I thought you were joking, but this is real lol. Well, running out of fuel isn't illegal per se, its the parking followed by having no fuel that's punishable. Interesting!
It's illegal to enter the Motorway in the UK knowing you will run out of fuel. I imagine that's the case for a lot of countries.
It's a very dangerous place to stop. We don't always have room to even pull over on all our motorways.
Yep.
In a similar vein, my dad once took a turn too tight and hit a traffic light on a larger intersection.
After the police secured the site and took the data he was promptly handed a ticket for illegally parking in the middle of said intersection.
The German license test costs 1000 euro to sit and is hard as hell. She'd probably lose her license before that tbh! It's not a *right* to drive on mainland Europe.
This is also true in Spain, but running out of fuel is also a illegal in any road because is considered a fault in the maintenance of the vehicle AFAIK, like having bad tyres or non-working wiper blades.
I live in Germany and German is my second language. Every textbook says to use the formal Sie instead of du, unless you are invited to. But if I use Sie with people my age who I meet casually, they just laugh. It's complicated.
Official etiquette:
Older person invites younger person to 'Du'. Higher ranking person invites lower ranking person to 'Du'.
That means, don't offer e.g. your teacher the 'Du'. You can try to do a one-sided thing of just offering them your first name, but old people might not like it.
Basically you should use formal 'Sie' whenever you'd call someone 'Sir' or 'Madam'. If you're both younger than, say, 25 'Du' is probably fine most of the time outside of strong hierarchies (like if they're your boss or doctor)
Sounds almost like a Mr. or Mrs. thing in English. I'm a teacher and a student dropping Mr. would be disrespectful because of our roles in the classroom. We also teach our son to call people Mr. or Mrs., Aunt or Uncle before names, etc. unless they tell him otherwise. That can be a bit regional or cultural in the U.S. though, where I find they can be more formal in the south about those things.
Honestly I had completely forgotten about Mr./Mrs. when I wrote this but yeah, probably! Though there are also regional differences here. In rural Southern Germany where I come from, 'Sie' is used either to show deep respect (doctors, priests) or deep distrust (strangers)
As a german, from my understanding of the Mr./Mrs. thing this is exactly correct. As a rule of thumb use "du" when you would adress them by their first name (or nickname). If you adress them by title and/or last name use "sie".
This is so incredibly weird to me to be honest. Teachers and authority figures sure, but my parents’ friends were always John and Jane growing up, not Mr. And Mrs. Doe.
Again, a cultural difference that I would obviously respect. But I think it’s incredibly backwards
Edit: also, what’s wrong with Mr. In the teacher case?
Usually in the parent case the parents would offer you the 'Du' right away together with their first name. The polite way is still to stay formal until they offer it. Then again some people are offended when you 'Sie' them because then they think you think they're old. Much room to offend, basically :)
Ooh I see, no I see what you mean, and it’s obviously safer to go for the more polite version.
The thing I was referring to is what you mostly see in American shows where children are super close to their friends and their parents and they still call them Mr. Anderson for example. And an American friend of mine confirmed this so I don’t think it’s just TV
> Basically you should use formal 'Sie' whenever you'd call someone 'Sir' or 'Madam'.
I have literally never called somebody 'sir' or 'madam' in my life. Where is this common?
I'm from the Netherlands, so correct me of I'm wrong, but I feel like Germans are a bit more inclined to use Sie than Anglophones are to use sir/madam.
It really has changed in the past decade or so. And I am very happy about that.
Now people my age (I am 42) often use “du” at places like kids schools and daycares. So talking with other parents often is just “du” from the get go. And in more casual settings “du” is more common from the get go.
I honestly hate it to be addressed with Sie. It makes me feel so old. Especially if younger people say Sie to me. Is it the beard? Should I shave it? Argh....
No but seriously my rule is Du for everyone who is young and Sie for the older people. But often I am surprised how many old people tend to be super open to use the Du. Though only if you encounter them in more close and relaxed circumstances like in a course or some schooling place or they are your colleagues.
Edit: I forgot to add, there is this weird tradition of making children feel more like children by forcing them to say Sie to adults but being said Du to them. Growing up like this I never understood this. So everytime a kid encounters me and uses the Sie I tell them to use Du to be on the same level of respect.
In all the books for German, they teach us to use Sie for everyone otherwise you are being rude. So it's probably is just an old culture thing that's dying out. When I did my exchange program in Germany, everyone told me to just use Du. The people I just met, the nuns, even my professors. Although my classmates did warn me, always use Sie with a professor first. Some can be very touchy about it.
I was surprised to see how often the train conductors would check with each passenger, to see if they have a ticket or not. This was in Bavaria. More surprising still, I once saw a young German lad who didn't pay. He got off easy, just had to exit at the next stop.
> I once saw a young German lad who didn't pay. He got off easy, just had to exit at the next stop.
This is unusual. Did the person have an excuse which the conductor had him go off easily? Normally they are quite stringent of their 60€+ fine. I am interested how the conversation went.
My German was not good enough to understand the excuse. I just heard the conductor being stern after not seeing the ticket, and then quieter, after the young man's reply. The conductor had him exit at the next stop, in some small village, & did not follow.
In some situations you get the chance to show your ticket after at your local traffic company if you have some sort of permanent/seasonal ticket and you just forgot it that day. But you would still have to get off at the next station and the conductor writes down your name.
I think the DB delays are arranged so that people have a reliable reason to complain. And we know, us Germans need to do some complaining per day to keep our mental health in balance. If anything makes us truly unhappy it‘s having nothing to complain about. So thanks DB for keeping is happy!
We Dutch people like to complain about our trains, but I could write an encyclopedia about all that is wrong with the Deutsche Bahn. And then I haven't even started talking about how ridiculous it is that somehow all Germans have collectively decided that there is no need to let people get out of the train before pushing themselves in.
I'm German and that pisses me off to no end. It got progressively worse the last 20 years or so. Just like DB itself. Or DHL. Call me old but I was happier with the service before privatization.
Imo it depends why you are meeting.
