for each other and appreciation of that, which can be communicated by such performative speech), why would any other answer bother you particularly? You don't have to let things close to you. You can always wish them good luck with their problems and move on, if you can't do anything about it (such words can even be helpful, cheer them up). And if their response is neither good nor bad but some thing odd, take it as a random inspiration.
Really cool and funny video, I enjoy watching your videos a lot although I’m nativ german hahah ☺️ It surprised me, that you mentioned the point with saying „sorry“ isnt a german thing..maybe that depends on the Region your living in, I’m from south germany and here it’s really basic to do e.g. „Entschuldigung, dürfte ich bitte kurz durch?“ 🙊☺️ here its also very impolite when somebody is just like “can I pass you” 🙊 so I really understand if you’re feeling upset about it 😂☺️
I'm confused with the "not saying I'm sorry" part. AFAIK, the german word "Entschuldigung" means both "I'm sorry" and "excuse me", so when asking to pass by someone at the supermarket, for example, it would make sense to say "Entschuldigen", not because you're sorry, but in the sense of "excuse me". Is that right? Or I'm missing something here? Entschuldigen :p
No she's not! North-americans have a very high "escape distance" (Fluchtdistanz)... they're obliged to apologize when there's more than a meter space to pass. Germans do say sorrry, but only when it gets to close.
What suprised me when i went to live in Germany is dat the formal / unformal addressing actually has little to do with age, rather than familiarity or intimacy. I have experienced little children saying du to their grandparents as well as older people saying Sie to teenagers. And the transition from Sie to Du is often a difficult step and is carefully dicussed by both parties. At the same time there is a trend (at least where i am living) where young people try to make it less complicated and switch to du much faster. Or it may be because i am dutch. Most germans here are used to the fact that dutch people are mostly very loose about these things. Although the Dutch would not say du to a much older person very quick, not even intimate people.
"I have experienced little children saying du to their grandparents" it's always "Du" for family members. "as well as older people saying Sie to teenagers." can happen but it's usually not considered rude if older people "duzen" teenagers but I would still consider it rude if a teenager addresses me informal with a "du" even after I addressed them with "du". "What suprised me when i went to live in Germany is dat the formal / unformal addressing actually has little to do with age, rather than familiarity or intimacy." It's usually the older person offering the "du" to the younger person or a boss to his/her subordinates. E.g. we have these older (70+) neighbors living next door. After almost 10 years they offered us the Du but it's possible this never happens.
Nothing that bothered me more in the US than that stupid free tap water.. Am I a dog? Do I have my horse with me? wtf.. I just ordered a beer.. should I wash my feet with that water?
Um as a german (I´m only a kid so idk if its like that for everyone) many people do say sorry. At least everyone that I know does I mean like if you have to get past somebody we just say "Entschuldigung könnte ich bitte vorbei" But like I said thats just in the part of germany where I live
Of course you can make jokes about Hitler im Germany. But you have to be careful how you do it. The jokes must be about the miserable person himself and not about what he has done or even about the victims. There are enough jokes about Hitler in Germany but they are all caricatures of the person, not of his deeds. There are books like "Er ist wieder da", films like "Der Wixxer" or even comics like "Adolf" which are maybe questionable in their dark humour but not a taboo. But you are right. Don't make a conversation abeout Nazi Germany with the wrong persons. The rise of Nazi Germany is always connected to WWI, the Treaty of Versailles and a highly humiliated people that was highly susceptible for the myth that the victorious German army was backstabbed by socialists. Remember what Donald Trump did to the USA. The Weimar Republic was by far not so strong and widely accepted as the US system and then first the hyperinflation and later the Great Depression struck and pushed the people into Hitler's arms.
@@jinalparikh5402 There is fierce local rivalry between Bayern Munich (red) and 1860 Munich (blue). Now usually nothing bad will happen but you don’t want to go to a 1860 football bar to watch a game wearing red.
The acceptance of Amex (and Diners especially) is way lower than Visa and Mastercard. The latter two rule the CC market here in (Western) Europe whith Visa being apparently the overall leader. Visa was even able to pull away the debit card business from Mastercard a few years ago (debitcard usage is a huge thing here as it´s still preferred by most Germans over CC usage) Here in Germany most CC users have a VI/MC duo account as that is what most banks offer to their customers. (yes, I am one of those customers ...) There are variations between countries but generally VI and MC are accepted. AM and DC are more likely accepted at higher priced establishments (shops/restaurants/etc.) but have higher acceptance levels in other European countries compared to Germany. As I said VI and MC are ruling the market in Germany with other CC companies being far behind.
I have an Amex Platinum and use it everyday for pretty much everything, no problem 99% of the time (usually don't carry any cash at all). This is mainly in RLP, isn't any different in NRW or elsewhere though. I do have a Maestro as backup, but rarely use it. Times have changed a lot. There are more people who have MC and Visa, but there is no real reason for that anymore, other than price maybe.
The reason why I generally prefer using a debitcard over a creditcard in germany (provided I have both and can use both without additional costs for myself) is that creditcards usually have much higher fees which have to be paid by the shop/restaurant. The shop/restaurant eventually has to divide these additional costs among its customers. So I feel with a debitcard I am supporting the local business and ultimately myself.
Don´t say " I´m a nazi when it comes to health and diet" or " he/ she is a nazi regarding the upbringing of their kids" meaning that someone is really disciplined or strict. Germans are very sensitive to the "nazi-topic" and feel that it is not okay to use the term in any other context than in the very serious context of Holocaust/WWII.
@@sidoniel.8304 government? There is no such thing. You need to be precise. Will you be entitled to get your tap water from the police? The army? The Sozialamt? The Wasser- und Schifffahrtsamt?
4:28 It’s funny that everyone says that, even in Austria, but what I have discovered is that people actually not only give you the exact number, but also break down how much they paid for something if it’s a loan. So it really is confusing that people „don’t“ talk about money, but in fact they do. What they don’t do is talk about money in sort of a bragging way, it is considered incredibly rude, while in the states it would be normal to say „look how much I made on this or that“. Never in Austria.
"Germans are always on time."
DEUTSCHE BAHN: I've never heard about it.
That's why you gotta take a train earlier, just in case
Yes... Our trains are very reliable and totally never cancelled a whole train cart which absolutely wasn't reserved by two school classes and then didn't just come twenty minutes or more too late. Nope. Not our very good Deutsche Bahn, they'd NEVER.
True Story
Deutsche Bahn: "I am 4 parallel Universes behind you"
Some parts of those trains were clearly not manufactured in Germany. =P
Whats up? Oh we do have conversations like this. I'm from the north and it sounds like this: Moin, na, alles klar? Jau, selbst? Muss. 😂
That feels a bit estranged, as if you had the opportunity to meet each other and missed it.
The very thought of this feels cold in a pacifying, lifeless way.
Ha, Sabbeltasche. :D
Das geht:
Greeting: "Moin."
Answer: "Moin."
Done.
@@xCorvus7x The American way of small talk, of asking "How are you" and not even wanting to know, I find much colder than a short, honest answer.
@Horst Girtew
Yeah, instead of openly communicating you perform an short play for each other, which may express mutual appreciation but doesn't bridge the gap between people.
It's like greeting people on the other side of a river or channel. It's nice that you had _some_ contact but it is still distant.
I think the German response "muss" on the question "how are you?" may be short but can still express to a further extent how you are. You can express how you are a bit better since you don't have to rely on the particular intonation of "fine".
