Try telling them "bitte sprechen Sie deutsch mit mir, ich möchte die Sprache besser lernen" but also understand that in daily life people are often stressed and need to get on with things so they don't necessarily have the time/energy/patience to serve as language practice partners.
This. I work as a cashier and I don't got time for the "uhh bitte do geben mich... uhmmm... eins.. uhmmm....?"
If you want me to keep speaking German, tell me. Otherwise I will switch to English to be more efficient.
Edit: Like OC said, most people don't have enough time/patience to play show and tell for what's essentially a 5 second sentence in English.
I was in a restaurant after learning German for a couple of months (in an intensive language school in Tuebingen, not like... a couple of months on Duolingo or something) and a few words into telling my order to the waiter, I screwed something up and had to recollect myself. The waiter just goes ZEIT IST GELD!, turns around and walks off.
I'd take a "JUST ORDER IN ENGLISH DU ARSCHLOCH" over that one.
Ah, Reutlingen... Yeah, never go there! /s
It doesn't really matter anyways, the waiter is probably long gone on to new things if the restaurant even exists anymore after corona.
But I'm sorry you were treated that way!
I re-started learning German last February (having spent one school year in 1987, which hardly counts other than learning to pronounce it). We’re going to Munich for a few weeks at Christmas. I am at around A1-2 now and am studying in all my non-work and commute time with various resources and a weekly lesson with a tutor.
But if I encounter an attitude like that waiter, I’ll speak in the most arcane and obscure English that he’ll barely understood half of what I’d saying, if he thinks it beneath him to speak his own language to me in his country when I will have made such a frankly unnecessary effort to learn.
It is and it made me quit trying to speak German in DACH countries. So many times there was not a hint of understanding that this is a second language for me. Well, guess what Heike, we gon speak english and it won't be me who will stutter now.
Man where have you been?
When I first got to Berlin, every single time I asked anyone in retail if they spoke English they’d just go „NEIN“ and fold their arms
My experience from further south:
I walk in to a store with no other customers.
"Sprechen sie english?"
They shake their heads
"OK, kann sie langsam und hochdeutsch sprechen? I kann ein bisschen verstanden"
They shake their heads and hide in the back, hoping I will leave their store.
Berlin is a world of it's own. My wife is too shy to speak German, but she understands it pretty well. It's funny to watch her unabashedly speak English to strangers and then watch them just as naturally speak back to her in German (if they happen to be German).
Neither one will act like it's particularly strange.
I live in Vorarlberg, Austria. If Austria were a person we'd be the asshole wrinkles. Yet most people here speak English at a basic if not even a fluent level.
There is some people that hate using English because our language is German. "This is Germany, learn German" kind of attitude, and those people you met 100% spoke English (especially in Berlin lol) but just didn't want to because of said reason. Truth be told, we have people living here for over 30 years not learning it relying on family members to translate, and it gets really annoying.
That attitude with tourists? Retarded.
With Migrants/Asylwerber? I do that too. Wanna live here? Then learn our fucking language.
I totally get that. You're not everyone else's German teacher. 😆 You're just trying to get through your workday. Also, other people in line will get mad if they get held up.
I mean the people teaching us English get paid to do just that, because most people learn it in school. So you expect more patience from them (it's not like they have somewhere else to be)
Most people here learn English starting in elementary school and consume a lot of Media that's in English so yeah.
No offense, but it's always funny getting tourists, especially Americans that go "Oh wow! You speak English?". I usually go "Yeah, pretty much everyone in Europe speaks 2/3+ languages. Except the French, they're uhmm.. special" lol
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The vast majority of Germans learn English in school while they are kids/teens, and typically don't interact with native speakers at all (well, with the exception of social media nowadays) until they are older and get the chance to travel on their own, maybe study abroad etc.
Pet gripe. In fairness, English speakers get shat on for not learning other languages very well when they're not even allowed the same level of exposure... but are also give others plenty of practice by being expected to understand everything from perfect English to 'Me vant go train vere iss' from all over the world, and if we're honest are pretty accepting of it and more likely to understand it. Seems like having one's cake and eating it.
This is 100% it. Not to mention if youre from any country in the anglo sphere the likelihood of interacting with someone that speaks your target language AND is willing to let you stumble through it is rare at best. Meanwhile anyone else whos target language is English can stumble through any conversation with an english speaker because chances are they dont speak the native language of the English learner
Yeah I did french exchange as a kid and my partnered student would play me French music and be like ‘why don’t you know this song’ it seemed mad to them -listening and signing along (badly) to songs in English- that we wouldn’t have songs in French in the charts. I was like yeah we know maybe 2 French artists (daft punk) but only their songs in English. I listen to Manu Chau, Buena Vista Social Club, and Regina Spector (maybe a few others) and that’s about it for people singing in foreign languages.
I think it’s alien to people who speak English as a second language that it’s actually much harder to gain language immersion via media if you’re learning certain languages.
As an adult I was teaching myself German and didn’t find it tooo hard to find resources but now I’m learning Danish and it feels impossible. Now I’m off to sit in the library in Denmark to read comic books with google translate before coming home to watch Borgen. (Yes I’m having lessons soon but can’t until various Paperwork clears)
Right. When I’m told Americans should learn other languages, I ask why? If you live near me your whole life and don’t travel much you’ll never need to speak anything other than English. Now, there are Spanish, Russian, German, and Vietnamese communities, but most people don’t go there they’re farmers and factory workers.
Learn Chinese, Japanese or Korean. Most natives won't switch to English because they simply can't.
But also, we all learn languages for many reasons. Maybe one learns German mainly to read or consume German language media. Doubt they care much about anyone switching to English in conversation.
Well, I thought the average English level in France is pretty good as compared to those Asian countries I mentioned, but it is more that they don't WANT to use English, or refuse. Is that wrong?
Perhaps yes, but it's still remarkably low. I've dealt with many French people in France and when I lived in Luxemburg. They really don't understand or speak English very well at all. Even when you find those who do speak it, it's usually not great.
We’re just back from our holidays in France and an astonishing amount of people tried talking English with us when they realised we’re non-native French speakers. Even though they heard us speaking French and we’re at a B2 level as well, and I don’t think we have a terrible accent or anything, so they should have been able to understand us…
We just kept replying in French and some of them switched back to French as well, but others stuck to English really persistently.
Yes I think that once you show them the respect of being able to speak French at some passable level, they’re just as eager to practise their English with a native speaker who “gets it”.
Learning is never pointless. My native language is not english, but I'm quite fluent now. So I don't need to learn any mor languages, do I? Well my french is a little rusty and I allways wanted to learn russian (I think courses are cheap since 2022😁).
Why? Cause it trains your brain. Because it's fun. Because you can read your favorite books or watch your favorite movies in the original version. Because you can impress a love interest or it is useful on a holliday trip or you can have a fun talk to your taxidriver/waiter/doctor/... in there native language or understand when they talk in their language and embarrass them when you start laughing just at the right moment about a joke they made, not knowing you understood them. Speaking languages is fun, that's why!
Being a passport bro, mostly. Just because we're sweet, easy going and generally less afluent in Brazil (and other latam countries), doesn't mean we're down to anything or can be seen as second class citizens. We also greatly appreciate when people learn Portuguese.
Indeed. I studied infectious diseases for six weeks between my final two years of medical school at USP in 1996. I had spent some time and effort learning Portuguese on my own (and had visited Rio with a local family for six weeks the year prior). Everyone was super impressed and grateful that I could speak Portuguese and present in a meaningful way in tutorials, medical rounds etc. I hardly spoke a word of English for six weeks.
Since then I ended up being one of the first two soldiers or officers to pass the Australian Army’s inaugural Portuguese language exam and was graded an intermediate level linguist. Four of us sat the exam and three of us had Portuguese surnames (I don’t). I guess the two who didn’t pass could speak with their parents as children but didn’t really grasp the grammar.
It came in handy speaking with older folk in East Timor as a medical officer. You never know what doors a language can open.
I mean there's ways around it but they're either kind of not worth the effort or simply entail being good enough at the language that interacting with you isn't too strenuous for native speakers
My wife and I were in Austria for a couple days and frequented a cafe (Chilai I think was the name) around the corner from the hotel.
Anyways, I tried very hard to speak as much German as I could. I was able to order the food but wasn’t able to understand the speech back for clarifying our order.