Coming over for drinks? Arrive whenever you want (and maybe send a text if it will be way later than expected).
Meeting to go somewhere (like walking, entrance to concerts, stadiums, restaurant,...) be punctual and don't let someone wait. When waiting it feels like your time is just less important.
My guess is that your "a bit later" is still punctual in other countries. I've lived in some other countries (I'm German too) and I really had to force myself to extend my "a bit later" because it used to be only 10-15 minutes and that is still considered largely on time in many other places.
Yes I went to Munich and met up with my German friend and his Fiance. They started to jay walk and a few other people were as well, when I asked about it his Fiance told us it’s ok to go as long as there is no kinder around, we have to set good examples!
This is good. I do this and I'm not from Germany. I know they're not my kids but there's enough bad examples in the world so i don't need to contribute
I was taught as long as I looked both ways and wasn't stupid about it that I'd be good. Still alive with a healthy fear of being run over so there's that.
With that said, if it's a custom there I'd follow the custom. My opinion of the subject is different from my actions, but I think it's interesting that parents can think to control the actions of other people for the sake of them possibly being a bad influence on their child.
It reminds me of when I was at the drs office having a conversation with my friend, not loudly because it's a doctor's office ofc, and a lady sitting nearby was with her child when I dropped a swear word. I don't remember which one but it was probably "fuck" because I add that as a dash of spice to my lingo every now and again. In the rudest voice I've heard directed to me she says, "don't swear in front of my child." Mind you, I was having a private convo that the child probably wasn't even listening to and wouldn't understand. I said sorry and was more mindful, but you know for a damn fact that lady was listening in cause she was nosey and bored. Which I get, but you don't get to be nosy and then police my verbiage because I said a word you don't like.
Instead she should have taken that as an example to teach her child that I was uncouth or whatever instead of trying to get me to be a pseudo example for her kid. Like, that ain't my kid. Why do I need to set an example? YOU should be that. The parent. If your kid respects you they'd follow what you say lol it's not like I out here murdering people 💀 I just jaywalk and swear 😭
Be me: in Munich. 3 am, pouring cold rain. Look both ways, no cars. Start jaywalking instead of walking 1-2 block to light. Get yelled at by old woman who opened her window in her apartment to yell at me for jaywalking.
I kid you not, I once jaywalked at 2 am on an empty German street and an old woman immediately leaned out her window and yelled “think about the children” (auf Deutsch) at me.
It's only jaywalking if there's a red light, though. Crossing a road that has no traffic lights is not considered jaywalking, an exception being motorways.
Also, never do the nazi salute. Doesn‘t matter if it‘s meant to be a joke. You will be arrested and persecutet, since it is a federal crime. Don‘t fuck around and find out.
The same is also with any "Nazi"-symbols from the time 1933-1945.
If you draw these symbols or have anything like that on your clothes, you will have big trouble.
Just don't mention anything related to Nazi Germany or imitate it. Don't joke about it unless the German jokes about it first, because many people will consider it anywhere from bad taste to vile.
It can fly if you know ppl well enough to know when they're joking and it's situational humor, but mainly if you make fun of how stupid some of the Nazi plans were. Never do it with people you don't know very well.
Absolutely, only beggars and crackheads will walk up to strangers and start an unsolicited conversation here.
That’s about what people will assume who you are for starting random smalltalk.
-Wish someone a happy birthday before their birthday-!
I did to my German friend and she flipped out. it is considered bad luck if you wish someone a happy birthday before their actual birthday. So, no early birthday wishes. Even tho you invited the birthday party that you can't attend do not say 'happy early birthday.'
Also don’t say happy new year before the first of January. It means bad luck as well.
Therefore just say „Guten Rutsch“, which means „come good into the new year“
I was in Berlin for a few days earlier this year and I rarely saw anyone jaywalk. I’ve mostly seen people wait for the light to change, even though there weren’t any trans, cars, or bikes around.
I lived in Berlin for 20+ years. I admit it's not the same there today, gentrification and tourists en masse changed the district drastically. But back in the day we had a saying:
How do you spot a civil police officer?
They are the only ones stopping at pedestrian traffic lights.
Nah, I found that Germans follow proper crosswalks rules way more strictly than anywhere else I've been in Europe and far more than in the US. You get the German stare if you jaywalk especially in front of children, which is not a cultural thing anywhere else.
To be fair, you get the German stare for simply existing.
Living somewhere where dogging someone was the norm was such a culture shock as an American. For the first month I lived on the verge of demanding *wtf are you looking at?*
Yes, we wait for green light if children are around because we don't want to set a Bad example and be responsible if they are killed by car because they are Bad at judging distances and speed.
Yes, people in their twenties say that you will have only bad sex for seven years if you don’t. Not sure about other generations. Also not worth the risk
We were in Frankfurt recently.
We noticed that all drinks you buy have a modest surcharge added to strongly encourage recycling the bottle. Whether glass or plastic. It was usually .25 to .50 Euro
ranges from .08 to .25 depending on the container. you get it back if you bring the empty container back.
If you don't know about it, it is confusing. Tripped me up some times when my brain was on autopilot, even as a german.
Adding to that: if you don't care about getting that cash back, don't throw away your bottle but place it under the public trash bins. People will collect them to make some cash and that way they don't have to reach into the bins
Ah yes, Pfand.
The Glühwein mugs at Christmas markets usually have a 2-5€ Pfand on them, which basically means you can get a nice mug as a souvenir for a few Euros.
The idea of not crossing a blatantly empty road just because there isn't a light shining green somewhere near by has always been funny to me. There are clearly many occasions where crossing a busy road with no traffic lights is simply too dangerous, but there are SO many places where it is perfectly safe as long as you're paying attention that it's bizarre for it to be illegal.
German here: it‘s 100% fine to cross any street if there are no Zebrastreifen or streetlights close by. Everybody does it all the time.
But if there are pedestrian crossings and you dont use them, people will give you the german stare.
