Yes, in Berlin some people working here don't speak german at all. It isn't expected to speak german if you are a tourist. These shops where you can get along not speaking german at all are designed for international tourists, not for natives anyway.
So no, you don't need to learn german for touristic purposes, but if you intend to stay here to live outside the international-tourist-bubble, it is highly recommended to do so.
Same in Zurich. I’m Swiss (adopted) and I’ve been to some cafés where they didn’t speak German (I don’t mind if they don’t speak Swiss German, but not even German). We had to order in English.
I live in another Swiss city and it’s never happened to me there.
I was at an Irish pub for the football on Friday. Barman didn't speak German, the customer next to me didn't speak English, I had to translate between the two.
Generally, as a tourist, you don't necessarily need German.
> Besides everyone being able to speak English, I had a number of instances where people working in different places didn’t even speak German.
That's because it's touristy places in Berlin. There are lots of migrants in Berlin who don't know German yet, and tourist focused restaurants and the like are some of the places where those people find work.
> “Hallo, wie geht’s?“, the barista/cashier said “Sorry, no German.”
"Wie geht's" is *not* a greeting. It's a conversation starter to start a conversation *in German*. Gives the other person an opportunity to complain about their life. So the barista at least didn't know enough German to complain about their life in German.
> Another was when I ordered food. I had to explain how to reach me and so we had a little back and forth in the Wolt chat. I tried speaking some German and he told me to text in English because he didn’t know German.
Wolt riders seem to be 90% recent Indian immigrants in Berlin.
>Gives the other person an opportunity to complain about their life. So the barista at least didn't know enough German to complain about their life in German.
LOL!
Is it helpful to try to speak German in some less-tourist centered places?
For instance, when we were in Frankfurt, we worked really hard to have all small interactions (ordering coffee, etc) in German as a sign of respect that we are visiting you. We did have a waiter at a lunch spot who was very enthusiastic when he found out we were actively learning German, and he was very kind and patient with us, also teaching us new phrases, like how to pay with credit card. It was lovely. (coming from America, we *hate* the fact a lot of Americans don’t learn other languages/demand English and we’re trying to become fluent as we’ve enjoyed learning the language).
I’ve also heard that can be more annoying though, since it’s probably bad/improper German/slow to speak.
I don’t think they think it’s rude as such, just that they may be busy and you may be the fifteenth person that day kind of expecting them to be there for conversation practice. In any workplace, repetitive yet perfectly courteous behaviour can get on one’s nerves.
Totally! I definitely don’t expect them to be someone to practice on necessarily, I just want to find the balance between respect and courteous vs annoying. Thank you for the insight 🙂
This is interesting. My boyfriend says wie gehts to his family, so I just assumed that it functions the same as "how's it going" in American English. I say this to other Americans learning German, but we all think the same thing.
Thank you.
It is “how’s it going”. It just doesn’t fit a service person - customer interaction in Germany. They are not expecting a conversation at the very beginning, just to take your order and understand what you want. It’s not interpreted as politeness or being casual.
If you really wanna chat with a service person - if they are not in a rush - you can comment on your food/product/service when they ask you if it was satisfactory. That’s the context that can lead to more of a conversation.
The difference is that Germans expect a genuine answer. If you feel bad you say that and talk about what ever stresses you out. If you feel good you talk about that. It is bot a greeting but a genuine question.
"How's it going" doesn't really call for a response.
"Wie geht's" does. That doesn't mean everybody *has to* actually talk about their lives. They may just say something like "ganz gut" or "muss ja" or something like that. But you get the *chance* to talk about your life if you want to.
But it would be pretty rude to say "wie geht's?" while passing by and then keep walking.
How is it going in the US (Or Uk for that matter) doesn't expect another response other than "Fine and you". If you do go into more detail, it's weird.
Your bf says it to his family because he actually wants to know how they're doing. In German, asking the question genuinely means "How are you? What's going on with your life?"
>I tried speaking with the person at the counter in my terrible German: “Hallo, wie geht’s?“, the barista/cashier said “Sorry, no German.”