"Und? Wie isset?" - "Joot" -" Hauptsache"
If I want to pass someone, I will usually say “Entschuldigung” and nothing else. Don’t expect me to form a sentence ;)
I usually just say "sorry". Entschuldigung takes too long. ;)
@@RobTheWatcher what about "..'tschuldigung"... that's one syllable less... ;-D
Or completely silently: a quick elbow into their side might work as well to make them give way ;)
Same as Peter, I say "Tschulligung" ... who has time for all the Ent-Schul-Di-Gung syllables when passing ...
Well use the correct word "Verzeihung" instead of "Entschuldigung".
If you are a kid in Germany, attend school or the police get's you. That's no joke.
Are you speaking from experience ?
I ditched school excessively and nothing happened. 😄
It has to do with your school and it's principle.
In Germany you are required to send your kids to school as a parent. When you involve the police, the police has to do its duty and to check on you of course, but mostly with the background whether you are OK, and you aren't kept from being sent to school, to get a good education.
I wish my school had cared more. -They didn't care at all. I could miss school for 3 months and no one called... Nothing.
(Arg... my phone.)
What?! No. At least not at my schools.
in some parts of germany the police (and firefighters) even offers rides to school ,for kids who dont have a (opportunity/possibilty?) to get there. (e.g. if you live in a really small town (kaffxD))
Depends. Occasionally being absent is no problem. Not showing up in school at all is a case for the police and maybe a relocation to a government ward since the parents seem not to be responsible.
Jokes about WWII? Wehrmacht denn sowas?
That was point on.
HAHAHAHA good one
Der Klassiker.... 🤣👌🏼
xD
😂🤭
The whole "ou sorry for bartering you, I'm so sorry " including the reason you are sorry, is replaced by one single word: "'TSCHULDIGUNG"
😉
Yes, thats true people who want to pas will say tschuldigung....that means sorry. And it is friendly.
@@sonjakoerbaecher975 I wish that were true in NRW ☹️
@@lifeingermany_ I'm from NRW and I actually had the same experience as Sonja, though it might be because I'm from a small town; not too sure
@@lifeingermany_ It can be very different 30km away in the countryside. We even have regions where the people behave and talk different on the other side of the river. For example Mannheim and Ludwigshafen.
Funny is, the average person of Ludwigshafen knows the city of Mannheim, but the average person of Mannheim don't know much of Ludwigshafen. That resulted for example in a outlet store in Ludwigshafen from a famos store in Mannheim. You sometimes got te same stuff just cheeper 3km away in Ludwigshafen.
And if you listen to the people talking, you hear from which side of te river they are. Even if the distance of the houses is just 300m.
Schulligng
There is one thing that really bugs me to no end is Americans (and I think Brits, too) saying:"Me and my friends" while in Germany it's considered a deadly sin to mention yourself first (der Esel nennt sich selbst zuerst)....
I had NO idea!!!! You taught me something new!! 🤩🤩
Ja stimmt. Das gleiche gilt bei E-mails, nie mit ICH anfangen
My friends and I is how it should be said, but people don't speak that way anymore.
@@tahneyhuiet well, we still do in Germany 😉
@@tahneyhuiet true! My grandma would kill me if I said “me and my friends” haha
When I lived in the US for a while many people announced to pop by and then they never did. That was strange to me because when we say that in Germany we usually mean it. So it's safer to make an appointment so you know when to clean up your place before you have a visitor, lol.
that's when I'm typical german. I don't like when someone is saying they pop up and then they wouldn't. It's frustrating xD
I don't let anyone visit. Basically, coz I hate people.
In Scotland we also expect them to keep their appointment, but usually it's just a phrase they say. So actually, sometimes we need to ask if they're definitely coming up. I think it's different in England.
The funny thing is in German schools you are taught in English class that you don't have to answer the question "What's up" in English because otherwise you are immediately identified as a foreigner 😂👌🏻
most people just respond with "nothing much"
And if someone asks "How are you?" you respond with "Fine." even if it's the worst day of your life...
@@LastKatanaGirl i think it depends on region. In the south people usually want to know how you are actually doing
It really depends on your personality and connection with the person. Not much is a typical response if not all of the time. That way if you want to continue the conversation you can add on after but it isn't forced.
@@keepinitkawaii exactly! I moved from the south East and we usually give two sentences at least. “How are you?” “ oh, I’m so tired. End of school year” *then never sees that person again*. I moved to west coast and people are like 😳 when I respond to “how are you?”
Soo as a German 17 year old kid I can tell you from my experience that you will find people with dark enough humor to make ww2 jokes with (or any other sensitive topic) BUT of course you have to very careful about that and definitely wait until you know a person well enough to judge if they are fond of it. Also it is up to you to decide wether it’s morally okay to make some of these jokes.
@Sakura Yuki and that's what you shouldnt do makes jokes about other country's but people don't like it to be shown as the Nazi Germans again
ich glaub eher dass deutsche mit deutschen darüber witze machen aber z.B. ein ami zu einem deutschen käm nich so gut an (zumindest bei meinen freunden is des so)
@@H.G.Halberd Seh ich, aber Nazis mag ja nun eh niemand und darum ist es doch eigentlich egal, ob ein deutscher nen Witz über Hitler macht, ein Vietnamese, Croate oder eben ein Ami. Aber I guess das ist dann personal preference, wie du schon sagstest: in deiner Freundesgruppe zB.
Schwarzer humor ist der beste
@@HrLBolle Politisch korrekt heißt das: "Afroamerikanischer Humor ist der Beste." du dreckiger Rassist. 😂😂😂😂😂😂
The German saying is "Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben". This way to look at Life is also the reason we don't congratulate before the event. It has nothing to do with bringing bad luck, it just means that bad luck can't be ruled out, and thus early congratulation can prove to be premature. You don't congratulate a player in a match before the final result. So don't congratulate someone before he actually has reached the point worth the congratulation.
Dem ist nicht´s hinzuzufügen. ( Sagt der Deutsche in mir. )
Also "über ungelegte Eier spricht man nicht". ;)
Oh doch. Yes, traditionally it does have to do with bad luck, although 99.9% of the Germans won't actually believe in it anymore than that you get unlucky from breaking a mirror or having a black cat cross your way. Celebrating something before it happens is traditionally said to be "tempting god", who might punish you for your hybris to take it for granted that you will live to see your next birthday. Although according to that, the bad luck should derive more from accepting premature congratulations than from other people speaking them.
The matter is : you congratulate in german. But not in english. In English you wish a happy day, and this you can do in advance in Germany too. Like wishing somebody shall have a nice birthday party. So it's more as stupid as congratulating the winner of a marathon, 1 hour before he arrives the finish line. There is nothing more stupid or arrogant you can do.
@@holger_p ... In case of a Birthday.. but on many ocations englishspeakers will say "concratulations" .... Just like in German and they will also do so before the actuall day...
Rivalry challenge: Go to the Christmas market (after Corona, when it's crowded), in the middle of people, point to the Flammkuchen stand and say "Hey, let's eat that pizza!"
😂😂😂😂 I can’t even imagine!
omg xD
Dont do that... You would also NOT go into the Bronx and shout the N word out loude...
Could result in a similar incident...
Oh I'm sorry to here. is back from hospital yet?