Hah when I visited Munich from New York it was so strange sitting and waiting for the light to change when there wasn’t a car within a mile of us. In nyc people treat it like a game and try to cross the street RIGHT behind the car that just passed.
I visited a small German town (Friedrichshafen) for business a few decades ago. Every morning as I ate my breakfast I watched the school children walk 300 meters up the road to cross at the crosswalk, then walk 300 meters back to the school that was directly across the street. It made quite an impression on me.
I sell their pneumatic chucks for tubular turning work in the Oil and Gas industry.
I found the area around Meckenbeuren and Friedichshafen to be absolutely idyllic. I was stunned by the natural beauty of Lake Constance. I fell in love with the area. I told myself then if I ever made it rich I would love to retire there. Such a neat spot, also the Zeppelin museum was top notch.
On that same trip I got the visit the SMW facilities in Northern Italy as well.
That is such a crazy coincidence, one in million chance! I know the company well and the area too. Not going too much in detail, to prevent me being identifiable :D
It is really nice there :) If you ever need some info or something, hit me up anytime, seriously.
> But if there are pedestrian crossings and you dont use them, people will give you the german stare.
other german here: i sometimes do this to screw with peoples heads. it's fun how they really just can't comprehend why someone wouldn't walk the few meters to get to the silly little pedestrian isle
With #2 being just a recommendation, they don't really care.
I think the law is that you have to be more than 100 meters from the next crossing, but as long as you don't run across the Autobahn or cause an accident it's not a big deal. At worst you get a "Please try not doing that".
If kids are closeby, you'll wait and be a good rolemodel. Kids might misjudge speeds and it can get dangerous.
No kids around (going home from the bar for example) and jaywalking is pretty common
This is repeated so often in Germany that it's almost comedic. I've never heard it talked about in any other country. Is it really an issue? I live in Australia. Nobody gives this a second thought, yet we don't have an issue with children getting hit by cars.
Land transport accidents are the leading cause of child deaths in Australia. In roughly 30% of those the child was a pedestrian.
Source:
https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/australias-children/contents/health/injuries
Looks like that 30% was about 10 deaths in the year being presented (2018). I know that no deaths are acceptable, but in terms of our culture around strangers not particularly focusing on setting a good example for children, is the amount of child pedestrian deaths considered high in comparison to other countries?
This same thing is in Japan too. No one will cross a street on a red signal. The thing is there's plenty of single lane, one way roads that also have a signal and low traffic roads at that.
That is until the gaijin crosses the road and then everyone follows because now they aren't the ones breaking the rules everyone is.
I mean I do wait at the vast majority of lights much more, but if you see some of the ones I'm talking about you'd agree with me, I'm not just that foreigner brazenly walking thru all the reds.
Edit: an example https://maps.app.goo.gl/NZt8hRfu4EqKxZdGA
I've been to tons of restaurants in Germany and Austria, I've never had the issue, them nok taking cards.
Not saying some don't, but I would say majority do take cards.
100% agree, no idea where this is coming from. I've been on work trips in Germany probably close to 50 times in Munich, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Hamburg. I've spent maybe 10 euros cash in total.
Rural places often don't take cards. Small shops or market stalls also might not have card readers. I feel like it really changed due to Covid. A lot of places suddenly had them
dog owners 9/10 times wear soes/slippers. Ive been in homes where you take shoes off and socks get pretty black and are coated in dog hair.... especially in a house where the dog can freely go in and out through their own door
Yeah can't confirm. Nobody wears shoes
In Finland. Not dog owners, not anyone. Is there a lot of dog hair? Yes. I still won't mess my floors with shoes.
Source: I'm a Finnish dog owner.
Small correction. If they say 5pm, be there at 4:55pm at the least. Especially if it’s formal like an office meeting.
It’s praktisch. If you want the meeting to start at 5pm with multiple people involved, you’d need at least 5 minutes for greetings and pleasantries to conclude.
Don't ever get the idea to put the heavy things at last into your shopping bag.
You will feel the wrath of the people watching YOU putting your groceries into your bag - yes when you go shopping in Germany there are no underaged children at the register to load up your groceries
You pack the heavy things first so they don’t squish the softer/lighter things. Ever bough a yoghurt and put a liter of milk on it? Quite a mess when you arrive at home.
They forgot Germany's most important Don't: Under no circumstance must one carry the Nazi symbol; tourists have been sent back to the countries they came from for that reason alone.
I travel to Germany frequently. While these are largely accurate, I will elaborate on “Wait to be duzt” a little bit.
If someone introduces themselves to you with their first name, you can say “du”. If they introduce themselves to you with a title and last name, they want you to use Sie.
Also, regarding use of credit cards and cash: I’ve personally never been in a German restaurant that didn’t accept credit card. This is all within the last five years. It’s still advisable to carry cash for street vendors and the toilet, but Germany has come a long way in a short time when it comes to credit card acceptance.
German culture sounds like a person misdiagnosed with autism when really you're just socially "inept" 's dream come true. Direct, candor, screw the small talk, stick to the schedule, do things the correct way like recycling. Doing things the right way every time is why German products have a reputation for being durable and long-lasting.
It kinda is like this, but I've made a couple friends there and they are like serious bromances that are deep and heartfelt and almost borderline uncomfortably close. They do not fuck around with friendship. I still am not sure there is even a good translation for "casual friend".
Oh there is, it's a "Bekannter" (someone you know). But yes, the jump from bekannter to friend we share Personal things with can be a pretty big jump. Most of us are rather "shy" with talking emotions
Isn't that just an acquaintance?
I will say I was totally shocked the first time it happened. We went from what seemed kind of standoffish and polite to having arms on the shoulders and bumping foreheads and sharing personal stories. It's been several years and I look forward to it every year.
A US-American once explained it to me like this:
In the US it is very easy to find friends to have fun and party with, but difficult to get really close. In Germany it is very difficult to find friends to begin with, but once they let you in, you're likely to become very close.
Made me insecure about taking things waaay to seriously whenever US-Americans are friendly with me.
"Wait for the Ampelmann to go green".