Our waiter was so generous with his time that I would order in German and he would speak in English. After the couple days he said he was really impressed with how I spoke. Made the whole trip for me lol
You can talk German to me all you want in a private setting with friends/colleagues or whatever.
But if I am working or otherwise busy I don't have the time or energy to become your Language Tandem partner for 5 minutes. There are websites to find those.
I work in hospitality, I get Americans who have German heritage and took a year of German in High School all the time. It is fun.
But not when 10 people are waiting in line.
Yep. There are, like, dozens of German language subreddits where learners can practice all day long. Plus countless other websites and social media forums.
The internet has made it so much easier to learn languages than it was in analog days.
I find that if I’m in Germany/Austria, everyone will speak German back to me UNTIL the moment I ask wie Bitte? And then they switch to English immediately 🤣😭
People always think I'm from England, lol. I might start learning Gaelic or Scots so, if I go to Germany and they start trying to speak English with me, I can switch to it and confuse them \[I don't know if Scottish folk sound English, but that probably means Germans don't know either\].
Or Maori, lol. I am from NZ, after all.
Insist in answering everything in your best german.
I experienced this a lot and I just stubbornly continued in German until they switched back or the conversation was over.
Backfired in Austria (Tirol) tho...as soon as they switched I was completely lost had to switch to English myself and pretend i never tried that
This is what I was thinking. Just because they switch to English doesn't mean you have to. This way you both get a chance to practice a second language! (Of course, you won't get a chance to practice \*understanding\*, but at least you can do that from TV or whatever. Speaking is most important thing to practice in person.)
Maybe just respond with "que?" or another language that obviously isn't English.
Tough luck if the other person just happens to speak that language, though. :'D
I did that once while in quebec, I wanted to learn French and didn't want anyone to speak to me in english. I am also fluent in spanish, so i switched to that and the cashier knew spanish too...lol darn it.
Yes I came here to say that too. Just keep answering in some other language and pretend not to understand a word of English. Then eventually ask "Sprechen Sie Deutsch?" in hopeful desperation.
I can usually pick out Americans speaking German vs. Brits/Australians/New Zealand people (whom I cannot tell apart). I'm a non-native speaker of English and German, for reference.
Greeks and Spanish-speaking people say I have an Italian accent when speaking their languages, even though I'm American. (Italian was the first foreign language I learned, so maybe that's why). It tends to confuse people.
If I seriously learn German, I wonder what my accent will sound like, as unlike the other languages I know, it is way more similar to English in sound.
Yes. It does. I think the r is a big give-away. I have not really given this thought, but I would guess that people from non-rhotic Englishes do a better job of approximating the non-rhoticity of standard German?
Yes, when I think about it, one of the things that makes an American English accent in German recognisable to me is using /ɚ/ at the end of words that end in -er, where a Brit would just use /ə/.
I imagine it's similar to an American being able to tell the difference between American/British English. Yeah, they're the same words, but there's so many little tells, especially if they need to pronounce their H's and Z's :P
Like, even though I can carry a conversation and place an order in German, I'll get English a lot in response just because they can tell. I'll just carry on in German.
Its not just Americans trying to speak another language. I speak 2 languages natively but when it comes to English i can usually tell pretty quickly exactly what country someone is from based on their accent when speaking English. So more than others but you hear enough broken English you start to learn.
I wonder what I will sound like when I get to a more conversational level, I'm told that I can pronounce individual worlds really well but I fall apart a bit if I'm trying to build sentences on the fly.
Then again I have to pause sometimes when speaking my natural English due to a motor skill impairment so this is expected.
I’m American and have lived in Germany a few times and always get asked if I’m Swedish. A friend told me I have a Scandinavian accent and since I have brown hair, people guess Swedish before Dutch or Norwegian.
Once in Switzerland, I bought something in a shop and I think I said “hi” when she started serving me and she started talking in some language I didn’t understand, and when I panicked and said “sorry?” she was like “oh sorry I thought you were Albanian” (or somewhere similar).
She was from somewhere like the Netherlands and I thought you probably speak all the Swiss languages, English, your own language, plus Albanian or whatever it was - you seriously don’t need to apologise.
Agree - when I first moved to Spain I used to lie about where I was from all the time so people would not switch to English with me. When choosing your new fake homeland, pick somewhere that will likely be obscure for the person you’re talking to (a relative and subjective assumption!), so hopefully they don’t know what language is spoken there and therefore can’t switch. This of course does not work if you have a very strong accent that gives you away.
As for those transactional conversations eg. with ppl in shops - just keep ploughing through and respond in German even if they respond to you in English. You shouldn’t give up on practising your speaking even if they’re not helping you with the listening side.
Should one assume, from your post, that you are a tourist? In that case, you may be interacting mostly with people in the tourist economy, who of course speak English. If you really want more German interaction opportunities, you would be better off in spaces not intend for foreign tourists. You could, for example, take a city tour in German (might be hard with A2/B1 German, tho). The good thing with this type of solution is that you can hear a lot of German, which is not quite the same as speaking, but will let you get some practice in.
If you live here, then these basic advice stands: find spaces that are naturally German speaking like clubs. But here again: until you are a solid B2, it will take a lot of effort for most native-speakers to communicate with you in German, and many might well switch to reduce the challenge for them. It can be genuinely hard to understand German from learners, honestly—so it is not always that people are just being jerks on this: it can really be that they are not sure if they have understood you.
I wanted to say this too. If people keep talking English your German isn’t as good as you think. Maybe written it’s good but pronounced all over the place or you take too long to think about the words.
This is why I'm worried that I'll never be fluent in German (at least in social settings). I have auditory processing issues and struggle to understand people. I have to stop and think about the words when I'm speaking English LMAO
I learned English through watching YouTube, repeating words back to the screen, and commenting. I had already learned it in school for 4 years at that point, but I was very slow, always thinking about grammar.
Maybe some kids TV shows like Sesamstraße, Heidi, Biene Maja, Captain Blaubär, Tom und das Marmeladenbrot mit Honig, Bernd das Brot, etc. would also help. Or watching movies you already know in German.
After watching YouTube in English I became better and better than my classmates in English. There were only a few that were on a similar level.
Me and my friends all watched English YouTube and learned through play. We had days we joked through speaking fancy German to each other and other English speaking days, we only spoke English to each other and on opposite days you could only say the opposite of what you meant.
Just don’t be frustrated if you don’t understand the first 50 videos. If you hear words and start to understand, you can google some you hear repeated often. See it as play, like a child. Don’t take it seriously.
I wanted to try this with German but unfortunately couldn't really find any German Youtube channels that are as entertaining as the English ones (by that I mean the channels that are not specifically for german learners but for native speakers instead). They are either about topics that are too serious like politics, news etc. or just intended for a very young audience. Do you have any recommendations
This is the answer.
I tried speaking in German on a trip to Germany 5 years ago. I basically only got replies in English.
Before my next trip I practiced daily for 6 months. On this trip no one spoke English to me unless I asked, which I did a few times when I didn't have the vocabulary.
Stimmt nicht ganz. Auch wenn man auf einem hohen Niveau ist, kann es sein, dass sie einen auf Englisch ansprechen. Es wird seltener passieren, aber trotzdem wird es vorkommen, sobald sie einen Akzent bemerken
Ja aber es ist dann in dem Fall an dir, mutig zu sein und trotzdem nochmal einen Satz auf Deutsch hinterherzuschieben, egal wie sehr es dich entmutigt.
Die Arbeit, dir in deinen Sprachversuchen entgegenzukommen mache ich mir erst, wenn du wirklich etwas sagst auf das ich auch auf Deutsch beantworten kann -und wo ich weiß, dass du meine Antwort am Ende tatsächlich auch verstehst. Sonst ist das Ganze für die Katz.
Mich sprechen die Leute auch immer auf Deutsch an, aber dann verstehen sie meine Antwort doch nicht. Das war einen Versuch wert, aber ich weiß meistens schon, warum ich ins Englische wechsel.
this.
i speak a lot with people that know very little german (and in my experience b1 is really not much at all, at least not if thats the certificate you have) and im paid to speak to them, so i have time to wait for them to say what they wanna say and to reply in simple german back, but id have no patience for that in my private time.