äääääh have fun with that XD
Im Saarland ist üblich: A: Unn (und wie gehts dir, was macht die Familie, Freunde etc) B: Jo (alles ok, wie immer, du weist ja etc.) A: Eijo (Bei mir das gleiche, alles wie immer) B: Alladann ( French: allez - also ich geh dann mal wieder) A: Alladann - ( man geht wieder seiner Wege)
🤣 Das Eijo kenn ich von meinen lieben Saarländer Kollegen 💕
Liest sich wie ein Dialog aus "Familie Heinz Becker" 😁
So sind mir Saarländer halt.. ich mag den Dialekt wirklich nicht
In Mecklenburg geht das an einem wortreichen Tag so:
A - Hm?
B - Hm!
@@11Kralle Ihr Schwätzer😁
The "do not pop by" is very true. Most people would never do it, and if it does happen I hate that and consider it rude because all my plans are overthrown
Here up north...
"moin"
"moin"
Finished... 🤣😂
Reicht vollkommen aus, alles gesagt. 😆
@sheik DE Zunicken oder Zuzwinkern tut's auch. Da hat man gleich den "Sie"-"du"-Unterschied mit drin.
If you feel really really chatty then maybe you can reply with "Moin, moin". But if that happens more than 2 times a week then it will mark you as an incorrigible chatter box.
Very well observed. The whole random “How’s it going” situation is so true😂 I remember my first time in the States I was so confused by people greeting me and asking how I was doing. I seriously wondered: Do I know them?😂 Funny anecdote: I was at a grocery store in Hawaii once and the cashier said hi and asked how I was doing & I was like: oh hi, thanks pretty well. How are you doing today? 😂😳 she was so confused and didn’t even know what to say...I could tell she was wondering now: do I know her?😂😂 It’s such a small thing, but yes in Germany you just don’t ask something and don’t expect a proper answer. Yes, also WWII, very correct. Germans don’t use the word Nazi as if they are simply saying a...hole, don’t talk about Hitler as if they are talking about Goethe...it’s still such a dark shadow and considered so damn serious that they won’t even wanna say it out loud. Not kidding. If someone jokes around and uses those words it’s like: WTF’s wrong with this idiot!? I was really curious what you would mention in this vid and everything was spot on!👏
@Suze. I totally agree with you. I'm Swiss and even in Switzerland we kind of whispering the word "Hitler" like there's a shadow among us.
About number 1 and WWII: Just don't try to teach us our history. That's all I want to ask for.
And in genreal: Don't make jokes about genocides and wars and basically just people killing other people.
It s really interesting to see an outside perspective on stuff I grew up with. About being punctual: Its basically a disrespect for the (limited) lifetime of the other person to make them wait and considered unfriendly and also somewhat dominant behaviour. I m in a relationship with someone from Latinoamerica, you can imagine how that goes :D. The looking in the eye while saying prost... its said you have bad sex if you don t look the other person in the eye while doing it. Thats why everyone takes it very serious.
I think the whole not-saying-sorry thing is actually just a consequence of so many Germans being incredibly ruuudde😂 My mother would have killed me if I hadn't said sorry to people when trying to get past them. So I still do the "Entschuldigen Sie bitte, könnten Sie mal kurz..." instead of just walking by. And I also apologise for standing in the way.😅
I totaly agree!
Ich weiß nicht, warum sich die Amerikaner darüber immer beschweren. Ich bin auch so erzogen worden, dass ich mich entschuldige, wenn ich vorbei will oder wenn ich im Weg stehe, ich kenne es so von meinen Eltern und meiner Verwandtschaft und von meinem sozialen Umfeld. Natürlich gibt es Stoffel, aber die finden wir Deutschen doch auch unmöglich, oder?
@@ingevonschneider5100 selbstverständlich finden wir Deutschen die auch unmöglich. Aber man kann leider nicht bestreiten, dass die große Mehrheit (gerade unter den jüngeren) inzwischen diese, für uns selbstverständlichen, Höflichkeiten abgelegt hat
@@needacookie211 Das kann ich so auch nicht bestätigen. Ich hab schon genug ältere Menschen erlebt, die sich an einem vorbeiquetschen und sich im besten Fall noch beschweren, weil man ihr Anliegen nicht sofort telepathisch erkannt hat und zur Seite gesprungen ist. Genauso verhält es sich mit dem Grüßen. Wir wohnen in einem kleinen Dorf und gerade, die ältere Generation, die sich gerne über die unhöfliche Jugend beschwert, bekommt den Mund nicht auf. Auch schön: Mittags im Supermarkt den Handwerker-Azubi, der offensichtlich gerade seine Pause hat, mit 2 Sachen in der Hand an der Kasse natürlich NICHT vorlassen. Das liegt aber sicherlich auch an der Region in der man wohnt. Hier sind prinzipiell die Älteren etwas verschroben. Das ist natürlich auch nicht die beste Vorbildfunktion für die jüngere Generation. Zum Glück ist hier noch kein besonderes Defizit feststellbar. 😁
@@c.d.5657 Ein weiterer Aspekt ist (meiner Meinung nach), dass viele in Deutschland nach dem Motto leben "zeig dich selbstbewusst, mach dich nicht klein vor anderen". Und sich zu entschuldigen ist für diese Leute eine Form von "sich klein machen".
Of cause we say Entschuldigung, when we bump into someone by accident for example, or when someone kind of is in our way and we would like to pass.... Then you will hear a simple.... Entschuldigung, while passing.
Yes, for sure! But you’ll notice in my example, “wanting to get by someone” not many would say “sorry” or if you have a question, a Canadian may start by saying “sorry, can I ask you a question quickly?”
The difference between "passing by" (and apologize) for a north-american and a german person is the distance... no german would say "sorry" while passing by beeing on the edges of an aisle at the supermarket. We do so, but only if it gets to close. For north-americans the distance of 1 meter+ is already "to close" so they're obliged to say sorry. One may say the "escape distance" (Fluchtdistanz) of north-americans is much higher, because of the vast extent of the country, it seldomly get cramped or crowded...so they respect a wider distance to each other.
I think witty2u has a point. For me as a German it, too, feels totally normal to say: "Entschuldigung, darf ich dich/Sie mal was fragen?" And I even hear the younger people say the actual english word "sorry" in front of many sentences. Maybe the point is this: Maybe Germans don't say it as often as North American people do, but it's not in the category of 'do not ever say this'. I think, no German will ever feel offendet or embarassed, if you do.
Maybe it seems to you that way, because you say I'm sorry at times, where a German would not say it?
I am in contact with Americans on a daily basis, and when I tell them a funny story, what happened to me the other day, which made me laugh, they respond with I'm sorry, even though no one got harmed.. Or just a simple remark like... I should have asked for ______ gets commented by them with "I'm sorry"
.A German might just make a remark like... Yeah, that had been better in deed, but would not say I'm sorry, unless you got hurt, or something got damaged.. That way it might occur to you, that we don't say it, because you are missing it in occasions, where an American would respond with I'm sorry.
I have noticed that you use " Im sorry" in a way like you say "how are you". That is the big difference.
@@petereggers7603 I would love that in Germany because I don't like people to close up too much in a waiting line.
German here living in Denmark. No popping by here either. Even I was surprised to find that you got written invitations to dinner from 25 year olds 2 weeks in advance... Dinner is at 6 by the way sharp, be on time and when a party starts at 8 you better be there at 8. And I am quite german and mostly 5 minutes early😉
what bothers me is how 6 o'clock during Sommerzeit is actually 5 o'clock naturally, which is why it can be hard to force oneself to eat at that time. but if the dinner actually starts with talking and stuff, it can be nice since you can stretch the time till you "really" eat dinner.