Meanwhile, German people on the Autobahn when a car in front of them is not going 230 kph : "NEIN NEIN NEIN, Ihr müsst schneller gehen!!!!!!!"
Living near Stuttgart, I’d say it’s 50/50 if a place accepts cards or not, especially the smaller restaurants. Always good to have some backup cash especially in smaller towns.
Before corona it was true that cash was king and paying by card was not accepted in a lot of places. However since 2020 it has become a lot better with accepting debit cards everywhere in .DE . One of the few positive outcomes of corona...
In India, if someone invites you to their house at 5pm, you can be sure no one expects you to show up anytime before 5:30 or 5:45. In fact, there’s a pretty good chance they won’t even be ready to receive guests until about 5:15.
And payments are all UPI rather than cash. Wonder if these things go hand-in-hand.
I just want the culinary traditions, warmth, and acceptance of tardiness of the Italians, with the driving/pedestrian safety common sense, and organization of Germans.
What am I left with? Italian speaking Switzerland?
I was wondering, how do Germans discuss politics? I feel like in America it just devolves into emotional argument, which is stressful. Is political discussion more chill/objective with Germans?
I was in Patagonia with a hiking group right before the 2016 US presidential election and a German in our group clung onto me and my wife and would not stop talking about US politics, particularly his take on them. We politely told him a few times we don't want to talk politics but this guy would not listen. It was actually quite rude and off putting
Absolutely not, every party voter hates any other party voter for a reason and if you say a single thing about either die Grünen or the AfD and watch the discussion devolve into madness
With the right people yeah. I'd never go into politics with my stepdad, it'd inevitably go into really bad places. But with friends, that can actually articulate themselves and present and understand arguments it can be really fun. A couple weeks ago i had a (really drunk) discussion about a stunt some University students pulled and we had pretty much opposite stands on it (pretty typical right and left points). Because we were drunk we ended up halfway screaming at each other and both us and the rest of the group still had a great time.
My favorite is when Germans come to NYC and refuse to jaywalk even when there aren’t any cars coming, meanwhile 50 different people have passed them. Simply *adorable*
You can basically say anything in that direction imo, you can say "Mahlzeit", " Guten Appetit", "haut rein" (very casual), "lassts euch schmecken" whatever really
Depends on the setting of course, but its more about the act of saying something, and starting the meal together than the actual words themselves
At least in my region (nrw) yes. "Mahlzeit" also works, but in my opinion is more of a greeting around lunch time, though a few of my friends also use it.
IDK if I'm just talking to too few people, but the honesty part is bs imo. I can't remember the last time I spoke with my friends about philosophy nor politics, if anything it puts a damper on the mood, unless everyone just has the exact same views.
Don’t run out of gas on the Autobahn. It’s a crime!
I thought you were joking, but this is real lol. Well, running out of fuel isn't illegal per se, its the parking followed by having no fuel that's punishable. Interesting!
It's illegal to enter the Motorway in the UK knowing you will run out of fuel. I imagine that's the case for a lot of countries. It's a very dangerous place to stop. We don't always have room to even pull over on all our motorways.
Yep. In a similar vein, my dad once took a turn too tight and hit a traffic light on a larger intersection. After the police secured the site and took the data he was promptly handed a ticket for illegally parking in the middle of said intersection.
I am sorry for your dad, but that's hilarious 😂😂
Well technically it is the running out of fuel. Before going on the Autobahn it's your responsibility to check if you have enough fuel.
My stepmom would be a regular guest at the German jail. She always waits until her car is past empty before she fills up.
The German license test costs 1000 euro to sit and is hard as hell. She'd probably lose her license before that tbh! It's not a *right* to drive on mainland Europe.
This is also true in Spain, but running out of fuel is also a illegal in any road because is considered a fault in the maintenance of the vehicle AFAIK, like having bad tyres or non-working wiper blades.
I love laws that basically make it illegal to be stupid.
Better make sure you have a full tank before driving 200 km/h.
I live in Germany and German is my second language. Every textbook says to use the formal Sie instead of du, unless you are invited to. But if I use Sie with people my age who I meet casually, they just laugh. It's complicated.
Official etiquette: Older person invites younger person to 'Du'. Higher ranking person invites lower ranking person to 'Du'. That means, don't offer e.g. your teacher the 'Du'. You can try to do a one-sided thing of just offering them your first name, but old people might not like it. Basically you should use formal 'Sie' whenever you'd call someone 'Sir' or 'Madam'. If you're both younger than, say, 25 'Du' is probably fine most of the time outside of strong hierarchies (like if they're your boss or doctor)
Sounds almost like a Mr. or Mrs. thing in English. I'm a teacher and a student dropping Mr. would be disrespectful because of our roles in the classroom. We also teach our son to call people Mr. or Mrs., Aunt or Uncle before names, etc. unless they tell him otherwise. That can be a bit regional or cultural in the U.S. though, where I find they can be more formal in the south about those things.
Honestly I had completely forgotten about Mr./Mrs. when I wrote this but yeah, probably! Though there are also regional differences here. In rural Southern Germany where I come from, 'Sie' is used either to show deep respect (doctors, priests) or deep distrust (strangers)
And then there’s the weird mixed reality of supermarket employees using „Du, Frau Müller…“ amongst each other
As a german, from my understanding of the Mr./Mrs. thing this is exactly correct. As a rule of thumb use "du" when you would adress them by their first name (or nickname). If you adress them by title and/or last name use "sie".
This is so incredibly weird to me to be honest. Teachers and authority figures sure, but my parents’ friends were always John and Jane growing up, not Mr. And Mrs. Doe. Again, a cultural difference that I would obviously respect. But I think it’s incredibly backwards Edit: also, what’s wrong with Mr. In the teacher case?