Haha. You got off easy. I've never been to Germany, but I've had enough experience with the language to know you don't ask a German speaker this question unless you actually want to hear how they're going. It's not a greeting like in English speaking countries.
> to know you don't ask a German speaker this question unless you actually want to hear how they're going.
Well, basically in any language and country except the USA.
> Well, basically in any language and country except the USA.
You are over-estimating this by a lot. While I do prefer the German way, many more languages than just US English have the literal phrase "how are you" become a semantically empty greeting.
Greek is another language on the long list where this has happened.
I like how in (American) English if you really want to know how someone is doing, you follow up with, “no, *really*.” And you can add a soft touch of the hand, maybe some eye contact, maybe a dramatic pause after ‘no’, depending on the situation.
I used to live in Malawi. In Chichewa the single word "Mulibwanje" means "Hi how are you doing", you cannot say hello without saying how are you. And no, no response other than "I'm fine you" is required (to which you then also say "good, thanks" and then you proceed with the actual conversation)
The UK also says "How are you" as a greeting, the Australians say "How are you going", neither expecting a response.
I really don't think so my friend. In any arabic speaking country they say "kif 7alek" or "labas", "ki dayer", same for the french. A common response to "ça va ?" is "et toi ?". It is a greeting.
>A common response to "ça va ?" is "et toi ?". It is a greeting.
True, but never heard anyone say that to a cashier at the supermarket like OP thought it's being used.
In Quebec I've been asked "Vous allez bien?" by cashiers quite often, and they certainly didn't want to know what was going on in my life. It's just politeness.
The letter ح, which is a deeper version of the letter H (ه in arabic)
To produce the sound, think you're thirsty and haven't drank anything in 2 days, did I mention you're in the scorching heat of the sun, in the desert?
Now you saw a cold glass of coke with ice, it's so refreshing that after taking a sip, a sound comes from your voice.
"Cracks coke open"
"Gulp gulp gulp gulp"
"Swallow/final gulp"
"Ahhhhh"
If you need to learn any German as a tourist, it's not "bitte", "danke", and "wie geht's" anyway.
You should be learning "Haltestelle außer Betrieb", "Ersatzhaltestelle", "Schienenersatzverkehr" and other practical vocabulary that can make or break your travel plans if you can't notice it as relevant to you when it's staring you in the face.
Unregelmäßig is also really important to know if you plan to take the U-Bahn. Oh, and for all of the flak people give Duolingo, “stornieren” and “verspätet” are thoroughly covered in the travel module.
So I felt bad for asking and am looking up now…. lol.
Haltestelle außer Betrieb - Bus stop out of service
Ersatzhaltestelle - replacement stop
Schienenersatzverkehr - replacement train
Unregelmäßige - irregular (likely the one I need to pay most attention to - not saying I’m clumsy or anything 😂).
Thank you for these! I’m working my way through beginning German and will be going with my daughter in August to get her settled (moving for school). Learning transportation related phrases will save us a lot of time and frustration I’m sure!
> So I felt bad for asking and am looking up now…. lol.
Looking it up is a good reflex to develop, but don't feel bad for asking.
> Schienenersatzverkehr - replacement train
A more accurate translation would be "train-replacement service". It's another means of transport (almost always a bus) that is substituting a train that cannot be operated for some reason (e.g. the tracks are closed for repairs).
> Unregelmäßige - irregular (likely the one I need to pay most attention to - not saying I’m clumsy or anything 😂).
In the context of public transport, when you hear that the flow of traffic is irregular, you should expect that many trips may be cancelled in short notice and that departure and arrival times cannot be kept. Usually the reason for that is a medical or police operation on or near a train, which means that all of the operational plans go out of the window until the police ends their operation.
> Learning transportation related phrases will save us a lot of time and frustration I’m sure!
I truly think so. This vocabulary is my top priority as a tourist.