The Dutch are quite similar. This is some kind of "nordic touch".
I am German and made the experience that people who ask "How are you?" just want to hear "Good. And you?" and so not necessarily pay attention to your answer.. they want to SEEM polite but are both interested unless you are close friends..
Es geht nicht darum, ob in Deutschland ehrlich geantwortet wird oder nicht. Im Englischen gehört das "what's up" oder "how do you do" zur Begrüssung dazu. Es wird vom Gegenüber gar nicht darauf reagiert. Darum ist es für Amis etc. komisch, wenn sie auf ihr deutsches "wie geht's" eine Reaktion erhalten. Das hat Jane gemeint.
@@lschwab86 das hab ich schon verstanden. Ich wollte nur ausdrücken, dass sich in Deutschland auch nur die wenigsten wirklich um die Antwort scheren und es deshalb eigentlich völlig überflüssig ist, darauf zu antworten ;)
i am German and I had problems with the Sie/Du thing to.. I had an internship and so I said to everyone "Sie" and if I felt like, the person is cool with me, I asked, if I could that "Du" and later my mentor told me, that she didn't had a problem with it, but some other colleges think, the older person has to ask first or to offer the "du" and I shouldn't ask for it.. (its unfriendly for them). so I will not ask for a "du" in my future work environment again :D
Depends on the other person heavily. In my business in the IT branch it is quite common to get to "Du" very fast. In financial, political, educational branches it is more common to say "Sie"... Kinda depends if your work in a field where it is more traditional and expertise focused or more getting the job done as a team spirit.
But yes commonly the "higher" one wants to offe the Du. But if you can not clearly see the higher status just ask for it. But be prepared to change back on a stage or whatever if customers are listening and you want to display more the expertise side of your business it is quite common to change back to Sie during such a presentation.
the thing for me is if they want to call me by my first name i want the same right, otherwise they just need to be fine with my last name aswell
I had to work once with an Indian back office and they always started the phone calls with "Hello, how are you?" and expected a quick answer back like described in the video Me, the German given an honest answer definitely did not helped :D Most of the times the answer was "Not good, bc I just received a phone call from our customer that your performance is bad" :D
I'm from german and I joke about the second world war, because not talking about it doesn't make the situation any better.
But don't worry, I look out that I don't make jokes in the wrong time or with the wrong person.
Joa ansonsten gute "punchline"
"You don't talk about money, you have it". Don't talk about sex, a womens age or weight and money with strangers :D
things I blurt out without any concern -if someone cant talk about such matter its up to them
As a german woman I don't mind if someone asks me how old I am.
well a woman once told me that you actually can talk about age with a women. and she instantly explained to me what i didn't know until then: women get 25 and then they stop aging! since then, i always congrat my female friends and collegues on their birthdays with "happy 25th!" and i must say, she was right! it does work perfectly fine!
The age is something most germans say as the second thing when they are introducing themselves. I don't think anybody minds the age in Germany (except for a few special insecure people)
@@ducklingscap897 Natürlich besteht da erhebliche Fettnäpfchen Gefahr, wenn man jemanden massiv falsch einschätzt
Yeah, it's interesting. I haven't lived in Germany, just visited, but I don't like people just "popping by." I have an American friend who likes to do this. An example, (phone rings) "hey I'm here in the area and I have an hour wait here, why don't you just come by?" It happens that I haven't see this person in a year and a half and we live in the same city. She has called me during this one year and a half to check in and tell me that she misses me, but then she doesn't plan to meet with me, but expects me to drop everything at a moment's notice and just get out of the house and meet her. Yes, I definitely don't like to just pop by or have others expect me to do so. I like to plan ahead. I guess I would feel at home with this aspect in Germany.
- "Sorry" does exist in every day German conversation like for example when you have to move past someone in a narrow space you would say "Sorry, could I just move past you". However sometimes the polite form is often conferred in a different way along the lines of a "may I please ... ". And then some people are just plain rude, no matter the country.
- Also, good on you for not taking sh*t from that Baumarkt guy - I swear, you give some people the smallest amount of power and they instantly become mini-tyrants.
- You are misinformed about them being legally required to offer free tap water. What you are likely talking about is the 2019 law (actually they called it a guide line) that "strongly recommends" doing so. They actually tried passing a legal requirement, but the law was ..... wait for it .... "watered down" by Germany. The thing is that, unlike in the US for example (I am admittedly unsure about Canada in this regard) restaurant servers are actually paid a living wage in Germany and the profit margins for restaurants are much smaller. Also, comparatively the food in restaurants is actually cheaper. Restaurants do make the largest portion of their income from drinks as you said yourself. Would it be possible to change it? Perhaps. Will you find a lot of Germans agreeing with this change? Probably not.
I used to own a tiny coffeeshop with 4 tables and 16 seats. I wasn't happy when customers ordered tap water because that meant less income while still having to pay the costs of a waitress, the dishwasher , rent etc.
I even had a customer who ordered 1 cup of tea and afterwards just hot water to put in her used teabag for a 2nd time. I found that annoying especially because she did that on a regular basis.
5 Minuten vor der Zeit, ist des Deutschen Pünktlichkeit. 😋😁
Es gibt da eine Variante mit "Höflichkeit" statt "Pünktlichkeit", aber die habe ich leider vergessen.
@@linuxpython935 5 Minuten nach der Zeit ist des Gastes Höflichkeit. :)
@@nochnfux Du meinst, die Gastgeber sind heute ebenfalls so verpeilt, daß sie die Gäste nicht mehr zum angegebenen Zeitpunkt bewirten können?
@@nochnfux 10 Minuten ist des Sanitäters Pünktlichkeit
@@linuxpython935 Pünktlichkeit ist die Höflichkeit der Könige
Addressing people is very confusing in German. There is not only the du-first name and Sie-last name option!
Du-first name: children, family, friends, students in university, sometimes musicians. Sie-last name: strangers. Du-last name: employed by colleagues working with small children, imitating their way of talking. Sie-first name: used by teachers to address students above 15-16 years old. Ihr, Euch: old way of addressing people, nowadays used for high-ranking persons like ambassadors, royalties, or religious leaders. Er, Sie - used in the singular: used only to establish a master-to-servant-relation. So, please, please, be careful! There is ample opportunity to upset and/or offend someone...
Wow! As a german i never really thought about it because it is so normal to use different terms. :D
Sie - first name? I can't remember that. Is it used by teachers who knew the students before they then switch to Sie but still keep the first name?
@@xolang Not necessarily. My daughter is a teacher of students whom she didn't know before. I asked her today and she said, she addresses her students "Sie - first name", too.
So true. Also, all motorcyclists and paragliders are per Du, even in the shops of the trade
@@Paradise-on-Earth Yes, and I hate that. Some big chains have adopted the "per Du" as well, I'm not saying which, but everybody knows that big furniture-store from Sweden and a supermarket chain, that divided up Germany into a northern and southern part (if you haven't noticed yet, check the tickets). Talking to customers in this manner is like saying: you're minor and below the age of consent. So.... should they really do business with them?
7:06 actually this is also common in Germany (i live in Nrw) f.e.when you ask a stranger something you often begin with "(Ent-)tschuldigung,...“ at least i do this every time
Oh yeah, I'm so glad we do this appointment-thing. xD It would put me under pressure and stress me out, if someone just showed up at my house without telling me beforehand. Because probably I would be in the middle of doing something and it would ruin all my plans for the day, or the house wouldn't be tidy, etc. xD
The "don't talk money" you have to correct in "don't talk income". It's no problem to tell how expensive wine and cheese is.But it's always more telling what you know, not asking.