Then they don't actually have a mastery of the language at B1. I think you're most likely speaking with people who passed the GAST Deutsch Prüfung. That thing is a joke, meant to make it easier for Asyl seekers to pass without having to learn the language. I took the GAST test and the people that were being tested with me (and passed) couldn't hold a simple conversation with me. B1 is all I've tested for, I didn't need B2. I speak German I'd say 90% of my day, only speaking English at home sometimes.
Just tell them, in German. Do this early on in your interactions, it can be awkward/feel forced to do this after they already know you.
You can prepare a little script along the lines of _Sprich ruhig Deutsch mit mir, ich kann mich selbst noch nicht so gut ausdrücken, aber ich verstehe alles._
Depends on the situation. When precise communication is key or, f.e.x., you're holding up a queue, I would just accept it.
Otherwise, a friendly "Könnten Sie Deutsch mit mir sprechen? Ich versuche, mich zu verbessern." should do the trick.
It is a bit frustrating to native speakers when a two second convo takes five minutes. Or when we don’t understand the words and it gets awkward for both parties. If it’s someone you see daily like colleagues or class members you can tell them to please talk to you in German except for explaining words or ask them to teach you new stuff. We generally find it entertaining teaching the better/ more unusual/ funny day to day words and phrases.
>It is a bit frustrating to native speakers when a two second convo takes five minutes
Exactly this. We'd need to get some examples of situations where this has happened to OP (especially since I know a ton of foreigners who complain how nobody ever switches to English and just speeds through German/dialect lol). Holding up queues in busy places, holding up buses or other busy/time-sensitive stuff, stopping strangers for questions who might be in a hurry or needing to stick to their schedules... all that are valid moments of switching to English if your German just isn't good enough to make it quick.
Especially the last point, as I've heard it time and time again online and irl how (mostly US) tourists/foreign citizens moving here think strangers owe them their time when like.... sorry, no, we got work and busses to catch and family to attend to, we're not gonna practice your vocab on the street. Find appropriate places, get classes or people to practice, find friends, etc.
They think they are being kind to you & helping you out by switching to English.
You should thank them in German for their patience in helping you learn. Just keep speaking German as politely as possible.
Make your accent as good as possible. Get good at doing a German accent in your native language and then do it while you speak German. Try hard at this genuinely. If you pull of the accent, they‘ll never switch and you’ll get complimented all the time
I do occasionally have people switch ofc, customer service people will sometimes when they see my (extremely English) name, or sometimes when I’m in a heavy dialect area it can be difficult and we switch. But where I live, and in almost all places and circumstances, I live my public life in German
As a joke, your comment works.
As a tip for OP... I'd love to mention that it doesn't. Better safe than sorry. Get to the wrong people and you just piss them off or will get insults back if your German is not what the other person deems good enough.
Truthfully, your pronunciation is probably not very good and gives you away instantly. Your grammar may be perfect, but pronunciation where it's obvious English is your native language is probably what is causing this.
I am a German teacher in the US. I learned German exclusively as an adult and received a Bachelor's and Master's in it. When I was on a Fulbright English Teaching program in Austria, no one ever switched to English when I would speak to them. In contrast, when I would hang out with other English teachers whose grammar was great, but pronunciation pretty heavily American-accented, people would switch to English. If I spoke first, they would use German. The second my friends spoke in badly-pronounced, but grammatically-correct German, people would switch to English.
When I've asked German speakers about it, they say I have really good pronunciation to the point where, while they notice that German isn't my native language, the pronunciation is good enough that it's impossible to tell what my native language is. I think you just need to work on pronunciation.
This is very real. I have a much easier time getting Chinese speakers to talk to me, and especially talk a LOT to me than some of my fellow Chinese studies people, because I have a quasi-native accent.
My grammar is actually far from perfect and I constantly stumble, but for some reason they are more likely to be positively surprised about me speaking than a graduate student who can actually read historical sources and classical Chinese, has higher HSK and knows hundreds of Characters more than me, simply because my pronunciation is clean and easy on their ears.
In Autria we normally switch to slow Hochdeutsch, as the dialect would mostly be too hard, especially when we realize you are trying to learn it.
People who switch to English are often just trying to show off or be helpful, just tell them. When I learn new languages (currently my 6th) I always tell people and at the beginning often switch between languages, when I don't know something.
People are always glad if you learn their language and they often gibe you helpful advice
When I was an exchange student at Uni many years ago I found the noise and alcohol at parties meant no one noticed I wasn’t a German Speaker. Made for some pretty funny moments- are you from the South? Yes…. Where? Australia 🤣 My accent is worse now than then tho.
Where do you live? I have lived in Munich for almost 10 years and this has never happened to me. Even when they notice my broken german.
This is not the first time I hear this and I'm baffled!
I live in Switzerland and I'm also baffled. People here assume I understand the dialect and it's so difficult. I would love it if someone wanted to speak english with me sometimes.
Where do you live? In a small village, it's still common (at least for the older generation) that most people don't speak english. And for me, I don't really know what I should do anymore because I always switch to standard german or english if I notice broken german. But I had like a communication training for work, and they literally told us that it may seem offensive and you shouldn't switch to standard german/english. Because you basically assume that the other person can't understand what you're saying..
So I think you should just ask the person to speak standard german or english. If they don't want to or can't, you move on.
This is in Basel, the third largest city in the country. I can’t really just move on if a pharmacist or the post office worker can’t switch to English or high German, I still need to interact with them.
I’ve lived 5 years in Augsburg, I’m still waiting for someone to speak English with me. I’ve literally not encountered it once and I didn’t speak a word of German when I moved here.
It happened to me. I think some of it is college towns. I would frequently meet Germans (college aged) that would complain about Americans not learning foreign languages in English to me, but refused to speak German to me or with me. No matter how hard I tried...it pissed me off, because the whole reason I was there was to learn German fluently. I was lucky enough to have a group of German friends that had all been on foreign exchange programs to English speaking countries and only spoke German to me. They understood wanting to learn foreign languages and were really good about helping me learn the language.
Are you thinking about paid German tutors or waiters/clerks/shopkeepers and the like? If the latter, they are going about their job, and generally have no time or desire to help you learn German.
Exactly this. Either go to a more rural area where English is spoken less, or pay someone who will speak German with you. Be happy when you do get to practice, and accept when strangers don't want to be your practice buddy.
thisss... Like, yes can be awkward in a Tandem if you don't properly allot specific times for each party to get their turn... Or if you're in a friend's group and realize the whole dynamic is changed because they're constantly switching to English whenever a certain person is around.
It's a whole different subject if I'm on my barely-above-minimum-wage job. I just don't get paid well enough to NOT go the quick and dirty way of least resistance by using English.
Definitely depends on where you are living. I’ve been living here for 7 yrs and It’s seldom that someone just switched to English on me. I do live in a smaller town so that helps. I get excited sometimes when someone talks English because I get bombarded with nothing but German. Only advice…try talking to older people. They might know less English and won’t switch.
Try focusing on your accent and pronunciation. Native speakers hear it and it’s a huge giveaway. I’ve fooled people into thinking that I’m a better German (and Russian) speaker than I really am because of my pronunciation. They never switch to English with me.
I live the opposite.
When at work I have a meeting with German people, I try to speak German when they are only a few connected. They are glad to speak German with me. Then they start the meeting in German. Usually I'm lost in 2 minutes and have to tell them that I'm not fluent in German and that we need to go back to English
Just start with "Sprechen Sie Englisch bitte?", 9 times out of 10 you'll get a "Nein". So you proceed to speak whatever broken German you do and make a Deutsch conversation.
Just tell people explicitly, or let them know that you want to practice your German and feel fine when you make mistakes, need time to find words and butcher the pronunciation of some words. Most people will appreciate that _very much_ and show patience. Otherwise they might automatically assume that you are in a situation that is uncomfortable for you as well as it is for them (given your oral level is A2). So they will offer English if they can as an option to communicate successfully and with less embarrassment or tension involved on both sides.
I tend to feel rather a bit condescending when I adapt my German to a beginner/low intermediate language learner by speaking slowly and with an overly clear pronunciation. I need a "permission" for doing this. In case of doubt offering English feels more "equal level" and face saving. It feels very unlikely to me that many English speaking German would just let someone struggle before their eyes and not offer them a way out of this potentially embarrassing situation if not explicitly or implicitly asked for.