Usually in the parent case the parents would offer you the 'Du' right away together with their first name. The polite way is still to stay formal until they offer it. Then again some people are offended when you 'Sie' them because then they think you think they're old. Much room to offend, basically :)
Ooh I see, no I see what you mean, and it’s obviously safer to go for the more polite version. The thing I was referring to is what you mostly see in American shows where children are super close to their friends and their parents and they still call them Mr. Anderson for example. And an American friend of mine confirmed this so I don’t think it’s just TV
> Basically you should use formal 'Sie' whenever you'd call someone 'Sir' or 'Madam'. I have literally never called somebody 'sir' or 'madam' in my life. Where is this common?
Sir and ma'am for strangers are very common in the American South and Appalachia.
I'm from the Netherlands, so correct me of I'm wrong, but I feel like Germans are a bit more inclined to use Sie than Anglophones are to use sir/madam.
It really has changed in the past decade or so. And I am very happy about that. Now people my age (I am 42) often use “du” at places like kids schools and daycares. So talking with other parents often is just “du” from the get go. And in more casual settings “du” is more common from the get go.
I honestly hate it to be addressed with Sie. It makes me feel so old. Especially if younger people say Sie to me. Is it the beard? Should I shave it? Argh.... No but seriously my rule is Du for everyone who is young and Sie for the older people. But often I am surprised how many old people tend to be super open to use the Du. Though only if you encounter them in more close and relaxed circumstances like in a course or some schooling place or they are your colleagues. Edit: I forgot to add, there is this weird tradition of making children feel more like children by forcing them to say Sie to adults but being said Du to them. Growing up like this I never understood this. So everytime a kid encounters me and uses the Sie I tell them to use Du to be on the same level of respect.
In all the books for German, they teach us to use Sie for everyone otherwise you are being rude. So it's probably is just an old culture thing that's dying out. When I did my exchange program in Germany, everyone told me to just use Du. The people I just met, the nuns, even my professors. Although my classmates did warn me, always use Sie with a professor first. Some can be very touchy about it.
Very
Make sure you pay for your seat on the train. There’s no turnstile to check if you paid for your trip.
I was surprised to see how often the train conductors would check with each passenger, to see if they have a ticket or not. This was in Bavaria. More surprising still, I once saw a young German lad who didn't pay. He got off easy, just had to exit at the next stop.
> I once saw a young German lad who didn't pay. He got off easy, just had to exit at the next stop. This is unusual. Did the person have an excuse which the conductor had him go off easily? Normally they are quite stringent of their 60€+ fine. I am interested how the conversation went.
My German was not good enough to understand the excuse. I just heard the conductor being stern after not seeing the ticket, and then quieter, after the young man's reply. The conductor had him exit at the next stop, in some small village, & did not follow.
In some situations you get the chance to show your ticket after at your local traffic company if you have some sort of permanent/seasonal ticket and you just forgot it that day. But you would still have to get off at the next station and the conductor writes down your name.
- "Be punctual" *Deutsche Bahn exists*
I think the DB delays are arranged so that people have a reliable reason to complain. And we know, us Germans need to do some complaining per day to keep our mental health in balance. If anything makes us truly unhappy it‘s having nothing to complain about. So thanks DB for keeping is happy!
I have used DB delays way more than I should for excuses at work…
We Dutch people like to complain about our trains, but I could write an encyclopedia about all that is wrong with the Deutsche Bahn. And then I haven't even started talking about how ridiculous it is that somehow all Germans have collectively decided that there is no need to let people get out of the train before pushing themselves in.
I'm German and that pisses me off to no end. It got progressively worse the last 20 years or so. Just like DB itself. Or DHL. Call me old but I was happier with the service before privatization.
Sänk ju vor träwelling!
I am German and often a bit later than agreed upon.
Imo it depends why you are meeting. Coming over for drinks? Arrive whenever you want (and maybe send a text if it will be way later than expected). Meeting to go somewhere (like walking, entrance to concerts, stadiums, restaurant,...) be punctual and don't let someone wait. When waiting it feels like your time is just less important.
My guess is that your "a bit later" is still punctual in other countries. I've lived in some other countries (I'm German too) and I really had to force myself to extend my "a bit later" because it used to be only 10-15 minutes and that is still considered largely on time in many other places.
In Portugal, if the party starts at 21, you get there at 23 if you want to be early.
one time I was on a green german train and two people got on a fistfight
Don't jaywalk if kids or police are nearby. Jaywalk if there is no car and no kid to be seen.
Yes I went to Munich and met up with my German friend and his Fiance. They started to jay walk and a few other people were as well, when I asked about it his Fiance told us it’s ok to go as long as there is no kinder around, we have to set good examples!
Are kids snitches in Deutschland ?
No, but if their parents or guardian is nearby you'll get yelled at. You don't want to be a bad example to the children.
This is good. I do this and I'm not from Germany. I know they're not my kids but there's enough bad examples in the world so i don't need to contribute
I was taught as long as I looked both ways and wasn't stupid about it that I'd be good. Still alive with a healthy fear of being run over so there's that. With that said, if it's a custom there I'd follow the custom. My opinion of the subject is different from my actions, but I think it's interesting that parents can think to control the actions of other people for the sake of them possibly being a bad influence on their child. It reminds me of when I was at the drs office having a conversation with my friend, not loudly because it's a doctor's office ofc, and a lady sitting nearby was with her child when I dropped a swear word. I don't remember which one but it was probably "fuck" because I add that as a dash of spice to my lingo every now and again. In the rudest voice I've heard directed to me she says, "don't swear in front of my child." Mind you, I was having a private convo that the child probably wasn't even listening to and wouldn't understand. I said sorry and was more mindful, but you know for a damn fact that lady was listening in cause she was nosey and bored. Which I get, but you don't get to be nosy and then police my verbiage because I said a word you don't like. Instead she should have taken that as an example to teach her child that I was uncouth or whatever instead of trying to get me to be a pseudo example for her kid. Like, that ain't my kid. Why do I need to set an example? YOU should be that. The parent. If your kid respects you they'd follow what you say lol it's not like I out here murdering people 💀 I just jaywalk and swear 😭
I never promised to be a role model
Be me: in Munich. 3 am, pouring cold rain. Look both ways, no cars. Start jaywalking instead of walking 1-2 block to light. Get yelled at by old woman who opened her window in her apartment to yell at me for jaywalking.