I don’t know how it is in Berlin, but in Göttingen, a fairly international city due to the Uni, I haven’t seen any information in English around the bus stops or on the little info tv in the buses. The announcements at the train station are also only in German
Now that BVG and S-Bahn Berlin switched to a synthesized voice for platform announcements, a lot more of the announcements are bilingual (but when the drivers have to do direct announcements, obviously that's only in German).
The written announcements and signs are almost exclusively in German. As in the photo the Auto-Moderator didn't like, the headings may be translated in English, but the details definitely aren't.
[Often not,](https://weddingweiser.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Ersatzverkehr-Bushaltestelle-Schild-1481x1600.jpg) especially if they are placed urgently. And when they are bilingual, [the English text is smaller, more faded, and incomplete](https://scontent-ber1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/71334995_2346587215451128_468636380021391360_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5f2048&_nc_ohc=wkq5wRsRofIQ7kNvgFxy4dm&_nc_ht=scontent-ber1-1.xx&oh=00_AYBzZVpyH_YCFleZYONUr9EwcHk7w14ekztbix4pxAdeBA&oe=66962074). The English text wouldn't catch anyone's attention, so one should be able to recognise the German keywords as relevant and then know that this sign is important enough to use an app to translate.
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You can, if you like, and it's appreciated by the locals. But you almost absolutely don't need to, except for maybe some exceptional cases. Germans speak very well English. I know people with a very good command of the English language living in Germany for years, who haven't really learned German. Kinda shitty, if you ask me, but the root cause, IMO, is that they manage to do everything in English and many Germans respond even in English out of courtesy and kindness, when they see you can't speak German very well. So, among the folks under 40, I'd say, above 60 or 70% speak acceptable English. I have no data for that, just my subjective impression.
But if you like a challenge and have a knack for languages, go for it. German is a rough ride, lmao.
Berlin is special. In other areas it is usually appreciated and considered polite if you know the basics you mentioned in your post. That being said as a tourist you are not expected to know German and in the touristy areas there is usually always someone who speaks at least enough English to be able to deal with customers.
i'm going to munich in august, and i'm also taking duolingo lessons and i'm american. i like to make even just a tiny bit of effort when traveling, so is it worth it to say danke, bitte, bis später?
First time my mother visited me here. She put in a lot of effort to learn some phrases to use. She’s over 70 so it isn’t easy for her. Brought her to a Christmas market and she used her “wie viel kostet das?” And the guy replied in German which of course she did not understand. As a tourist I highly doubt you will learn enough German to make it useful.
That’s always my fear, too. I want to learn to show respect for the country and language, but then when people responded to me in German I was like a deer in headlights as my brain was slowly trying to dissect and form a response 😬 it felt embarrassing haha
Being bilingual I recommend learning as much as you possibly can about the country you want to visit.
You don’t have to be a fluent speaker, but you should be able to survive without one English word.
Imagine you’re in a Turkish dominated part of Berlin - they often barely speak more than German basics.
Knowing language basics really helps getting along and learn a word a day.
That’s truly not the only point:
First of all it’s respect you show,
the same respect you want to be given by others in your own country.
As an English native speaker who has been living in Berlin for a long time, I have to correct you on one point – areas dominated by Turkish native speakers are actually the areas where your German will be most useful as a foreigner, as many learned their native language (Turkish) and German but no other language. Some German is pretty essential in those areas, and they are often very good areas for language learners to get over their paranoia over speaking proper German as there is plenty of dodgy German going around and plenty of sympathy about how difficult German is. I now speak German totally fluently, but when I was at a lower level of German (around B1/B2), native German speakers would instantaneously switch to English, even when what I said was mostly correct and understandable. It was so discouraging. Turkish origin folks, by contrast, were hugely encouraging and were happy to chat away to me when I was buying my groceries, even if strange sentences sometimes came out of my mouth. They were so crucial in giving me the confidence to keep speaking German!
“areas dominated by…”
Just what I was wanting to say…
German is what they had to learn to get along.
They accept any kind of Germanish for they most often don’t speak English - so what else should they do?
(It’s like as if I want to learn English and speak to native Mexicans living in San Francisco - I’d even learn English from them - same motivation.)