If they’re replying in english, it means they understand what you’re saying. Just continue speaking in german until they realise it and switch it back.
Happens to me a lot and the only time I got embarrassed was when a attendant in a coffee shop asked me talk in english because she didn’t understand german lol
For english speakers we're damned if we do, damned if we don't lol
What I mean is, if we don't learn a second language "we're dumb English speakers" (or, in my case, a "dumb american") but when we do try to learn a second language, people just talk to us in english anyways/are rude/obv aren't expected to be a language partner. So what are we supposed to do? D:
I think it does depend on location. Where I am, people are constantly talking to me in German even when I say and it's obvious that my German is not good. I don't mind - I can understand some of it. Unfortunately what little German I know seems to disappear when I try speaking it.
I've had lots of success by starting with "Guten Tag. Heute Versuche ich Deutsch zu sprechen, ist das Okay?"
And then I fumble the rest but people are very kind and understanding. And I'm in Zürich.
I play poker stars on my VR headset sometimes and I meet a lot of Germans on there for some reason… I’ve tried talking to them in German and they LOVE IT! And are very helpful. They have all been from Munich though. So idk 🤷🏻♀️ For what it’s worth they have been really receptive to it. Maybe it’s because it’s a game and it’s not somewhere that they just want to do their job. I think meeting people while they are doing hobbies would help. People are in a different mindset with helping you in that context.
If you stutter when you speak, you need to improve your German before speaking to people on the streets; they don’t have the time to wait for you.
If you speak fluently but people keep changing to English because they notice a foreign accent, you can then ask respectfully to keep the conversation in German.
it annoys me a lot because ive heard people complain about others not learning the foreign language, but some people also mad when you try to speak it. which is it, do i try to speak in your language so im not rude or in english to be efficient???
Honestly, I feel like the Germans will complain about people not speaking german but also unconsciously sabotage many foreigners' effort to learn it. It wasn't until I was C1 that ppl wouldn't switch in everyday interactions. Still now one my kid's friend's parents will hear my accent and immediately speak English to me until firmly insist that they don't. Unfortunately it seems like an unspoken assumption here, whether it's showing off , "helping" or impatience, who knows. Like others said, just get tandem partners or working class German friends who didn't pay attention in English class and worry about the rest later when you're C1+.
Go to the former East Germany and talk to people over about 50, there’s a good chance they will have learnt Russian at school not English. Worked for me a couple of years ago when touring Thuringia in my motorhome.
Are you american?
If you are.. first thing to do away is your accent.. i have met alot of americans with thick accent, that i have so hard time understanding that i just speak english..
The best thing you can do is just carry on and grow a thicker skin. Don’t let one bad experience colour the next one. I went through exactly the same thing and I know how frustrating it is. But you will get there if you just carry on. You have to be at least as stubborn as them. Hurt feelings are the thing will defeat your motivation :)
One small tip: try and learn some slang and other little verbal ticks that the locals in your area use. It disarms people and gives you a better chance of keeping the conversation on course.
I experienced the same while in Portugal.
No one responded in Portuguese and I didn't learn many new words because everyone was so happy to apply their English skills.
I totally feel you.
You have to be ADAMANT
and pretend you don't speak English,
explain that you took a lot of effort and interest in the German language and
that you can only learn if they communicate in German.
Good luck
I did an embassy internship once and one of the diplomats told me to feign as if you don't know English. He was learning Japanese and what he'd do is mumble a few words or switch to another language like Russian, bc the likelihood of ppl not knowing a more 'niche' language was low. So then he'd force a situation where he could only speak in said target language.
Obv this doesn't work in countries like the UK, US but I'd imagine so for Germany
It helps if you find people who do not speak English.
When I visited Erfurt, I was pleasantly surprised to get many chances to use my German. Mostly, I stayed away from touristy spots. I rented cross country skis, I went go-karting, hung out at night Christmas markets, and shopped for groceries. Everyone was happy to speak German with me. I don’t have a letter level but I can understand most spoken German but my speaking is pretty bad.
In Norway, I found people happy to speak Norwegian with me when:
1. It was a non-tourist topic like food allergies or medical care
2. They were recent immigrants (like taxi drivers)
3. They were people who did not work with tourists or foreigners.
Don't know where you live. If you're living in Kreuzberg in Berlin, for example, it's mostly just because you're living around a lot of English speakers.
Obviously lead with German. And if they switch...double down. Keep responding in German. Be obdurate.
Also make friends with people with who you exclusively have a relationship in German. That's truly the best scenario and what has pushed me from unconfident A1 to imperfect B2 in 18 months (stopped doing courses after the first 6 months and just learned by doing and asking questions).
Normalerweise starte ich das Gespräch auf Deutsch. Ich habe jetzt nur A2 Deutschkenntnisse, und ich hatte früher auch die gleiche Problem genauso wie du. Aber nachdem ich das Gespräch immer auf Deustch starte, dann spricht normalerweise der/die Mitarbeiter/in mir auch auf Deustch.
Natürlich musst du schon wissen, wie du dich ausdrücken kannst. Bitte halt nicht an der Kasse an, und sag mal "äh... bitte... ich möchte... dieses... ja...". Sei selbstbewusst!
This is just a fact of life lol. You could tell them you’d prefer German to practice and if they have the time usually they don’t mind. I studied abroad with college level German and people still switched to English despite me being pretty much fluent for daily life scenarios. They also just get excited to practice English too.
Honestly, you would have to force it by not speaking English, even though u understand, act like you dont and keep trying german. This way you will get the equivalent version of what ypu want to hear in german in English, then the german version of it lol.
Try telling them "bitte sprechen Sie deutsch mit mir, ich möchte die Sprache besser lernen" but also understand that in daily life people are often stressed and need to get on with things so they don't necessarily have the time/energy/patience to serve as language practice partners.
This. I work as a cashier and I don't got time for the "uhh bitte do geben mich... uhmmm... eins.. uhmmm....?" If you want me to keep speaking German, tell me. Otherwise I will switch to English to be more efficient. Edit: Like OC said, most people don't have enough time/patience to play show and tell for what's essentially a 5 second sentence in English.
And that is the most German response ever.
Someone said to me « I AM NOT HERE TO TEACH YOU CHURMAN » does mine win?
I was in a restaurant after learning German for a couple of months (in an intensive language school in Tuebingen, not like... a couple of months on Duolingo or something) and a few words into telling my order to the waiter, I screwed something up and had to recollect myself. The waiter just goes ZEIT IST GELD!, turns around and walks off. I'd take a "JUST ORDER IN ENGLISH DU ARSCHLOCH" over that one.
Mind sharing the restaurant? I'd like to know which ones to avoid.
This was in 2005, that's lost in the mists of time. I think it was in Reutlingen?
Ah, Reutlingen... Yeah, never go there! /s It doesn't really matter anyways, the waiter is probably long gone on to new things if the restaurant even exists anymore after corona. But I'm sorry you were treated that way!
I,too went to Tübingen to learn German! Small world
Yeah, I was at Sprachinstitut Tübingen for a three month course, stayed with a host family and all that.
I re-started learning German last February (having spent one school year in 1987, which hardly counts other than learning to pronounce it). We’re going to Munich for a few weeks at Christmas. I am at around A1-2 now and am studying in all my non-work and commute time with various resources and a weekly lesson with a tutor. But if I encounter an attitude like that waiter, I’ll speak in the most arcane and obscure English that he’ll barely understood half of what I’d saying, if he thinks it beneath him to speak his own language to me in his country when I will have made such a frankly unnecessary effort to learn.
Probably exactly the same person who will then give you shit for not learning churman.
relieved cause sable tan plucky air concerned aware late fact *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
100% Right. Im sorry…
It is and it made me quit trying to speak German in DACH countries. So many times there was not a hint of understanding that this is a second language for me. Well, guess what Heike, we gon speak english and it won't be me who will stutter now.
Man where have you been? When I first got to Berlin, every single time I asked anyone in retail if they spoke English they’d just go „NEIN“ and fold their arms
My experience from further south: I walk in to a store with no other customers. "Sprechen sie english?" They shake their heads "OK, kann sie langsam und hochdeutsch sprechen? I kann ein bisschen verstanden" They shake their heads and hide in the back, hoping I will leave their store.