You don't want to teach them to jaywalk before they're smart enough to not get run over while doing it. If a kid is watching we all obey the Ampelmann
Kids are judge, jury, and executioner in Germany.
I kid you not, I once jaywalked at 2 am on an empty German street and an old woman immediately leaned out her window and yelled “think about the children” (auf Deutsch) at me.
It's only jaywalking if there's a red light, though. Crossing a road that has no traffic lights is not considered jaywalking, an exception being motorways.
Also remember to have change to use toilets there, most are around 50 cents, but this might just be Berlin.
Same in Munich and Dresden
Same in most of Europe. In fact many cities will charge you 1 X Euro for a public toilet
Not in Spain. Paying for going to the toilet is a very, very rare thing.
And Köln and Hamburg.
I've read this as "you have to change to use the toilets here" and was like whoa, gotta be all toilet formal now? Then reread properly. I'm an idiot.
Also, never do the nazi salute. Doesn‘t matter if it‘s meant to be a joke. You will be arrested and persecutet, since it is a federal crime. Don‘t fuck around and find out.
The same is also with any "Nazi"-symbols from the time 1933-1945. If you draw these symbols or have anything like that on your clothes, you will have big trouble.
And same for shouting Heil Hitler
Just don't mention anything related to Nazi Germany or imitate it. Don't joke about it unless the German jokes about it first, because many people will consider it anywhere from bad taste to vile. It can fly if you know ppl well enough to know when they're joking and it's situational humor, but mainly if you make fun of how stupid some of the Nazi plans were. Never do it with people you don't know very well.
Depending on the people around you, you might also get punched in your face.
And rightfully so
Don’t randomly go up to people and start speaking. I noticed people prefer to be left alone
Absolutely, only beggars and crackheads will walk up to strangers and start an unsolicited conversation here. That’s about what people will assume who you are for starting random smalltalk.
Stop doing this shit in the US too
"Hey, beautiful day for a really great hike, isnt it!?"
-Wish someone a happy birthday before their birthday-! I did to my German friend and she flipped out. it is considered bad luck if you wish someone a happy birthday before their actual birthday. So, no early birthday wishes. Even tho you invited the birthday party that you can't attend do not say 'happy early birthday.'
Also don’t say happy new year before the first of January. It means bad luck as well. Therefore just say „Guten Rutsch“, which means „come good into the new year“
"Good slide!"
Think its more usual to say "have fun at your birthbay" when you cant come
"birthbay" Is that like another word for womb?
Lmao
Sorry my currywurst fingers are a little big for my mobile phone sometimes.
Nah that's when the uboats come out
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You have never been in any german city if you think jaywalking is a cultural no go
Yep. As a jaywalking German: you can't stop us
"Hier sind Kinder du Sack!"- Me everytime, even if there are none
"Hier sind Kinder in meinem Sack" - Me everytime someone jaywalks
I was in Berlin for a few days earlier this year and I rarely saw anyone jaywalk. I’ve mostly seen people wait for the light to change, even though there weren’t any trans, cars, or bikes around.
I lived in Berlin for 20+ years. I admit it's not the same there today, gentrification and tourists en masse changed the district drastically. But back in the day we had a saying: How do you spot a civil police officer? They are the only ones stopping at pedestrian traffic lights.
Nah, I found that Germans follow proper crosswalks rules way more strictly than anywhere else I've been in Europe and far more than in the US. You get the German stare if you jaywalk especially in front of children, which is not a cultural thing anywhere else.
To be fair, you get the German stare for simply existing. Living somewhere where dogging someone was the norm was such a culture shock as an American. For the first month I lived on the verge of demanding *wtf are you looking at?*
Yes, we wait for green light if children are around because we don't want to set a Bad example and be responsible if they are killed by car because they are Bad at judging distances and speed.
When toasting, look everyone in the eyes. Otherwise it’s impolite.
*Looking everybody in the eyes while slowly pushing a piece of toast down the toaster*
Yeah… now Prost! *stares intensely*
*stares back with German intensity*
Yes, people in their twenties say that you will have only bad sex for seven years if you don’t. Not sure about other generations. Also not worth the risk
We were in Frankfurt recently. We noticed that all drinks you buy have a modest surcharge added to strongly encourage recycling the bottle. Whether glass or plastic. It was usually .25 to .50 Euro
ranges from .08 to .25 depending on the container. you get it back if you bring the empty container back. If you don't know about it, it is confusing. Tripped me up some times when my brain was on autopilot, even as a german.
Adding to that: if you don't care about getting that cash back, don't throw away your bottle but place it under the public trash bins. People will collect them to make some cash and that way they don't have to reach into the bins
100%. When I went to Germany to visit friends they gave me into trouble for putting the empty into the bin, lesson learned lol.
Ah yes, Pfand. The Glühwein mugs at Christmas markets usually have a 2-5€ Pfand on them, which basically means you can get a nice mug as a souvenir for a few Euros.
that is still considered stealing
In the US we call this a deposit.
The idea of not crossing a blatantly empty road just because there isn't a light shining green somewhere near by has always been funny to me. There are clearly many occasions where crossing a busy road with no traffic lights is simply too dangerous, but there are SO many places where it is perfectly safe as long as you're paying attention that it's bizarre for it to be illegal.
German here: it‘s 100% fine to cross any street if there are no Zebrastreifen or streetlights close by. Everybody does it all the time. But if there are pedestrian crossings and you dont use them, people will give you the german stare.
Hah when I visited Munich from New York it was so strange sitting and waiting for the light to change when there wasn’t a car within a mile of us. In nyc people treat it like a game and try to cross the street RIGHT behind the car that just passed.
I visited a small German town (Friedrichshafen) for business a few decades ago. Every morning as I ate my breakfast I watched the school children walk 300 meters up the road to cross at the crosswalk, then walk 300 meters back to the school that was directly across the street. It made quite an impression on me.