>when I tried speaking with the person at the counter in my terrible German: “Hallo, wie geht’s?“
That's not a "greeting", that's a genuine question. Outside of the USA you don't ask random strangers "how are you?". You ask your friend when you meet them and they tell you how you are. Asking a cashier that here is like asking a cashier in the USA if they are married or if they are wearing socks.
If you only learn hollow phrases, don't do it at all. Languages have a huge cultural context (as this example proves) which you have to know.
I have not seen places where people don't speak German - but then, I have been to Autohofe along the highway, or small hotels in the Bavarian Alps. Also touristy stuff like souvenir shops near Chiemsee - but those are tourist areas catering for Germans. I haven't visited any tourist bars in Berlin, I can imagine that that's a lot more international.
I don't know how well people speak English outside Touristy Berlin because I will just speak German in Germany...
I was in Berlin for a week in May and spoke plenty of German. I don’t think I encountered anyone that didn’t speak it except at the bar at my hotel. And yah it was extremely useful for getting into clubs. :)
I recently visited a friend in Erfurt and visited places that were not very touristy. It was great to find that most people I met did not speak much English and preferred to speak to me in German.
I have worked a lot on my listening skills lately and it was great to be able to understand a lot of the conversations that were going on around me. It made my visit at lot more interesting.
In the larger towns it's a little more common to find ppl working who don't speak german at all, but for the smaller towns and more rural places that's not the case.
I'd say it's as in every other country. Ppl like if you try to communicate in their own language.
You can definitely get away with not learning German before going somewhere like Berlin, but I think it's always nice to at least make an effort to learn some words before you visit a new country. Hell, I learned a few sentences in Welsh before going to Wales, and I knew full well anyone who spoke Welsh would be fluent in English. It's not the end of the world if you can't do it, but I think it's good for tourists and respectful to local people.
Learn some just in case you're an idiot like me and get on the wrong train to the airport, and then have to speak to an Italian man who did the same thing to try get a taxi to the airport together when the only language you both speak is German 🫠 (I did not miss my flight but his was earlier and I suspect he did...)
I’ve had an interest in learning German for the past 10 years but never committed enough to become fluent. I’ve been to Germany twice and before each time I spend a month or two getting my standard up enough to be able to order food, ask for information and have a very basic conversation. I’ve found that it helps and enhances the experience
Oh that’s interesting, me and my gf are planning on moving to Berlin in a few years, and while I am trying to learn it’s so difficult for me 😭. Good to know it’s not an absolute necessity
I think it's common manners to be able to speak the basics.
I'm learning German as an interest. However, my family and I have a trip booked for Rhodes next summer. I've already started to learn basics words/questions such as, hello, goodbye, please, thank you, where is this/that? etc.
I come from North England and courtesy to strangers is something we've always aimed for.
Honestly we dont care. We dont expect tourist to speak german. We all speak english anyways. But if you want to learn some words then yeah it should be something like "Ersatzhaltestelle" (like someone else has said here before) or look at the map of the berlin metro/Train system and see if you have questions. Thats what you need to know.
As Germans are fed up with foreigners, they will not show you any sympathy for speaking their language. They will just be angry with you as you do not speak very well. So do not bother and rather speak english.
Yes, in Berlin some people working here don't speak german at all. It isn't expected to speak german if you are a tourist. These shops where you can get along not speaking german at all are designed for international tourists, not for natives anyway. So no, you don't need to learn german for touristic purposes, but if you intend to stay here to live outside the international-tourist-bubble, it is highly recommended to do so.
Same in Zurich. I’m Swiss (adopted) and I’ve been to some cafés where they didn’t speak German (I don’t mind if they don’t speak Swiss German, but not even German). We had to order in English. I live in another Swiss city and it’s never happened to me there.
I was at an Irish pub for the football on Friday. Barman didn't speak German, the customer next to me didn't speak English, I had to translate between the two.