It can be almost a bargain hunt among some people, on "who got it for less". Of course, if you offer the cheese to your guests, you don't pronounce how cheap it was, before people said they like it.
And maybe you mixup "sorry" and "excuse me" ? It's the same phrase in German "Entschuldigung" but in the meaning of "excuse me (if I interrupt you doing what you do" it's quiet common to use it.
But saying sorry (apologize) for simple things, like choosing a wrong word, correcting somebody, this is really an American thing. They go like "I apologize for offering my help".
It's more like a different understanding, what you have to apologize for. You never have to apologize for having an opinion.
We don’t say sorry ? Really for me we do like if we pass someone we always say Entschuldigung 😂
Und dann sagt man aber auch nur "Entschuldigung", einen ganzen Satz kann man sich sparen haha
@@ccLorie ne man sagt tschuldigung das en ist doch vieeeeeel zu lang
@@fire7787 haha ja das stimmt, kommt aber auch drauf an wer da einem im Weg steht, dann hängt man noch ein en vorne dran oder halt auch einfach tschuldigung
"tschuldigung" aber oft einfach sorry (ohne eine spur englische aussprache)
Ich hoffe dem Mitarbeiter hast Du ordentlich die Meinung gegeigt. So überpünktlich bin ich selbst übrigens nicht. Bei mir im Familien-, Freundes- und Bekanntenkreis reizen wir gerne das akademische Viertel aus und betrachten bis zu 15 Minuten Verspätung nicht als solche. Ich finde es viel schlimmer, wenn ich jemanden zu mir nach Hause einlade und der kommt zu früh. Meistens ist mein Haushalt oder noch viel schlimmer ich selbst bin just in time fertig. Kommt da einer 10 Minuten früher, habe ich ein echtes Problem. Verfrühe ich mich selbst ausversehen mal, dann trödel ich also rum, schaue etwas auf meinem Handy etc., bis ich dann wirklich bloß nicht zu früh dran bin.
Find ich ganz furchtbar 😅
Jokes about WWII are only done in very close company, like very good friends or someone like that. Even then it is usually very rare and often only in drunk situations.
Funny, there's a video from "Wanted adventure" where Dana points out that Germans are so open about their money, what they earn etc.
We must keep in mind that these impressions of single persons aren't always representative ...
The tap water thing brought back so much rage for me 😂. I live in the Netherlands and usually you will be given free tap water in my experience. But one time, I was on my period (hence the rage) and needed to take my next dose of ibuprofen. I had a water bottle in my bag, but that's rude, so I kindly asked whether they had some tap water and they literally told me that they didn't have any and pointed at a 25cl bottle of water for 3,50 euros (!?!!) on the menu. I explained that I only needed it to take the pill, but the answer was still no, the staff acted like I had asked something highly unusual and were very rude about it. So I did the most passive aggressive thing I have ever done, I opened my bag and took out my empty water bottle, marched to the toilets, filled it and went back to the table to swallow the pill. My parents always taught me that it's incredibly rude to bring your own food or drink to a place that sells food or drink, but I'm not paying 3,50 to swallow a pill. What if I catch on fire, are they going to estinguish me with 25cl bottles of water and charge me?
I think it's fine to pay for water, if they had asked a euro for a glass of tap water I would have gladly payed it, but 3,50 for water is insane and I think in some situations it should just be customer service.
Dieses "Entschuldigen Sie, darf ich mal eben an Ihnen vorbei"-Ding ist hier auf dem Land Standard, zumindest nehme ich das so wahr. In Düsseldorf herrscht leider eine unfreundlichere Atmosphäre.
Kann ich aus BaWü zustimmen
Sehe ich auch so. Auf dem Land oder in kleinstädten ist das normal. Der Ton wird in den großen Städten rauer
Absolut.
Diese Höflichkeit wird von vielen immer noch als ein Ausdruck der Erziehung zum Respekt Anderen Menschen gegenüber betrachtet.
In der "Anonymität" von großen Städten geht das leider immer mehr unter.
Aber schon in kleineren Städten (unter ~100.000 Einwohner) gehört es zum Standard sich so zu verhalten.
Dafür muß man nicht mal in ein Dorf gehen ...
@@misticue3403 Ist ja auch klar. Aufm Dorf kann ich auch jeden auf der Straße grüßen. In der Fußgängerzone mitten in der Stadt wird das dann eben doch irgendwann anstrengend.
Es kommt natürlich immer darauf an, Wie eng es wirklich ist, aber entsprechend dieser Aussage ist Köln Land. Hier ist es auch normal, sich mit einem "T'schuldigun" Gehör und Paltz zu verschaffen (Als Kölner verzichte ich höflich auf jeden Bewertung des möglicherweise in D'dorf vorherrschenden Verhaltens)
I recently was in Freiburg my birth town and realized the Muensterpatzwurst still tastes the same as when I was a kid, 40 years ago.
Fun fact: The rivalry between Köln and Düsseldorf dates back to the year 1288. In the wake of the "Battle of Worringen" Düsseldorf gained city rights and thus became a rival for power, prestige and money to the then more than 1200 year old "local champion" Köln.
Alright. Why don't I know this? I'm from Cologne 😂
@@Leo-qw4gh hahah probably because in DUS, there are statues and reminders everywhere that they won the battle of Worringen. 🙈 I can imagine Köln decided to bury that info deep haha. Super interesting history though if you do read more about it!
As a German in Canada I can totally relate.
Yes... You normally don't just walk by unexpectedly to say hi. 😊... And when you set a date, you should be on time, as being late would be distespectful, since we value time.
Ich glaube, dass das generationenabhängig ist. Meine 72 Jahre alte Mutter hat damit kein Problem. Ich mag es nicht, wenn Leute sich nicht anmelden 😁.
@@floralovespringandflowers6227 ich auch nicht, weil ich denke ich müsste vorher aufräumen.
Interesting, so that's how a Canadian sees a German.
Vieles was du genannt hast ist mir nicht mal aufgefallen, weil es total normal für mich ist 😁.
Grüße aus 🇩🇪
What about things, that you should never say to a canadian ? Würde mich wirklich interessieren.
Great Suggestion!! 🤩🤩 I’ll put together a list!!
@@lifeingermany_ canadians can be offended? my world view is crumbling...
You can say anything to a Canadian - they are too "polite" (repressed) to object.
@@alexejfrohlich5869 Don't worry - I have tried but not succeeded in offending them 😂
The thing is, restaurants try to keep their prices for food reasonable, so they have to cover their costs through the drinks, so they kind of expect you to pick a drink.
Oh ja ich war im Urlaub in den USA und jeder sagte whats up oder how are you und ich habe IMMER geantwortet, bis mich leute aufgeklärt haben (es erwartet keiner eine Antwort auf dieses Whats Up oder How are you)
Austrian here - had no idea about the tap water problem in Germany 😅
In Vienna it's mandatory to get a glass of water with your coffee, it's just the way we do it
Also in a restaurant, if I want a glass of water and I realise they charge for it (which some of them do) it's likely that I won't return.
You just don't always feel like beer, wine or a soda pop or sometimes just want extra water.