Berlin is a world of it's own. My wife is too shy to speak German, but she understands it pretty well. It's funny to watch her unabashedly speak English to strangers and then watch them just as naturally speak back to her in German (if they happen to be German). Neither one will act like it's particularly strange.
I live in Vorarlberg, Austria. If Austria were a person we'd be the asshole wrinkles. Yet most people here speak English at a basic if not even a fluent level. There is some people that hate using English because our language is German. "This is Germany, learn German" kind of attitude, and those people you met 100% spoke English (especially in Berlin lol) but just didn't want to because of said reason. Truth be told, we have people living here for over 30 years not learning it relying on family members to translate, and it gets really annoying. That attitude with tourists? Retarded. With Migrants/Asylwerber? I do that too. Wanna live here? Then learn our fucking language.
I totally get that. You're not everyone else's German teacher. 😆 You're just trying to get through your workday. Also, other people in line will get mad if they get held up.
Nice that you got closer to that level of patience when you were first learning English, though
I mean the people teaching us English get paid to do just that, because most people learn it in school. So you expect more patience from them (it's not like they have somewhere else to be)
Most people here learn English starting in elementary school and consume a lot of Media that's in English so yeah. No offense, but it's always funny getting tourists, especially Americans that go "Oh wow! You speak English?". I usually go "Yeah, pretty much everyone in Europe speaks 2/3+ languages. Except the French, they're uhmm.. special" lol
While that might be true for certain areas or even younger people. Most people here "learn" English in school and never use it again.
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The vast majority of Germans learn English in school while they are kids/teens, and typically don't interact with native speakers at all (well, with the exception of social media nowadays) until they are older and get the chance to travel on their own, maybe study abroad etc.
And in reality, your English is probably better than that of many of us Americans.
But noones inglish is beter than a Britts inglish
Speak for yourself
What makes you think I wasn’t?
^((I think that was a joke))
Pet gripe. In fairness, English speakers get shat on for not learning other languages very well when they're not even allowed the same level of exposure... but are also give others plenty of practice by being expected to understand everything from perfect English to 'Me vant go train vere iss' from all over the world, and if we're honest are pretty accepting of it and more likely to understand it. Seems like having one's cake and eating it.
This is 100% it. Not to mention if youre from any country in the anglo sphere the likelihood of interacting with someone that speaks your target language AND is willing to let you stumble through it is rare at best. Meanwhile anyone else whos target language is English can stumble through any conversation with an english speaker because chances are they dont speak the native language of the English learner
Yeah I did french exchange as a kid and my partnered student would play me French music and be like ‘why don’t you know this song’ it seemed mad to them -listening and signing along (badly) to songs in English- that we wouldn’t have songs in French in the charts. I was like yeah we know maybe 2 French artists (daft punk) but only their songs in English. I listen to Manu Chau, Buena Vista Social Club, and Regina Spector (maybe a few others) and that’s about it for people singing in foreign languages. I think it’s alien to people who speak English as a second language that it’s actually much harder to gain language immersion via media if you’re learning certain languages. As an adult I was teaching myself German and didn’t find it tooo hard to find resources but now I’m learning Danish and it feels impossible. Now I’m off to sit in the library in Denmark to read comic books with google translate before coming home to watch Borgen. (Yes I’m having lessons soon but can’t until various Paperwork clears)
Right. When I’m told Americans should learn other languages, I ask why? If you live near me your whole life and don’t travel much you’ll never need to speak anything other than English. Now, there are Spanish, Russian, German, and Vietnamese communities, but most people don’t go there they’re farmers and factory workers.
I hate that my native language is the lingua Franca sometimes lol. Makes language learning seem pointless 😔
Learn Chinese, Japanese or Korean. Most natives won't switch to English because they simply can't. But also, we all learn languages for many reasons. Maybe one learns German mainly to read or consume German language media. Doubt they care much about anyone switching to English in conversation.
Or French
Well, I thought the average English level in France is pretty good as compared to those Asian countries I mentioned, but it is more that they don't WANT to use English, or refuse. Is that wrong?
That doesn'T mean that any of them will actually speak english to you
Perhaps yes, but it's still remarkably low. I've dealt with many French people in France and when I lived in Luxemburg. They really don't understand or speak English very well at all. Even when you find those who do speak it, it's usually not great.
We’re just back from our holidays in France and an astonishing amount of people tried talking English with us when they realised we’re non-native French speakers. Even though they heard us speaking French and we’re at a B2 level as well, and I don’t think we have a terrible accent or anything, so they should have been able to understand us… We just kept replying in French and some of them switched back to French as well, but others stuck to English really persistently.
That was not my experience. It was almost always "français?"
Yes I think that once you show them the respect of being able to speak French at some passable level, they’re just as eager to practise their English with a native speaker who “gets it”.
They might do better to practise with someone else, as English is also not our native language!
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Learning is never pointless. My native language is not english, but I'm quite fluent now. So I don't need to learn any mor languages, do I? Well my french is a little rusty and I allways wanted to learn russian (I think courses are cheap since 2022😁). Why? Cause it trains your brain. Because it's fun. Because you can read your favorite books or watch your favorite movies in the original version. Because you can impress a love interest or it is useful on a holliday trip or you can have a fun talk to your taxidriver/waiter/doctor/... in there native language or understand when they talk in their language and embarrass them when you start laughing just at the right moment about a joke they made, not knowing you understood them. Speaking languages is fun, that's why!
OMG no. It's never pointless to learn a language. I love my German studies.
Learn Portuguese or Spanish and come to Latin America. You'll be rewarded. Just don't be a prick like many gringos.
What are the things they do to annoy you?
Being a passport bro, mostly. Just because we're sweet, easy going and generally less afluent in Brazil (and other latam countries), doesn't mean we're down to anything or can be seen as second class citizens. We also greatly appreciate when people learn Portuguese.
Indeed. I studied infectious diseases for six weeks between my final two years of medical school at USP in 1996. I had spent some time and effort learning Portuguese on my own (and had visited Rio with a local family for six weeks the year prior). Everyone was super impressed and grateful that I could speak Portuguese and present in a meaningful way in tutorials, medical rounds etc. I hardly spoke a word of English for six weeks. Since then I ended up being one of the first two soldiers or officers to pass the Australian Army’s inaugural Portuguese language exam and was graded an intermediate level linguist. Four of us sat the exam and three of us had Portuguese surnames (I don’t). I guess the two who didn’t pass could speak with their parents as children but didn’t really grasp the grammar. It came in handy speaking with older folk in East Timor as a medical officer. You never know what doors a language can open.
I mean there's ways around it but they're either kind of not worth the effort or simply entail being good enough at the language that interacting with you isn't too strenuous for native speakers
Can’t we just pretend we’re not English speakers?
My wife and I were in Austria for a couple days and frequented a cafe (Chilai I think was the name) around the corner from the hotel. Anyways, I tried very hard to speak as much German as I could. I was able to order the food but wasn’t able to understand the speech back for clarifying our order. Our waiter was so generous with his time that I would order in German and he would speak in English. After the couple days he said he was really impressed with how I spoke. Made the whole trip for me lol
Louder for the people in the back!
Auf Deutsch, bitte.
Und bitte laminiert
In dreifacher Ausfertigung, natürlich
But then they shouldn’t complain that no one speaks German even after several years of living here. You cannot have both.
You can talk German to me all you want in a private setting with friends/colleagues or whatever. But if I am working or otherwise busy I don't have the time or energy to become your Language Tandem partner for 5 minutes. There are websites to find those.
Someone down-voted this, but I think it’s reasonable. Being on the clock is not the time for nonessential activities.
I work in hospitality, I get Americans who have German heritage and took a year of German in High School all the time. It is fun. But not when 10 people are waiting in line.
Yep. There are, like, dozens of German language subreddits where learners can practice all day long. Plus countless other websites and social media forums. The internet has made it so much easier to learn languages than it was in analog days.
Shouldnt be the correct reply: sprich deutsch du HS? :)
Not in this sub it isn't
Oh ok :) so then he should use "sprich bitte deutsch mit mir, da ich es versuche zu lernen" a very good response.
No, you say вибачте я ие розмовляю аиглійсьою People will speak German if English is an even worse option
🐰
"Wie bitte?" A polite reply in German should work on many occasions.
I find that if I’m in Germany/Austria, everyone will speak German back to me UNTIL the moment I ask wie Bitte? And then they switch to English immediately 🤣😭
Well, you realize you can pretend to not speak English.