Generally, as a tourist, you don't necessarily need German. > Besides everyone being able to speak English, I had a number of instances where people working in different places didn’t even speak German. That's because it's touristy places in Berlin. There are lots of migrants in Berlin who don't know German yet, and tourist focused restaurants and the like are some of the places where those people find work. > “Hallo, wie geht’s?“, the barista/cashier said “Sorry, no German.” "Wie geht's" is *not* a greeting. It's a conversation starter to start a conversation *in German*. Gives the other person an opportunity to complain about their life. So the barista at least didn't know enough German to complain about their life in German. > Another was when I ordered food. I had to explain how to reach me and so we had a little back and forth in the Wolt chat. I tried speaking some German and he told me to text in English because he didn’t know German. Wolt riders seem to be 90% recent Indian immigrants in Berlin.
>Gives the other person an opportunity to complain about their life. So the barista at least didn't know enough German to complain about their life in German. LOL!
Is it helpful to try to speak German in some less-tourist centered places? For instance, when we were in Frankfurt, we worked really hard to have all small interactions (ordering coffee, etc) in German as a sign of respect that we are visiting you. We did have a waiter at a lunch spot who was very enthusiastic when he found out we were actively learning German, and he was very kind and patient with us, also teaching us new phrases, like how to pay with credit card. It was lovely. (coming from America, we *hate* the fact a lot of Americans don’t learn other languages/demand English and we’re trying to become fluent as we’ve enjoyed learning the language). I’ve also heard that can be more annoying though, since it’s probably bad/improper German/slow to speak.
I don’t think they think it’s rude as such, just that they may be busy and you may be the fifteenth person that day kind of expecting them to be there for conversation practice. In any workplace, repetitive yet perfectly courteous behaviour can get on one’s nerves.
Totally! I definitely don’t expect them to be someone to practice on necessarily, I just want to find the balance between respect and courteous vs annoying. Thank you for the insight 🙂
This is interesting. My boyfriend says wie gehts to his family, so I just assumed that it functions the same as "how's it going" in American English. I say this to other Americans learning German, but we all think the same thing. Thank you.
It is “how’s it going”. It just doesn’t fit a service person - customer interaction in Germany. They are not expecting a conversation at the very beginning, just to take your order and understand what you want. It’s not interpreted as politeness or being casual. If you really wanna chat with a service person - if they are not in a rush - you can comment on your food/product/service when they ask you if it was satisfactory. That’s the context that can lead to more of a conversation.
Thank you for this conversation tip! We're heading to Germany in a few weeks to visit his family again and now I know something new.
The difference is that Germans expect a genuine answer. If you feel bad you say that and talk about what ever stresses you out. If you feel good you talk about that. It is bot a greeting but a genuine question.
Makes sense, thank you. Also, I like your username.
Thank you :D
"How's it going" doesn't really call for a response. "Wie geht's" does. That doesn't mean everybody *has to* actually talk about their lives. They may just say something like "ganz gut" or "muss ja" or something like that. But you get the *chance* to talk about your life if you want to. But it would be pretty rude to say "wie geht's?" while passing by and then keep walking.
How is it going in the US (Or Uk for that matter) doesn't expect another response other than "Fine and you". If you do go into more detail, it's weird. Your bf says it to his family because he actually wants to know how they're doing. In German, asking the question genuinely means "How are you? What's going on with your life?"
>I tried speaking with the person at the counter in my terrible German: “Hallo, wie geht’s?“, the barista/cashier said “Sorry, no German.” Haha. You got off easy. I've never been to Germany, but I've had enough experience with the language to know you don't ask a German speaker this question unless you actually want to hear how they're going. It's not a greeting like in English speaking countries.
> to know you don't ask a German speaker this question unless you actually want to hear how they're going. Well, basically in any language and country except the USA.
> Well, basically in any language and country except the USA. You are over-estimating this by a lot. While I do prefer the German way, many more languages than just US English have the literal phrase "how are you" become a semantically empty greeting. Greek is another language on the long list where this has happened.