10:00 - in addition to not talk about what you like you should never ever order a 'Kölsch' in Düsseldorf or an 'Alt' in Cologne.
Years ago a guy I know asked for an Alt in Cologne. He waited ages before the waiter brought him really 'flat' 'Kölsch' and said "is that old enough for you?"
Years ago, I was with customers of the company I worked for at a trade fair in Düsseldorf. We went to a BREWPUB and in the middle of dinner, one of our clients who lived in the French-speaking part of Switzerland but also spoke English and German asks the waiter "Ich hätte gerne ein Kölsch". If looks could kill, we'd have lost a customer right there....
So true. Hate when people randomly come over. Normally, when the doorbell rings and I'm not expecting anyone, I just don't answer it :D
I am the opposite..in my childhood it was no problem to pop up and meet friends but somehow it changed over the years..which i sometimes find very annoying.
So is it in the States really no problem to call your boss directly by his firstname instead using Mr.Smith ? Or when a teenager meets the father of his girlfriend the first time would he just says "Hello John" instead "Hello Mr. Smith" ? And don't you even have the awkward "Sir" thing ? So who would say "Hello John Sir" ? 🤨
Hahaha I called all my bosses, professors, teachers, friends parents by their first names in Canada! Totally normal!
Not in the south of of the USA. Good way to get fired 😂
thank you for mentioning the WW2 jokes. as a German-American growing up in Germany and discussing WW2 in school quite extensively, it's seriously nothing to joke about. consider the Vietnam war and cracking jokes about that. not cool in the US either. I would simply avoid joking about war in general, if I don't want to come across as an asshole.
I actually got really upset at a Finnish friend of mine who joked about Nazis. he hadn't realized how sensitive the matter is for us Germans and apologized immediatly. I was really grateful for that.
Übers Gehalt wird vielleicht tatsächlich wenig gesprochen, aber über das Elterngeld habe ich damals mit vielen gesprochen. Und über das Kindergeld MUSS gar nicht gesprochen werden, da alle das Gleiche bekommen 🤷🏻♀️😇
Na ja, über den alternativen Kinderfreibetrag evtl. bleibt steuerlich viel mehr übrig 😊👌
Ehrlich gesagt verstehe ich diese "Über-Geld-spricht-man-nicht-Philosophie" in Deutschland nicht. Ich persönlich habe kaum ein Problem damit über das Thema zu sprechen.
I am a German. Interesting to see our cultural peculiarities (Eigenheiten) from an other perspective.:) Some are so true.
I am from a generation where we constantly would "pop up" or " swing by". It seems that younger generations dont do that anymore. Strange.
Thats true, people still drop in by best friends house and also in little villages. Probably it got lost because if people are straingers or both parents are working hoole day or doing sports, it could be difficult to meet them and it is better to make an appointment.
@wmf831, so true. I really miss this uncomplicated hospitality. Im born in 1983 and when I was a kid my grandma took me to a lot „pop by“s and I loved it. Its also ok when the person is busy or not feeling for a chat so he or she is just saying that and we keep the visit very short. No problem. But it was very easy and natural. And nobody had to set up the apartment and make it „visitor-ready“.
Nowadays even when I just want to call a friend I need to make an appointment. Oh, dear, this stresses me to be honest.
On the other-hand-side those appointment for phonecalls or visiting each other are not really fixed very much.
Im not that old (just 37) but often I feel I like it less complicated, more hospitile, more unperfect.
If you want tapwater with your espresso or with your wine, i don’t think they will complain. But in germany, like in the netherlands where i am from, not ordering a drink is like not giving a tip in the us bc the drinks are where the profit is.that is also one of the reasons you have to wait between courses...
I've never heard about Germans not saying sorry. I say "Entschuldigung" all the time. No big explanation or unnaturally friendly and obedient demeanour; just a simple Entschuldigung and maybe a short sentence following and people should know what you want.
About ,,Deutsche Pünktlichkeit": I've proved all my foreign friends wrong about this by almost always being late and my German friends don't care too much about being on time either. It of course depends on the setting though; I would possibly avoid to be late for professional meetings, class, doctor's appointments, job interviews etc.
The American Express thing can be explained very quickly.
It's just too expensive for the shops or restaurants to have this service available in comparison to the number of people who use it.
Same in French, Switzerland, Italy, etc.
No - its incorrect, Restaurants do NOT have to offer tap water for free in Germany (why do you think so?). Actually, there is a RECOMMENDATION from the EU to offer free tap water, but especially German restaurants dont follow that recommendation and they are not forced to offer free tap water. Last not least, you do not pay for the water (thats peanuts), you pay for the service, the waiter bringing you the water.
I guess I misunderstood the hundreds of comments that Germans wrote in my culture shock video & things that are free in Canada but not Germany videos when I mentioned tap water not being free, everyone lashed out on me saying legally it is... and I was incorrect. So now I’m just confused. 🤷🏽♀️
Moral of the story - ordering tap water for free (whether legal or not) is certainly not appreciated in Germany! And one can get a rather snarky response back.
@@lifeingermany_ From my experiences in France I can state that tap water is for free there, because everyone will order some wine on top...while germans will drink only the water for free to save money.
@@lifeingermany_ >everyone lashed out on me saying legally it is
"Everyone"? Can you link to some of these? Actually you must not forget - most RUclips viewers are very very young and i dont think that these really KNOW or only BELIEVE. I am 61 and I really KNOW that tap water is NOT for free and there is no law or similar. Of course, if someone simply walks to the rest room and takes some sips from tap water, he may do so. But none restaurant MUST deliver free tap water to the table. As already said, you dont pay for the water, you pay for the service. And as "trinkgeld" in USA (and probably Canada - i dont know, you could help me about that) exceeds by far "trinkgeld" in Germany, you pay for the service as well - it only seems to be without costs. In Germany service fee is included in the price calculation, in the USA it adds up.
Klar kann man über den 2ten WK Witze machen hier. Man bekommt halt 2 mögliche Reaktionen. Entweder man bekommt einen besseren Witz zu hören oder man bekommt nen Schlag ins Gesicht. 😂
Das schümpet sick dann wohl "punchline"
Das dachte ich mir auch grad 😂
In France, if one's dinner hostess says that dinner will be at 20:00 hours, she'll be very angry if one arrives at the specified hour. She won't even be dressed by then.
I shouldnt go to france most times I'm half an hour earlier than I should XD
isnt the point of meeting a french woman in the evening for her not to be dressed?
@@H.G.Halberd The French husbands might object to that sort of thing and they might have pistols. Also, the French women have housekeepers (gouvernantes de maison) who receive the guests.
As a Canadian (who is of German descent), I actually agree with the parkette store employee(s), and it has NOTHING to do with Germany! During these times I go grocery shopping on my own since there are limits (and I'm in Toronto) of how many people can be in a store at once. While I'd like to bring the whole family it would be rude to others to do so since they'd have to wait outside as I'm taking up three spaces instead of one!
You forgot to mention what happens if you don't look each other in the eye while you toast?
😁
7 jears bad snu snu.
tbh I've never heard of that
@@HexenkoeniginVonAngmar No, it is a fact! ☝😉
@@matthias3032 i agree. Just passed the 7th year.
About the tap water: What I usually do when I'm really thirsty at a restaurant and don't want to spend more money on the drinks than on the food is I order a juice or a beer to show that I don't just want to cheap out and then ask for a large glass of tap water along with it. So far I haven't gotten any negative responses (I'm from Germany btw.)