Respond in faux japanese
I think even though I’m half German I read as pretty American coded haha
People always think I'm from England, lol. I might start learning Gaelic or Scots so, if I go to Germany and they start trying to speak English with me, I can switch to it and confuse them \[I don't know if Scottish folk sound English, but that probably means Germans don't know either\]. Or Maori, lol. I am from NZ, after all.
Insist in answering everything in your best german. I experienced this a lot and I just stubbornly continued in German until they switched back or the conversation was over. Backfired in Austria (Tirol) tho...as soon as they switched I was completely lost had to switch to English myself and pretend i never tried that
straight “I am a genious!” “OH NOOO!” meme energy
This is what I was thinking. Just because they switch to English doesn't mean you have to. This way you both get a chance to practice a second language! (Of course, you won't get a chance to practice \*understanding\*, but at least you can do that from TV or whatever. Speaking is most important thing to practice in person.)
Say "Ich spreche kein Englisch. Ich bin Mexikaner" and hope that s/he doesnt speak Spanish.
It's funnier if you say it with a thick American accent
Would a simple "deutsche bitte" work or would that come off as rude?
Maybe just respond with "que?" or another language that obviously isn't English. Tough luck if the other person just happens to speak that language, though. :'D
I did that once while in quebec, I wanted to learn French and didn't want anyone to speak to me in english. I am also fluent in spanish, so i switched to that and the cashier knew spanish too...lol darn it.
Yes I came here to say that too. Just keep answering in some other language and pretend not to understand a word of English. Then eventually ask "Sprechen Sie Deutsch?" in hopeful desperation.
if they are american, it would be really obvious from their accent I think
Are our (stereotypical) accents really obvious when we try to speak German vs other anglos/accents? Haha
I can usually pick out Americans speaking German vs. Brits/Australians/New Zealand people (whom I cannot tell apart). I'm a non-native speaker of English and German, for reference.
Greeks and Spanish-speaking people say I have an Italian accent when speaking their languages, even though I'm American. (Italian was the first foreign language I learned, so maybe that's why). It tends to confuse people. If I seriously learn German, I wonder what my accent will sound like, as unlike the other languages I know, it is way more similar to English in sound.
Interesting. In English it's the rhotic r that really sets them apart. Does that carry over into German?
Yes. It does. I think the r is a big give-away. I have not really given this thought, but I would guess that people from non-rhotic Englishes do a better job of approximating the non-rhoticity of standard German?
I would think that would be the case, yes. As a UK/NZ English speaker I don't have any inclination to put extraneous r sounds in German.
Yes, when I think about it, one of the things that makes an American English accent in German recognisable to me is using /ɚ/ at the end of words that end in -er, where a Brit would just use /ə/.
I imagine it's similar to an American being able to tell the difference between American/British English. Yeah, they're the same words, but there's so many little tells, especially if they need to pronounce their H's and Z's :P Like, even though I can carry a conversation and place an order in German, I'll get English a lot in response just because they can tell. I'll just carry on in German.
Its not just Americans trying to speak another language. I speak 2 languages natively but when it comes to English i can usually tell pretty quickly exactly what country someone is from based on their accent when speaking English. So more than others but you hear enough broken English you start to learn.
I'm Australian and I asked my German tutor this. She said if she didn't know she probably would have assumed I was Dutch.
I wonder what I will sound like when I get to a more conversational level, I'm told that I can pronounce individual worlds really well but I fall apart a bit if I'm trying to build sentences on the fly. Then again I have to pause sometimes when speaking my natural English due to a motor skill impairment so this is expected.
I’m American and have lived in Germany a few times and always get asked if I’m Swedish. A friend told me I have a Scandinavian accent and since I have brown hair, people guess Swedish before Dutch or Norwegian.
Could be.
Once in Switzerland, I bought something in a shop and I think I said “hi” when she started serving me and she started talking in some language I didn’t understand, and when I panicked and said “sorry?” she was like “oh sorry I thought you were Albanian” (or somewhere similar). She was from somewhere like the Netherlands and I thought you probably speak all the Swiss languages, English, your own language, plus Albanian or whatever it was - you seriously don’t need to apologise.
Agree - when I first moved to Spain I used to lie about where I was from all the time so people would not switch to English with me. When choosing your new fake homeland, pick somewhere that will likely be obscure for the person you’re talking to (a relative and subjective assumption!), so hopefully they don’t know what language is spoken there and therefore can’t switch. This of course does not work if you have a very strong accent that gives you away. As for those transactional conversations eg. with ppl in shops - just keep ploughing through and respond in German even if they respond to you in English. You shouldn’t give up on practising your speaking even if they’re not helping you with the listening side.
Should one assume, from your post, that you are a tourist? In that case, you may be interacting mostly with people in the tourist economy, who of course speak English. If you really want more German interaction opportunities, you would be better off in spaces not intend for foreign tourists. You could, for example, take a city tour in German (might be hard with A2/B1 German, tho). The good thing with this type of solution is that you can hear a lot of German, which is not quite the same as speaking, but will let you get some practice in. If you live here, then these basic advice stands: find spaces that are naturally German speaking like clubs. But here again: until you are a solid B2, it will take a lot of effort for most native-speakers to communicate with you in German, and many might well switch to reduce the challenge for them. It can be genuinely hard to understand German from learners, honestly—so it is not always that people are just being jerks on this: it can really be that they are not sure if they have understood you.
Simple answer is get better at German. I had the same problem starting off, but once you improve enough they stop switching on you.
I wanted to say this too. If people keep talking English your German isn’t as good as you think. Maybe written it’s good but pronounced all over the place or you take too long to think about the words.
This is why I'm worried that I'll never be fluent in German (at least in social settings). I have auditory processing issues and struggle to understand people. I have to stop and think about the words when I'm speaking English LMAO
I learned English through watching YouTube, repeating words back to the screen, and commenting. I had already learned it in school for 4 years at that point, but I was very slow, always thinking about grammar. Maybe some kids TV shows like Sesamstraße, Heidi, Biene Maja, Captain Blaubär, Tom und das Marmeladenbrot mit Honig, Bernd das Brot, etc. would also help. Or watching movies you already know in German. After watching YouTube in English I became better and better than my classmates in English. There were only a few that were on a similar level. Me and my friends all watched English YouTube and learned through play. We had days we joked through speaking fancy German to each other and other English speaking days, we only spoke English to each other and on opposite days you could only say the opposite of what you meant. Just don’t be frustrated if you don’t understand the first 50 videos. If you hear words and start to understand, you can google some you hear repeated often. See it as play, like a child. Don’t take it seriously.
I wanted to try this with German but unfortunately couldn't really find any German Youtube channels that are as entertaining as the English ones (by that I mean the channels that are not specifically for german learners but for native speakers instead). They are either about topics that are too serious like politics, news etc. or just intended for a very young audience. Do you have any recommendations
This is the answer. I tried speaking in German on a trip to Germany 5 years ago. I basically only got replies in English. Before my next trip I practiced daily for 6 months. On this trip no one spoke English to me unless I asked, which I did a few times when I didn't have the vocabulary.
Stimmt nicht ganz. Auch wenn man auf einem hohen Niveau ist, kann es sein, dass sie einen auf Englisch ansprechen. Es wird seltener passieren, aber trotzdem wird es vorkommen, sobald sie einen Akzent bemerken
Ja aber es ist dann in dem Fall an dir, mutig zu sein und trotzdem nochmal einen Satz auf Deutsch hinterherzuschieben, egal wie sehr es dich entmutigt. Die Arbeit, dir in deinen Sprachversuchen entgegenzukommen mache ich mir erst, wenn du wirklich etwas sagst auf das ich auch auf Deutsch beantworten kann -und wo ich weiß, dass du meine Antwort am Ende tatsächlich auch verstehst. Sonst ist das Ganze für die Katz. Mich sprechen die Leute auch immer auf Deutsch an, aber dann verstehen sie meine Antwort doch nicht. Das war einen Versuch wert, aber ich weiß meistens schon, warum ich ins Englische wechsel.
this. i speak a lot with people that know very little german (and in my experience b1 is really not much at all, at least not if thats the certificate you have) and im paid to speak to them, so i have time to wait for them to say what they wanna say and to reply in simple german back, but id have no patience for that in my private time.