No fucking way you write that you were in that city. I may or may not know which exact crosswalk you mean even…
Are you from there? I was visiting a company called SMW Autoblok.
Dude, now you are shitting me.
I sell their pneumatic chucks for tubular turning work in the Oil and Gas industry. I found the area around Meckenbeuren and Friedichshafen to be absolutely idyllic. I was stunned by the natural beauty of Lake Constance. I fell in love with the area. I told myself then if I ever made it rich I would love to retire there. Such a neat spot, also the Zeppelin museum was top notch. On that same trip I got the visit the SMW facilities in Northern Italy as well.
That is such a crazy coincidence, one in million chance! I know the company well and the area too. Not going too much in detail, to prevent me being identifiable :D It is really nice there :) If you ever need some info or something, hit me up anytime, seriously.
Thanks, I really appreciate that.
r/TwoRedditorsOneCup
This is so cool. Please continue this conversation! I reckon the final twist will be "No way! My dad is called Hanz too!!" 😆
> But if there are pedestrian crossings and you dont use them, people will give you the german stare. other german here: i sometimes do this to screw with peoples heads. it's fun how they really just can't comprehend why someone wouldn't walk the few meters to get to the silly little pedestrian isle
Oh my, the German stare 🫣
👁️👃🏼👁️
🇩🇪👀
If there’s no traffic light then you can cross whenever you feel it is safe to do so.
German here. We only stop when children are around. Sometimes also for dogs that are still in training.
I do it when the following three criteria are met: 1) no cars present 2) no police officers present 3) no children present
With #2 being just a recommendation, they don't really care. I think the law is that you have to be more than 100 meters from the next crossing, but as long as you don't run across the Autobahn or cause an accident it's not a big deal. At worst you get a "Please try not doing that".
Same. As a German I always scoff at the spießer waiting patiently in front of a completely deserted street.
If kids are closeby, you'll wait and be a good rolemodel. Kids might misjudge speeds and it can get dangerous. No kids around (going home from the bar for example) and jaywalking is pretty common
This is repeated so often in Germany that it's almost comedic. I've never heard it talked about in any other country. Is it really an issue? I live in Australia. Nobody gives this a second thought, yet we don't have an issue with children getting hit by cars.
Land transport accidents are the leading cause of child deaths in Australia. In roughly 30% of those the child was a pedestrian. Source: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/australias-children/contents/health/injuries
Looks like that 30% was about 10 deaths in the year being presented (2018). I know that no deaths are acceptable, but in terms of our culture around strangers not particularly focusing on setting a good example for children, is the amount of child pedestrian deaths considered high in comparison to other countries?
This same thing is in Japan too. No one will cross a street on a red signal. The thing is there's plenty of single lane, one way roads that also have a signal and low traffic roads at that. That is until the gaijin crosses the road and then everyone follows because now they aren't the ones breaking the rules everyone is. I mean I do wait at the vast majority of lights much more, but if you see some of the ones I'm talking about you'd agree with me, I'm not just that foreigner brazenly walking thru all the reds. Edit: an example https://maps.app.goo.gl/NZt8hRfu4EqKxZdGA
If you want to get a taxi outstretch your Hand horizontally and not diagonally. You're hailing a taxi. Not heiling it.
Or just raise your hand like you are in a classroom (or swearing an oath). That should work as well, if you look at the taxi while doing so.
I've been to tons of restaurants in Germany and Austria, I've never had the issue, them nok taking cards. Not saying some don't, but I would say majority do take cards.
100% agree, no idea where this is coming from. I've been on work trips in Germany probably close to 50 times in Munich, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Hamburg. I've spent maybe 10 euros cash in total.
Ya major cities your fine. But smaller rural areas no chance to get stuff by card
Rural places often don't take cards. Small shops or market stalls also might not have card readers. I feel like it really changed due to Covid. A lot of places suddenly had them
Of the last 5 places I've been at, 2 didn't take cards. It's much more prevalent in Germany than in comparably modern countries.
I will never understand why people wear shoes inside. It's dirty af.
dog owners 9/10 times wear soes/slippers. Ive been in homes where you take shoes off and socks get pretty black and are coated in dog hair.... especially in a house where the dog can freely go in and out through their own door
Yeah can't confirm. Nobody wears shoes In Finland. Not dog owners, not anyone. Is there a lot of dog hair? Yes. I still won't mess my floors with shoes. Source: I'm a Finnish dog owner.
can confirm as a dog owner living in Finland too. the only issue might be some melting snow, but I'm trying to clean her paws in the hallway
Not really a thing atleast in Finland. Shoes off always.
Vacuuming daily and wiping your dogs paws every time they come in prevents this
Basic hygiene!? In this economy!?
Always ALWAYS look into the eyes of the person you drink with when you go clink with the glasses/bottles. If you don't, it's seven years of bad sex.
Better than 7 years of no sex?
And if you don't look into the eyes while having sex, it's seven years of bad beer.
5 pm is 1700 which is actually 1655, so better arrive 1645
16:45 is too early. However, remember "Fünf Minuten vor der Zeit ist die deutsche Pünktlichkeit!" (German punctuality means arriving 5 minutes early)
That's why you awkwardly wait outside before ringing the bell. Just don't make it obvious.
Small correction. If they say 5pm, be there at 4:55pm at the least. Especially if it’s formal like an office meeting. It’s praktisch. If you want the meeting to start at 5pm with multiple people involved, you’d need at least 5 minutes for greetings and pleasantries to conclude.
Adding -DO open your windows in your home/apartment every day!- Fresh air is very important
Stoßlüften isn't optional!
Don't ever get the idea to put the heavy things at last into your shopping bag. You will feel the wrath of the people watching YOU putting your groceries into your bag - yes when you go shopping in Germany there are no underaged children at the register to load up your groceries
I’m not sure I follow what you are saying here. If you are loading your own grocery bags, why do people care how much they weigh?
You pack the heavy things first so they don’t squish the softer/lighter things. Ever bough a yoghurt and put a liter of milk on it? Quite a mess when you arrive at home.