I think this is a great tip! Funny enough I also usually order beer or apfelschorle because I don’t want to be cheap 🤣 but never though about actuallyasking at the same time for a glass of water - that’s a great suggestion!! Thanks so much! 🥰
@@lifeingermany_ You're welcome :)
I think the things you state are more true for older Germans than for younger Germans. People around my age (20~30) do not generally think badly about WWII jokes, as long as it doesn't go too far. But what goes too far and what doesn't is not that easy to explain, so I'd say just be a bit careful and make sure that you educated yourself about Germany's crimes so that you also know what you are talking about. For people older than me, just don't do it. Best way to stay on the safe side
When passing people I do not know it will depend on distance. When entering the private sphere I will attempt to either face my body somewhat towards them and say "Entschuldigung" or "Verzeihung" (particularly when intruding close to their front). Also the intonation of "Entschuldigung" can make a difference, essentially between really sorry or "you should move aside". Very much a question of individual character. Not saying anything at all I would also considered as rude / inpolite. I actually do not think this is fundamentally different between Germany (or Austria in my case) and the Anglosphere, probably more a question of personal upbringing.
True for Germany as well. You don't usually say anything if you can pass without touching or without getting uncomfortably close, but a polite person would definitely say Entschuldigung if he needed to squeeze past you or wanted you to move out of the way. Don't overdo it, though, say it with a casual tone and maybe shorten the word to "'tschuldigung", don't go all out formal and say "Entschuldigen Sie bitte" and don't use "Es tut mir leid" (the latter is only used for actually saying sorry for doing something wrong, not for situations in which you could use "Excuse me" in English"). If you ask someone to let you pass, it is also considered equally polite to use conjunctive instead of "Entschuldigung", e.g. "Könnten Sie mich bitte durchlassen" or "Könnte ich mal eben vorbei"
Hi, during GDR time it was no problem to speak about money. After unification it became part of the working contract not to speak about money. If I did not obey they could fire me.
Now I am retired. It is not a big deal anymore. I can speak about my "Rente", but I cannot tell about wages because it has to stay secret.
It is part of the capitalistic system in the Federal Republik Germany (BRD).
There were processes and they cannot fire so easy anymore because of telling about money.
.
Germany seems to be the most American country in Europe?
The formal speaking is a question of the region too. At the German coast they more say Du although you don't know them. In southern Germany they are much more formal with that.😊
Oh no, not at all! I live in Bavaria and have the feeling, the further you go south, the more common is "Du", especially in the countryside. Maybe not for complete strangers, but as soon you work or live there, you here almost only "Du"
I would like to see you speaking German. Only for 5 Minutes. Please, do me the favour.
Furthermore I want to make a compliment. Your English is very good to understand. No slang, you could work in an English Scholl, teaching English. I'm still improving my English skills and that's the reason why I'm watching Videos like yours and because I love Canada. I wish you good luck for your future and all the Best. Regards Sebastian
great video! I guess as a German I can only say you're right with everything you have said. One thing thou, both beers are not very acceptable...
Jokes about WWII are not cool, but people actually talk about the subject very openly
I actually talked at length with my German friends because I was wishing to understand the differences in America and Germany. Actually that talk is why I am moving to Germany.
Actually it is more like.
A How are you?
B I'm fine. How are you?
A I'm fine, too.
That's it. Just if you know each other good, it's more that you are really interested in, how someone really is. It's more to start a conversation.
Ich antworte mal auf deutsch, da ich zwar englisch gut verstehen, aber weder gut sprechen noch schreiben kann. Ich denke mal, dass trifft es genau. Meist ist es eh nur Floskel. Eine Antwort erwartet man eher im engeren Kreis. Bei bestimmten Personen sage ich allerdings mit Absicht nur "Hallo", weil ich mir die Leidensgeschichte (Rücken, Beine oder sonst was) gar nicht anhören will. Unser "Moin" im Norden passt da immer.
Hi, I am 14, I live in Austria 🇦🇹 and I love the way you explain this to people who don't really speak German ( sorry if this is not a correct sentence) 😅
I have never heard of any jokes about WWII and I wouldn't joke about that.
I once corrected myself in a pub in Berlin because I said Du instead of Sie. The waiter said "come on I'm not 80 years old."
You can say all that to a German, but not in every situation. Everyone in the world has moments when they don't want to talk about certain things. I live in an area where the last heavy battles of World War II took place. Last summer someone spoke to me in the pub that it is very touching to think about how much blood there is in the fields. I told him that if he finds blood here in the fields, it can also be an old farmer's rule. (Makes more sense in German: Wenn Du hier Blut auf den Feldern findest, kann das auch eine alte Bauernregel sein.) And the conversation began.
@horst girtew pardon me, could you please explain the part with the 'Bauernregel' 😅. I am from Germany but I don't get it.
@@phinchensoho9565 "Regel" as in "Periode"
@@HexenkoeniginVonAngmar Oh my gosh, yeah okay 😅, thank you very much.
@@phinchensoho9565 You're welcome 😁
To be fair I had to think about it a bit as well ^^
and the sorry thing: our englishteacher with a boyfriend from GB told us, that in GB you would say sorry to, if someone step on your feed on the street. in Germany you wouldn't do it.. instead you would worn friendly, so the person don't fall, or you would became angry and just say "Entschuldigung???" but not as a sorry, more as an ask for sorry from the other person. in Germany just the person, who do something wrong, has to say sorry, like if you step on the feed of someone else, you have to say sorry of corse.
- Lederhosen sind eine schöne deutsche Tradition!
- Also... Ich bin ja Bayern Fan!
- Das Bier ist viel zu stark!
- Lebt Hitler eigentlich noch? (Die Frage wurde mir tatsächlich mal gestellt...)
- Sorry, ich bin spät dran...
- Alles Gute im Voraus!
- Die deutsche Bürokratie ist wirklich hervorragend!
- Pünktlich wie die Deutsche Bahn!
Lederhose und dirndl das sind die grössten mythen über deutschland hab nicht mal ein dirndl in echt gesehen und hab mit den in bayern auch nix zutun aber jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeder denkt wir tragen sowas im alltag
@@見知らぬ人ジャスミン Ich hab auch noch nie jemanden in echt sowas tragen sehen XDDD
You get tapwater for free here without any problems, if the place doesn't offer/sell "stilles Wasser" (water without gas).
But if they do offer it, it's found a bit offensive to want sth. for free, what they sell there.
It's a bit like bringing your own food or drink..
But that's definitely only for bars/restaurants, etc.! In private that's of course absolutely no problem.
Very accurate! 😂
As a german I‘m like: Yup, that is exactly how we are! 😁
7:06 actually this is also common in Germany, f.e.when you ask a stranger something you often begin with "(Ent-)tschuldigung,...“ at least i do this every time
Schön recherchiert - und nur zu wahr. Question to you as a Canadian... a co-player of mine is from Canada, and I wonder if it is only him or typical canadian to be "overtly sensitive" - just giving him a straight up honest opinion on something can freak him out... I know we germans tend to be direct, but... is that so strange for a canadian?
Totally! Most Canadians I know are overtly sensitive! I also was, and still am! But Germany is teaching me to be a bit tougher 🤣🤣
Yes it is in my experience of Canadians. I found that Canadians go to the restroom, Americans go to the bathroom and Australians go to the toilet - apparently that's unmentionable in North America.?
Why would you not want a proper response to the question "how are you"?