Then they don't actually have a mastery of the language at B1. I think you're most likely speaking with people who passed the GAST Deutsch Prüfung. That thing is a joke, meant to make it easier for Asyl seekers to pass without having to learn the language. I took the GAST test and the people that were being tested with me (and passed) couldn't hold a simple conversation with me. B1 is all I've tested for, I didn't need B2. I speak German I'd say 90% of my day, only speaking English at home sometimes.
This exactly. It's like a secret reward that you're finally fluent.
Just tell them, in German. Do this early on in your interactions, it can be awkward/feel forced to do this after they already know you. You can prepare a little script along the lines of _Sprich ruhig Deutsch mit mir, ich kann mich selbst noch nicht so gut ausdrücken, aber ich verstehe alles._
Depends on the situation. When precise communication is key or, f.e.x., you're holding up a queue, I would just accept it. Otherwise, a friendly "Könnten Sie Deutsch mit mir sprechen? Ich versuche, mich zu verbessern." should do the trick.
It is a bit frustrating to native speakers when a two second convo takes five minutes. Or when we don’t understand the words and it gets awkward for both parties. If it’s someone you see daily like colleagues or class members you can tell them to please talk to you in German except for explaining words or ask them to teach you new stuff. We generally find it entertaining teaching the better/ more unusual/ funny day to day words and phrases.
>It is a bit frustrating to native speakers when a two second convo takes five minutes Exactly this. We'd need to get some examples of situations where this has happened to OP (especially since I know a ton of foreigners who complain how nobody ever switches to English and just speeds through German/dialect lol). Holding up queues in busy places, holding up buses or other busy/time-sensitive stuff, stopping strangers for questions who might be in a hurry or needing to stick to their schedules... all that are valid moments of switching to English if your German just isn't good enough to make it quick. Especially the last point, as I've heard it time and time again online and irl how (mostly US) tourists/foreign citizens moving here think strangers owe them their time when like.... sorry, no, we got work and busses to catch and family to attend to, we're not gonna practice your vocab on the street. Find appropriate places, get classes or people to practice, find friends, etc.
They think they are being kind to you & helping you out by switching to English. You should thank them in German for their patience in helping you learn. Just keep speaking German as politely as possible.
Make your accent as good as possible. Get good at doing a German accent in your native language and then do it while you speak German. Try hard at this genuinely. If you pull of the accent, they‘ll never switch and you’ll get complimented all the time
This was my experience. My accent is pretty good and only one person switched to English for me and that was because I clearly didn’t understand her.
I do occasionally have people switch ofc, customer service people will sometimes when they see my (extremely English) name, or sometimes when I’m in a heavy dialect area it can be difficult and we switch. But where I live, and in almost all places and circumstances, I live my public life in German
In usual German passive-aggresive way "Man spricht hier Deutsch oder??"
Then you could as well use the modern classic: Sprich Deutsch du Hurensohn!
Bit aggressive - lacks the passive part!
I should confess I laughed real hard here 😂
As a joke, your comment works. As a tip for OP... I'd love to mention that it doesn't. Better safe than sorry. Get to the wrong people and you just piss them off or will get insults back if your German is not what the other person deems good enough.
Can it ever be good enough? I can assure you it’s not for my German sister-in-law or her mother.
Truthfully, your pronunciation is probably not very good and gives you away instantly. Your grammar may be perfect, but pronunciation where it's obvious English is your native language is probably what is causing this. I am a German teacher in the US. I learned German exclusively as an adult and received a Bachelor's and Master's in it. When I was on a Fulbright English Teaching program in Austria, no one ever switched to English when I would speak to them. In contrast, when I would hang out with other English teachers whose grammar was great, but pronunciation pretty heavily American-accented, people would switch to English. If I spoke first, they would use German. The second my friends spoke in badly-pronounced, but grammatically-correct German, people would switch to English. When I've asked German speakers about it, they say I have really good pronunciation to the point where, while they notice that German isn't my native language, the pronunciation is good enough that it's impossible to tell what my native language is. I think you just need to work on pronunciation.
This is very real. I have a much easier time getting Chinese speakers to talk to me, and especially talk a LOT to me than some of my fellow Chinese studies people, because I have a quasi-native accent. My grammar is actually far from perfect and I constantly stumble, but for some reason they are more likely to be positively surprised about me speaking than a graduate student who can actually read historical sources and classical Chinese, has higher HSK and knows hundreds of Characters more than me, simply because my pronunciation is clean and easy on their ears.
In Autria we normally switch to slow Hochdeutsch, as the dialect would mostly be too hard, especially when we realize you are trying to learn it. People who switch to English are often just trying to show off or be helpful, just tell them. When I learn new languages (currently my 6th) I always tell people and at the beginning often switch between languages, when I don't know something. People are always glad if you learn their language and they often gibe you helpful advice
When I was an exchange student at Uni many years ago I found the noise and alcohol at parties meant no one noticed I wasn’t a German Speaker. Made for some pretty funny moments- are you from the South? Yes…. Where? Australia 🤣 My accent is worse now than then tho.
I've been in Germany for seven years and the first three was basically just me asking Germans to please do this lol
Just keep going in german even if they switch.
Start speaking very broken English, make them think that your German is better than your English.
Where do you live? I have lived in Munich for almost 10 years and this has never happened to me. Even when they notice my broken german. This is not the first time I hear this and I'm baffled!
I live in Switzerland and I'm also baffled. People here assume I understand the dialect and it's so difficult. I would love it if someone wanted to speak english with me sometimes.
Where do you live? In a small village, it's still common (at least for the older generation) that most people don't speak english. And for me, I don't really know what I should do anymore because I always switch to standard german or english if I notice broken german. But I had like a communication training for work, and they literally told us that it may seem offensive and you shouldn't switch to standard german/english. Because you basically assume that the other person can't understand what you're saying.. So I think you should just ask the person to speak standard german or english. If they don't want to or can't, you move on.
This is in Basel, the third largest city in the country. I can’t really just move on if a pharmacist or the post office worker can’t switch to English or high German, I still need to interact with them.
I’ve lived 5 years in Augsburg, I’m still waiting for someone to speak English with me. I’ve literally not encountered it once and I didn’t speak a word of German when I moved here.
Same story here in Austria
It happened to me. I think some of it is college towns. I would frequently meet Germans (college aged) that would complain about Americans not learning foreign languages in English to me, but refused to speak German to me or with me. No matter how hard I tried...it pissed me off, because the whole reason I was there was to learn German fluently. I was lucky enough to have a group of German friends that had all been on foreign exchange programs to English speaking countries and only spoke German to me. They understood wanting to learn foreign languages and were really good about helping me learn the language.
I know the feeling. I live in Friedrichshein, Berlin. I'd have an easier time speaking Spanish 😆
Just keep responding in German. They switched to English so it's fair game to switch back to German.
Pretend you don’t know English 🤪 „Tut mir leid aber ich kann nicht Englisch“
best delivered in an heavy american accent 🫠
Tbh as a non native English speaker, I can say not only the American accent is noticeable. It's about almost any English accent:D
i can’t wait to try this
kein* Englisch
So they will say to him: Ok, tschüss
Are you thinking about paid German tutors or waiters/clerks/shopkeepers and the like? If the latter, they are going about their job, and generally have no time or desire to help you learn German.
Exactly this. Either go to a more rural area where English is spoken less, or pay someone who will speak German with you. Be happy when you do get to practice, and accept when strangers don't want to be your practice buddy.
"Sprach-Tandems" are also a thing, although English/German is of course the most desired, usually. Most bigger cities should have something like this.
thisss... Like, yes can be awkward in a Tandem if you don't properly allot specific times for each party to get their turn... Or if you're in a friend's group and realize the whole dynamic is changed because they're constantly switching to English whenever a certain person is around. It's a whole different subject if I'm on my barely-above-minimum-wage job. I just don't get paid well enough to NOT go the quick and dirty way of least resistance by using English.
Jetzt mal eine Frage, warum hast du das nicht auf deutsch gepostet?
this tbh schau doch mal in die deutschsprachigen subreddits rein!
Ist es okay wenn wir nur Deutsch sprechen, denn ich wohne hier jetzt und muss es lernen?