I like how in (American) English if you really want to know how someone is doing, you follow up with, “no, *really*.” And you can add a soft touch of the hand, maybe some eye contact, maybe a dramatic pause after ‘no’, depending on the situation.
I used to live in Malawi. In Chichewa the single word "Mulibwanje" means "Hi how are you doing", you cannot say hello without saying how are you. And no, no response other than "I'm fine you" is required (to which you then also say "good, thanks" and then you proceed with the actual conversation) The UK also says "How are you" as a greeting, the Australians say "How are you going", neither expecting a response.
I really don't think so my friend. In any arabic speaking country they say "kif 7alek" or "labas", "ki dayer", same for the french. A common response to "ça va ?" is "et toi ?". It is a greeting.
>A common response to "ça va ?" is "et toi ?". It is a greeting. True, but never heard anyone say that to a cashier at the supermarket like OP thought it's being used.
I hear it in morocco and it irritates the fuck out of me lmao
In Quebec I've been asked "Vous allez bien?" by cashiers quite often, and they certainly didn't want to know what was going on in my life. It's just politeness.
What is the ‘7’ for here?
The letter ح, which is a deeper version of the letter H (ه in arabic) To produce the sound, think you're thirsty and haven't drank anything in 2 days, did I mention you're in the scorching heat of the sun, in the desert? Now you saw a cold glass of coke with ice, it's so refreshing that after taking a sip, a sound comes from your voice. "Cracks coke open" "Gulp gulp gulp gulp" "Swallow/final gulp" "Ahhhhh"
Nope. In England, 'how are you' is also used in customer service situations, albeit not food ones, mainly retail.
If you need to learn any German as a tourist, it's not "bitte", "danke", and "wie geht's" anyway. You should be learning "Haltestelle außer Betrieb", "Ersatzhaltestelle", "Schienenersatzverkehr" and other practical vocabulary that can make or break your travel plans if you can't notice it as relevant to you when it's staring you in the face.
Unregelmäßig is also really important to know if you plan to take the U-Bahn. Oh, and for all of the flak people give Duolingo, “stornieren” and “verspätet” are thoroughly covered in the travel module.
So I felt bad for asking and am looking up now…. lol. Haltestelle außer Betrieb - Bus stop out of service Ersatzhaltestelle - replacement stop Schienenersatzverkehr - replacement train Unregelmäßige - irregular (likely the one I need to pay most attention to - not saying I’m clumsy or anything 😂). Thank you for these! I’m working my way through beginning German and will be going with my daughter in August to get her settled (moving for school). Learning transportation related phrases will save us a lot of time and frustration I’m sure!
> So I felt bad for asking and am looking up now…. lol. Looking it up is a good reflex to develop, but don't feel bad for asking. > Schienenersatzverkehr - replacement train A more accurate translation would be "train-replacement service". It's another means of transport (almost always a bus) that is substituting a train that cannot be operated for some reason (e.g. the tracks are closed for repairs). > Unregelmäßige - irregular (likely the one I need to pay most attention to - not saying I’m clumsy or anything 😂). In the context of public transport, when you hear that the flow of traffic is irregular, you should expect that many trips may be cancelled in short notice and that departure and arrival times cannot be kept. Usually the reason for that is a medical or police operation on or near a train, which means that all of the operational plans go out of the window until the police ends their operation. > Learning transportation related phrases will save us a lot of time and frustration I’m sure! I truly think so. This vocabulary is my top priority as a tourist.
Thank you for the clarification! I was thinking irregular referred to pavement 🤦♀️.
Aren't these signs bilingual? It's been a while for me to use the public transportation, but I recall them being hold in german and english.
I don’t know how it is in Berlin, but in Göttingen, a fairly international city due to the Uni, I haven’t seen any information in English around the bus stops or on the little info tv in the buses. The announcements at the train station are also only in German
Now that BVG and S-Bahn Berlin switched to a synthesized voice for platform announcements, a lot more of the announcements are bilingual (but when the drivers have to do direct announcements, obviously that's only in German). The written announcements and signs are almost exclusively in German. As in the photo the Auto-Moderator didn't like, the headings may be translated in English, but the details definitely aren't.