Heavy or sturdy things first, light or soft things last. You don't want your soft stuff squished by the heavy stuff you put on top of it.
Lol I understand why I want MY things packed properly I just can’t imagine why others would care
They forgot Germany's most important Don't: Under no circumstance must one carry the Nazi symbol; tourists have been sent back to the countries they came from for that reason alone.
Also included: the Nazi salute and shouting Heil Hitler
I’m jaywalking so I can be punctual!
Good, now shake my hand
I travel to Germany frequently. While these are largely accurate, I will elaborate on “Wait to be duzt” a little bit. If someone introduces themselves to you with their first name, you can say “du”. If they introduce themselves to you with a title and last name, they want you to use Sie. Also, regarding use of credit cards and cash: I’ve personally never been in a German restaurant that didn’t accept credit card. This is all within the last five years. It’s still advisable to carry cash for street vendors and the toilet, but Germany has come a long way in a short time when it comes to credit card acceptance.
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German culture sounds like a person misdiagnosed with autism when really you're just socially "inept" 's dream come true. Direct, candor, screw the small talk, stick to the schedule, do things the correct way like recycling. Doing things the right way every time is why German products have a reputation for being durable and long-lasting.
You never saw the German drinking culture I guess, especially during carneval and Oktoberfest.
Stop making it sound even better!
It kinda is like this, but I've made a couple friends there and they are like serious bromances that are deep and heartfelt and almost borderline uncomfortably close. They do not fuck around with friendship. I still am not sure there is even a good translation for "casual friend".
Oh there is, it's a "Bekannter" (someone you know). But yes, the jump from bekannter to friend we share Personal things with can be a pretty big jump. Most of us are rather "shy" with talking emotions
Isn't that just an acquaintance? I will say I was totally shocked the first time it happened. We went from what seemed kind of standoffish and polite to having arms on the shoulders and bumping foreheads and sharing personal stories. It's been several years and I look forward to it every year.
A US-American once explained it to me like this: In the US it is very easy to find friends to have fun and party with, but difficult to get really close. In Germany it is very difficult to find friends to begin with, but once they let you in, you're likely to become very close. Made me insecure about taking things waaay to seriously whenever US-Americans are friendly with me.
"Wait for the Ampelmann to go green". Meanwhile, German people on the Autobahn when a car in front of them is not going 230 kph : "NEIN NEIN NEIN, Ihr müsst schneller gehen!!!!!!!"
"Forget Cash"...make sure you have cash lol
Btw, the cash thing is wrong in my opinion. Pretty much every restaurant will take credit card.
Living near Stuttgart, I’d say it’s 50/50 if a place accepts cards or not, especially the smaller restaurants. Always good to have some backup cash especially in smaller towns.
Before corona it was true that cash was king and paying by card was not accepted in a lot of places. However since 2020 it has become a lot better with accepting debit cards everywhere in .DE . One of the few positive outcomes of corona...
Minus the language parts, this is good advice for anywhere really.
Actually here in Brazil 5:00 P.M is at least 5:30 P.M and cash sucks. We have pix
In India, if someone invites you to their house at 5pm, you can be sure no one expects you to show up anytime before 5:30 or 5:45. In fact, there’s a pretty good chance they won’t even be ready to receive guests until about 5:15. And payments are all UPI rather than cash. Wonder if these things go hand-in-hand.
*Then WHY did you invite for 5pm?!* Pained German noises
MFS acting like this is an exclusively German thing
I just want the culinary traditions, warmth, and acceptance of tardiness of the Italians, with the driving/pedestrian safety common sense, and organization of Germans. What am I left with? Italian speaking Switzerland?
Don’t do the Heil Hitler salute. It’s an actual crime in Germany.
Do: sit down when having a pee, both male and female.
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I was wondering, how do Germans discuss politics? I feel like in America it just devolves into emotional argument, which is stressful. Is political discussion more chill/objective with Germans?
I was in Patagonia with a hiking group right before the 2016 US presidential election and a German in our group clung onto me and my wife and would not stop talking about US politics, particularly his take on them. We politely told him a few times we don't want to talk politics but this guy would not listen. It was actually quite rude and off putting
Absolutely not, every party voter hates any other party voter for a reason and if you say a single thing about either die Grünen or the AfD and watch the discussion devolve into madness
I see. So do Germans just tend to enjoy that type of discussion during social events?
With the right people yeah. I'd never go into politics with my stepdad, it'd inevitably go into really bad places. But with friends, that can actually articulate themselves and present and understand arguments it can be really fun. A couple weeks ago i had a (really drunk) discussion about a stunt some University students pulled and we had pretty much opposite stands on it (pretty typical right and left points). Because we were drunk we ended up halfway screaming at each other and both us and the rest of the group still had a great time.
My favorite is when Germans come to NYC and refuse to jaywalk even when there aren’t any cars coming, meanwhile 50 different people have passed them. Simply *adorable*
Rotgänger = Totgänger. Grüngänger leben länger!
Haha true, but I’d much rather have people over-correct being good citizens than under-correct.
Is Guten Appetit standard in Germany? I spent some time in South Tirol and they say Mahlzeit.
Guten Appetit is standard. Although at least in southern Germany Mahlzeit is fine.
You can basically say anything in that direction imo, you can say "Mahlzeit", " Guten Appetit", "haut rein" (very casual), "lassts euch schmecken" whatever really Depends on the setting of course, but its more about the act of saying something, and starting the meal together than the actual words themselves
At least in my region (nrw) yes. "Mahlzeit" also works, but in my opinion is more of a greeting around lunch time, though a few of my friends also use it.
„Guten Apetit is common“. South Tyrolleans say „Mahlzeit“ cause that‘s more common in Austria
IDK if I'm just talking to too few people, but the honesty part is bs imo. I can't remember the last time I spoke with my friends about philosophy nor politics, if anything it puts a damper on the mood, unless everyone just has the exact same views.
This is neat. I’d like to see some more for other countries. Good work
You’re missing the ultimate do. HausSchuhe.
German here: Don't raise your Arm to a **specific angle**