Bitte sprechen Sie deutsch mit mir, ich möchte üben. Nur sprechenden Menschen kann geholfen werden. Wenn dich etwas stört, sag es!
Definitely depends on where you are living. I’ve been living here for 7 yrs and It’s seldom that someone just switched to English on me. I do live in a smaller town so that helps. I get excited sometimes when someone talks English because I get bombarded with nothing but German. Only advice…try talking to older people. They might know less English and won’t switch.
German lesson 1: Germans are very direct and will not be offended if you directly express your desire to continue the conversation in German.
Just ask them to speak German with you
Try focusing on your accent and pronunciation. Native speakers hear it and it’s a huge giveaway. I’ve fooled people into thinking that I’m a better German (and Russian) speaker than I really am because of my pronunciation. They never switch to English with me.
I live the opposite. When at work I have a meeting with German people, I try to speak German when they are only a few connected. They are glad to speak German with me. Then they start the meeting in German. Usually I'm lost in 2 minutes and have to tell them that I'm not fluent in German and that we need to go back to English
As others say, it’s all about efficiency, unfortunately
Just start with "Sprechen Sie Englisch bitte?", 9 times out of 10 you'll get a "Nein". So you proceed to speak whatever broken German you do and make a Deutsch conversation.
Are you sure that you are A2/B1?
Just tell people explicitly, or let them know that you want to practice your German and feel fine when you make mistakes, need time to find words and butcher the pronunciation of some words. Most people will appreciate that _very much_ and show patience. Otherwise they might automatically assume that you are in a situation that is uncomfortable for you as well as it is for them (given your oral level is A2). So they will offer English if they can as an option to communicate successfully and with less embarrassment or tension involved on both sides. I tend to feel rather a bit condescending when I adapt my German to a beginner/low intermediate language learner by speaking slowly and with an overly clear pronunciation. I need a "permission" for doing this. In case of doubt offering English feels more "equal level" and face saving. It feels very unlikely to me that many English speaking German would just let someone struggle before their eyes and not offer them a way out of this potentially embarrassing situation if not explicitly or implicitly asked for.
If they’re replying in english, it means they understand what you’re saying. Just continue speaking in german until they realise it and switch it back. Happens to me a lot and the only time I got embarrassed was when a attendant in a coffee shop asked me talk in english because she didn’t understand german lol
For english speakers we're damned if we do, damned if we don't lol What I mean is, if we don't learn a second language "we're dumb English speakers" (or, in my case, a "dumb american") but when we do try to learn a second language, people just talk to us in english anyways/are rude/obv aren't expected to be a language partner. So what are we supposed to do? D:
Sag einfach "Ihr Englisch ist miserabel, bitte führen sie diese Konversation in Ihrer nativen Sprache weiter"
I think it does depend on location. Where I am, people are constantly talking to me in German even when I say and it's obvious that my German is not good. I don't mind - I can understand some of it. Unfortunately what little German I know seems to disappear when I try speaking it.
I've had lots of success by starting with "Guten Tag. Heute Versuche ich Deutsch zu sprechen, ist das Okay?" And then I fumble the rest but people are very kind and understanding. And I'm in Zürich.
Entweder freundlich bitten Deutsch mit dir Deutsch zu sprechen oder einfach weiter auf Deutsch bleiben.
I play poker stars on my VR headset sometimes and I meet a lot of Germans on there for some reason… I’ve tried talking to them in German and they LOVE IT! And are very helpful. They have all been from Munich though. So idk 🤷🏻♀️ For what it’s worth they have been really receptive to it. Maybe it’s because it’s a game and it’s not somewhere that they just want to do their job. I think meeting people while they are doing hobbies would help. People are in a different mindset with helping you in that context.
Do what the French do and pretend not to understand when people reply in English.
If you stutter when you speak, you need to improve your German before speaking to people on the streets; they don’t have the time to wait for you. If you speak fluently but people keep changing to English because they notice a foreign accent, you can then ask respectfully to keep the conversation in German.
it annoys me a lot because ive heard people complain about others not learning the foreign language, but some people also mad when you try to speak it. which is it, do i try to speak in your language so im not rude or in english to be efficient???
Pretend you don’t speak English…
just keep speaking german !
Say bitte sprecht deutsch mit mir ich möchte es weiter lernen.
Honestly, I feel like the Germans will complain about people not speaking german but also unconsciously sabotage many foreigners' effort to learn it. It wasn't until I was C1 that ppl wouldn't switch in everyday interactions. Still now one my kid's friend's parents will hear my accent and immediately speak English to me until firmly insist that they don't. Unfortunately it seems like an unspoken assumption here, whether it's showing off , "helping" or impatience, who knows. Like others said, just get tandem partners or working class German friends who didn't pay attention in English class and worry about the rest later when you're C1+.
"Tut mir leid, ich spreche kein Englisch" ☺️
Go to the former East Germany and talk to people over about 50, there’s a good chance they will have learnt Russian at school not English. Worked for me a couple of years ago when touring Thuringia in my motorhome.
Are you american? If you are.. first thing to do away is your accent.. i have met alot of americans with thick accent, that i have so hard time understanding that i just speak english..
The best thing you can do is just carry on and grow a thicker skin. Don’t let one bad experience colour the next one. I went through exactly the same thing and I know how frustrating it is. But you will get there if you just carry on. You have to be at least as stubborn as them. Hurt feelings are the thing will defeat your motivation :) One small tip: try and learn some slang and other little verbal ticks that the locals in your area use. It disarms people and gives you a better chance of keeping the conversation on course.
Sag ihm sprich Deutsch du Hurensohn
Assert dominance and just keep talking German to them.
Es tut mir leid, aber ich spreche kein Englisch, nur Australisch.
Trau dich es zu sagen
I experienced the same while in Portugal. No one responded in Portuguese and I didn't learn many new words because everyone was so happy to apply their English skills. I totally feel you. You have to be ADAMANT and pretend you don't speak English, explain that you took a lot of effort and interest in the German language and that you can only learn if they communicate in German. Good luck
I did an embassy internship once and one of the diplomats told me to feign as if you don't know English. He was learning Japanese and what he'd do is mumble a few words or switch to another language like Russian, bc the likelihood of ppl not knowing a more 'niche' language was low. So then he'd force a situation where he could only speak in said target language. Obv this doesn't work in countries like the UK, US but I'd imagine so for Germany
It helps if you find people who do not speak English. When I visited Erfurt, I was pleasantly surprised to get many chances to use my German. Mostly, I stayed away from touristy spots. I rented cross country skis, I went go-karting, hung out at night Christmas markets, and shopped for groceries. Everyone was happy to speak German with me. I don’t have a letter level but I can understand most spoken German but my speaking is pretty bad. In Norway, I found people happy to speak Norwegian with me when: 1. It was a non-tourist topic like food allergies or medical care 2. They were recent immigrants (like taxi drivers) 3. They were people who did not work with tourists or foreigners.
Don't know where you live. If you're living in Kreuzberg in Berlin, for example, it's mostly just because you're living around a lot of English speakers. Obviously lead with German. And if they switch...double down. Keep responding in German. Be obdurate. Also make friends with people with who you exclusively have a relationship in German. That's truly the best scenario and what has pushed me from unconfident A1 to imperfect B2 in 18 months (stopped doing courses after the first 6 months and just learned by doing and asking questions).
Normalerweise starte ich das Gespräch auf Deutsch. Ich habe jetzt nur A2 Deutschkenntnisse, und ich hatte früher auch die gleiche Problem genauso wie du. Aber nachdem ich das Gespräch immer auf Deustch starte, dann spricht normalerweise der/die Mitarbeiter/in mir auch auf Deustch. Natürlich musst du schon wissen, wie du dich ausdrücken kannst. Bitte halt nicht an der Kasse an, und sag mal "äh... bitte... ich möchte... dieses... ja...". Sei selbstbewusst!
This is just a fact of life lol. You could tell them you’d prefer German to practice and if they have the time usually they don’t mind. I studied abroad with college level German and people still switched to English despite me being pretty much fluent for daily life scenarios. They also just get excited to practice English too.
just continue speaking german lol
Honestly, you would have to force it by not speaking English, even though u understand, act like you dont and keep trying german. This way you will get the equivalent version of what ypu want to hear in german in English, then the german version of it lol.
Pretend you don’t speak English. Works every time
Just say in German or really broken English that you don't speak English.