If a not that meaningful "fine" would suit you (sure, you both express concern for each other and appreciation of that, which can be communicated by such performative speech), why would any other answer bother you particularly?
You don't have to let things close to you. You can always wish them good luck with their problems and move on, if you can't do anything about it (such words can even be helpful, cheer them up).
And if their response is neither good nor bad but some thing odd, take it as a random inspiration.
Really cool and funny video, I enjoy watching your videos a lot although I’m nativ german hahah ☺️ It surprised me, that you mentioned the point with saying „sorry“ isnt a german thing..maybe that depends on the Region your living in, I’m from south germany and here it’s really basic to do e.g. „Entschuldigung, dürfte ich bitte kurz durch?“ 🙊☺️ here its also very impolite when somebody is just like “can I pass you” 🙊 so I really understand if you’re feeling upset about it 😂☺️
Haha I think you’re right!!! Düsseldorf/NRW tends to be much more impolite than the southern regions!!
I'm confused with the "not saying I'm sorry" part. AFAIK, the german word "Entschuldigung" means both "I'm sorry" and "excuse me", so when asking to pass by someone at the supermarket, for example, it would make sense to say "Entschuldigen", not because you're sorry, but in the sense of "excuse me". Is that right? Or I'm missing something here? Entschuldigen :p
You are wrong about the topic "Sorry" in grocery stores.
No she's not! North-americans have a very high "escape distance" (Fluchtdistanz)... they're obliged to apologize when there's more than a meter space to pass. Germans do say sorrry, but only when it gets to close.
That's a very direct comment !
What suprised me when i went to live in Germany is dat the formal / unformal addressing actually has little to do with age, rather than familiarity or intimacy. I have experienced little children saying du to their grandparents as well as older people saying Sie to teenagers. And the transition from Sie to Du is often a difficult step and is carefully dicussed by both parties. At the same time there is a trend (at least where i am living) where young people try to make it less complicated and switch to du much faster. Or it may be because i am dutch. Most germans here are used to the fact that dutch people are mostly very loose about these things. Although the Dutch would not say du to a much older person very quick, not even intimate people.
"I have experienced little children saying du to their grandparents"
it's always "Du" for family members.
"as well as older people saying Sie to teenagers."
can happen but it's usually not considered rude if older people "duzen" teenagers but I would still consider it rude if a teenager addresses me informal with a "du" even after I addressed them with "du".
"What suprised me when i went to live in Germany is dat the formal / unformal addressing actually has little to do with age, rather than familiarity or intimacy."
It's usually the older person offering the "du" to the younger person or a boss to his/her subordinates.
E.g. we have these older (70+) neighbors living next door. After almost 10 years they offered us the Du but it's possible this never happens.
Nothing that bothered me more in the US than that stupid free tap water.. Am I a dog? Do I have my horse with me? wtf.. I just ordered a beer.. should I wash my feet with that water?
Um as a german (I´m only a kid so idk if its like that for everyone) many people do say sorry. At least everyone that I know does I mean like if you have to get past somebody we just say "Entschuldigung könnte ich bitte vorbei" But like I said thats just in the part of germany where I live
Of course you can make jokes about Hitler im Germany. But you have to be careful how you do it. The jokes must be about the miserable person himself and not about what he has done or even about the victims. There are enough jokes about Hitler in Germany but they are all caricatures of the person, not of his deeds. There are books like "Er ist wieder da", films like "Der Wixxer" or even comics like "Adolf" which are maybe questionable in their dark humour but not a taboo.
But you are right. Don't make a conversation abeout Nazi Germany with the wrong persons. The rise of Nazi Germany is always connected to WWI, the Treaty of Versailles and a highly humiliated people that was highly susceptible for the myth that the victorious German army was backstabbed by socialists. Remember what Donald Trump did to the USA. The Weimar Republic was by far not so strong and widely accepted as the US system and then first the hyperinflation and later the Great Depression struck and pushed the people into Hitler's arms.
Tolles Video! Mach weiter so! :) Von Österreich hier 👌🏽
Yep, the rivalries are no joke. Enter the wrong bar at the wrong time in Munich while wearing red and see what happens. ;)
Can you please explain this in detail? I have never been to Munich and I would like to know about this before I go there.
@@jinalparikh5402 There is fierce local rivalry between Bayern Munich (red) and 1860 Munich (blue). Now usually nothing bad will happen but you don’t want to go to a 1860 football bar to watch a game wearing red.
The acceptance of Amex (and Diners especially) is way lower than Visa and Mastercard.
The latter two rule the CC market here in (Western) Europe whith Visa being apparently the overall leader.
Visa was even able to pull away the debit card business from Mastercard a few years ago (debitcard usage is a huge thing here as it´s still preferred by most Germans over CC usage)
Here in Germany most CC users have a VI/MC duo account as that is what most banks offer to their customers.
(yes, I am one of those customers ...)
There are variations between countries but generally VI and MC are accepted.
AM and DC are more likely accepted at higher priced establishments (shops/restaurants/etc.) but have higher acceptance levels in other European countries compared to Germany. As I said VI and MC are ruling the market in Germany with other CC companies being far behind.
I have an Amex Platinum and use it everyday for pretty much everything, no problem 99% of the time (usually don't carry any cash at all). This is mainly in RLP, isn't any different in NRW or elsewhere though.
I do have a Maestro as backup, but rarely use it. Times have changed a lot. There are more people who have MC and Visa, but there is no real reason for that anymore, other than price maybe.
The reason why I generally prefer using a debitcard over a creditcard in germany (provided I have both and can use both without additional costs for myself) is that creditcards usually have much higher fees which have to be paid by the shop/restaurant. The shop/restaurant eventually has to divide these additional costs among its customers. So I feel with a debitcard I am supporting the local business and ultimately myself.
Don´t say " I´m a nazi when it comes to health and diet" or " he/ she is a nazi regarding the upbringing of their kids" meaning that someone is really disciplined or strict. Germans are very sensitive to the "nazi-topic" and feel that it is not okay to use the term in any other context than in the very serious context of Holocaust/WWII.
Hey!! Vielen Dank für das sympathische Video. Ich bin Deutsche und lebe seit vier Jahren in Kanada, BC, und fand deinen Kulturvergleich sehr cool!!
I've never seen in Germany that tab water was offered.
Theres a law, that the cheepest drink on the menue must be water!
But i think "Aus der Leitung" is forbidden, but I'm not shure.
@@hanswurst-ft1ih i think it can not be on the menu but you can ask for it. But they don't have to offer it for free or follow your question at all.
If you ask for it, they cannot charge you for it. But there might be answers like “Sorry, wir haben zu alte Leitungen “ 🤣
Good tips! Danke
I've never heard of legally free tap water in Germany. Can you tell me the exact law? Thanks in advance.
There is no such law.
I think there is a regulation that you get water for free to take medication
@@sidoniel.8304 from whom?
@@louismart the government
@@sidoniel.8304 government? There is no such thing. You need to be precise. Will you be entitled to get your tap water from the police? The army? The Sozialamt? The Wasser- und Schifffahrtsamt?
4:28 It’s funny that everyone says that, even in Austria, but what I have discovered is that people actually not only give you the exact number, but also break down how much they paid for something if it’s a loan. So it really is confusing that people „don’t“ talk about money, but in fact they do. What they don’t do is talk about money in sort of a bragging way, it is considered incredibly rude, while in the states it would be normal to say „look how much I made on this or that“. Never in Austria.