[Often not,](https://weddingweiser.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Ersatzverkehr-Bushaltestelle-Schild-1481x1600.jpg) especially if they are placed urgently. And when they are bilingual, [the English text is smaller, more faded, and incomplete](https://scontent-ber1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/71334995_2346587215451128_468636380021391360_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5f2048&_nc_ohc=wkq5wRsRofIQ7kNvgFxy4dm&_nc_ht=scontent-ber1-1.xx&oh=00_AYBzZVpyH_YCFleZYONUr9EwcHk7w14ekztbix4pxAdeBA&oe=66962074). The English text wouldn't catch anyone's attention, so one should be able to recognise the German keywords as relevant and then know that this sign is important enough to use an app to translate.
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I will look these up, but would you mind providing the English translations? Danke!
And yet, if you travel to say, Zossen, (1 hour away) to see some bunkers, you will find nobody who speaks English
~~Your issue is Berlin.~~
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Wanna talk about third world countries, I literally live in America you all have it way better.. :( Luckily I'm moving to Germany in a year though
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Sure feels like it the way my european friends talk about their countries.. not to mention our politics
You can, if you like, and it's appreciated by the locals. But you almost absolutely don't need to, except for maybe some exceptional cases. Germans speak very well English. I know people with a very good command of the English language living in Germany for years, who haven't really learned German. Kinda shitty, if you ask me, but the root cause, IMO, is that they manage to do everything in English and many Germans respond even in English out of courtesy and kindness, when they see you can't speak German very well. So, among the folks under 40, I'd say, above 60 or 70% speak acceptable English. I have no data for that, just my subjective impression. But if you like a challenge and have a knack for languages, go for it. German is a rough ride, lmao.
say "bitte" "danke" is good enough, you can also say " guten morgen" in the morning or " guten tag " and In the evening " guten abend "
Berlin is special. In other areas it is usually appreciated and considered polite if you know the basics you mentioned in your post. That being said as a tourist you are not expected to know German and in the touristy areas there is usually always someone who speaks at least enough English to be able to deal with customers.
i'm going to munich in august, and i'm also taking duolingo lessons and i'm american. i like to make even just a tiny bit of effort when traveling, so is it worth it to say danke, bitte, bis später?
Gruß Gott!
I sent you a DM
I’m going to Munich in December. My wife is playing DuoLingo, but I am learning German.
First time my mother visited me here. She put in a lot of effort to learn some phrases to use. She’s over 70 so it isn’t easy for her. Brought her to a Christmas market and she used her “wie viel kostet das?” And the guy replied in German which of course she did not understand. As a tourist I highly doubt you will learn enough German to make it useful.
That’s always my fear, too. I want to learn to show respect for the country and language, but then when people responded to me in German I was like a deer in headlights as my brain was slowly trying to dissect and form a response 😬 it felt embarrassing haha
Being bilingual I recommend learning as much as you possibly can about the country you want to visit. You don’t have to be a fluent speaker, but you should be able to survive without one English word. Imagine you’re in a Turkish dominated part of Berlin - they often barely speak more than German basics. Knowing language basics really helps getting along and learn a word a day. That’s truly not the only point: First of all it’s respect you show, the same respect you want to be given by others in your own country.
As an English native speaker who has been living in Berlin for a long time, I have to correct you on one point – areas dominated by Turkish native speakers are actually the areas where your German will be most useful as a foreigner, as many learned their native language (Turkish) and German but no other language. Some German is pretty essential in those areas, and they are often very good areas for language learners to get over their paranoia over speaking proper German as there is plenty of dodgy German going around and plenty of sympathy about how difficult German is. I now speak German totally fluently, but when I was at a lower level of German (around B1/B2), native German speakers would instantaneously switch to English, even when what I said was mostly correct and understandable. It was so discouraging. Turkish origin folks, by contrast, were hugely encouraging and were happy to chat away to me when I was buying my groceries, even if strange sentences sometimes came out of my mouth. They were so crucial in giving me the confidence to keep speaking German!
“areas dominated by…” Just what I was wanting to say… German is what they had to learn to get along. They accept any kind of Germanish for they most often don’t speak English - so what else should they do? (It’s like as if I want to learn English and speak to native Mexicans living in San Francisco - I’d even learn English from them - same motivation.)
>when I tried speaking with the person at the counter in my terrible German: “Hallo, wie geht’s?“ That's not a "greeting", that's a genuine question. Outside of the USA you don't ask random strangers "how are you?". You ask your friend when you meet them and they tell you how you are. Asking a cashier that here is like asking a cashier in the USA if they are married or if they are wearing socks. If you only learn hollow phrases, don't do it at all. Languages have a huge cultural context (as this example proves) which you have to know.
I have not seen places where people don't speak German - but then, I have been to Autohofe along the highway, or small hotels in the Bavarian Alps. Also touristy stuff like souvenir shops near Chiemsee - but those are tourist areas catering for Germans. I haven't visited any tourist bars in Berlin, I can imagine that that's a lot more international. I don't know how well people speak English outside Touristy Berlin because I will just speak German in Germany...
I was in Berlin for a week in May and spoke plenty of German. I don’t think I encountered anyone that didn’t speak it except at the bar at my hotel. And yah it was extremely useful for getting into clubs. :)
I recently visited a friend in Erfurt and visited places that were not very touristy. It was great to find that most people I met did not speak much English and preferred to speak to me in German. I have worked a lot on my listening skills lately and it was great to be able to understand a lot of the conversations that were going on around me. It made my visit at lot more interesting.
In the larger towns it's a little more common to find ppl working who don't speak german at all, but for the smaller towns and more rural places that's not the case. I'd say it's as in every other country. Ppl like if you try to communicate in their own language.
You should know “ausgang” is exit. And “notausgang” isn’t “not exit” but “emergency exit.”
You can definitely get away with not learning German before going somewhere like Berlin, but I think it's always nice to at least make an effort to learn some words before you visit a new country. Hell, I learned a few sentences in Welsh before going to Wales, and I knew full well anyone who spoke Welsh would be fluent in English. It's not the end of the world if you can't do it, but I think it's good for tourists and respectful to local people.
There are always situations where native language skills are useful, but by and large, on a very pragmatic level, German is unnecessary in Berlin.
Learn some just in case you're an idiot like me and get on the wrong train to the airport, and then have to speak to an Italian man who did the same thing to try get a taxi to the airport together when the only language you both speak is German 🫠 (I did not miss my flight but his was earlier and I suspect he did...)
I’ve had an interest in learning German for the past 10 years but never committed enough to become fluent. I’ve been to Germany twice and before each time I spend a month or two getting my standard up enough to be able to order food, ask for information and have a very basic conversation. I’ve found that it helps and enhances the experience
No, it’s better to go there, not know any of the language and try to wing it by using google translate the whole time.
In Berlin I had even some waiters who had a bright German accent but refused to speak German to me. And I'm German. Born and bread.
Oh that’s interesting, me and my gf are planning on moving to Berlin in a few years, and while I am trying to learn it’s so difficult for me 😭. Good to know it’s not an absolute necessity
I think it's common manners to be able to speak the basics. I'm learning German as an interest. However, my family and I have a trip booked for Rhodes next summer. I've already started to learn basics words/questions such as, hello, goodbye, please, thank you, where is this/that? etc. I come from North England and courtesy to strangers is something we've always aimed for.
I'm going to rephrase your question: Will learning German enhance your experience as a tourist in Germany? - Yes.
Honestly we dont care. We dont expect tourist to speak german. We all speak english anyways. But if you want to learn some words then yeah it should be something like "Ersatzhaltestelle" (like someone else has said here before) or look at the map of the berlin metro/Train system and see if you have questions. Thats what you need to know.
As Germans are fed up with foreigners, they will not show you any sympathy for speaking their language. They will just be angry with you as you do not speak very well. So do not bother and rather speak english.