Do germans appreciate it when you visit germany and speak german to them?

Question

My whole family is pretty much german and I'm going to germany next year and I'm American... a lot of my family is living in germany right now and I was just curious if german people like or reject the idea of people trying to speak their language...ive taken two years of german and by next year it will be 3...

Answer 1

I made the experience, whenever I go to a foreign country, and use some words of their language, the people liked it.

So why should that be different in Germany. When I see an American having problems to make himself understood I switch over to English. But when I see that he is trying to learn some German, I'll answer in German, too.

@ Lucky Strike: what do you mean by older generation?

@ Lucky Strike: I started school in 1960 and we learned English from 5th to 8th grade, so you should revise your opinion about the "older" generation.

Answer 2

25 years ago or so, when I was still in high school, a group of high school kids went to Europe.  Our trip included a train ride through Germany. On the train, about 4 of us high school kids were in a compartment together.  An older German man joined us, set next to the exit, propped his feet up in the empty seat across from him, and sat his brief case on his lap.  He looked at us and said "While in Germany, you must speak German".

Being kids, and not knowing if he was in WWII or something, and not knowing what was in his brief case, and not knowing any German, we had a very quiet train ride.  Once the man got off, it was much more relaxing for the rest of our trip to Belgium.

So yes, I would say they would want you to try.  Especially if they don't know English.

Answer 3

yup thats good...indeed...even if in Germany the most know a bit English, is it ever a nice sign if you make some comments in German.

Im German btw...and live in Germany

its not that we dislike the English language, but we love our language very much...also it might have a cute touch if you talk German with your American accent ;)

I say "Willkommen in Deutschland" in advance :)

btw Germany is 2nd in the UEFA Euro Cup (soccer) lol just for info ;)

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=uyeIjAaiL9...

have a nice day

Answer 4

I believe it will be very much appreciated that you are making an attempt to speak the countries language and people will be more receptive that way.  It does not matter if you make mistakes, it's the fact that you are trying versus just expecting them to know English.  I have traveled in Europe and saw the different reactions to tourists that try to speak the country's language and others that automatically use English.  The first is accepted better.  I hope you have a great time in Germany.

Answer 5

I believe that the older generation appreciates it more when you speak German even though you're not fluent. They have not learned English in school as the younger generation now does. The teenagers and also the 20/30 somethings always like to have an opportunity to freshen up on their school English (even though we learn the Oxford (British) English in school. So my advice to you is: stay calm, keep your sense of humor and just go with the flow and most of all: enjoy your stay in beautiful Germany!!!!   :)

To LaleeFan: Older generation meaning people 50 and older who did not have English in school.

Answer 6

You should be able to say "bitte", "danke", "entschuldigung" and "Guten Tag". But you'll be astonished when you hear young German people using English like "hi!", "thanks" or even "lol" or "owned!" in their everyday speech.

If you're a serious learner of German, I think educated German people will appreciate that very much. They will also correct your grammatical mistakes in a friendly way. But Germans are also eager to perfect their English.

When I was on a student exchange in France, two decades ago, my host family and me found a good solution: We made the odd days (counting Monday for "1") the "French" days, and the even days the "German" days, leaving out Sunday, where everybody could speak as they wanted. It was a pretty good experience, as the rule of the game was that on the "German" days nobody was allowed to speak a word of French, not even to the neighbors, and on the "French" days, I wasn't allowed to speak a word of German, not even with my companions from school. It was lots of fun and gave us big laughs.

btw, why did I write my answer in English? Ich hätte Dir genausogut auf Deutsch antworten können. Du verstehst das ja. Aber egal. Ich wünsche Dir eine schöne Zeit hier in Deutschland. Es freut mich, dass Du Dir Gedanken machst, ob Du unsere Sprache sprechen sollst oder nicht. Ich kann nur sagen, ja, versuch' es. Und hab' keine Angst, dass man sich über Dich lächerlich machen könnte. Ich mag Amerikaner, die Deutsch sprechen. Die haben so einen netten Akzent... :o)

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edit:

I forgot one thing. Wir essen Amerikaner. We really do. My li'l sis reminded me of that; she works in a bakery as a salesperson. All around Germany, there are sweet cookies available called "Amerikaner". They're either sugar or chocolate coated, and that's the sweetest bakery stuff you can get here. Make fun of it and say, "Guten Tag, ich bin Amerikanerin. Können Sie mir einen Amerikaner verkaufen? Einen braunen und einen weißen bitte." [G'day, I'm American. Can I buy an 'American' here? A brown one and a white one, please.]

Answer 7

well,let me make it as simple as possible, im egyptian i used  go germany every summer for summer vacation, i learned german at school since i was 8 yrs old, my 1st visit  to germany was in 1991 durin that time  my german was not that good but when germans saw me tryin to speak like them they were really treatin me like one of them, takin in consideartion that they were not even tryin to speak english for help, last year i was there and i was really surprised coz the new generation speak english more than the old generation, so anywyays, u speak german or u dont is not a big deal anymore in germany, hope u got it!!!

Answer 8

The love it! Most germans speak english also so if your german is not so great and they dont understand you, they might even reply in english. They like that you are giving it the effort to at least try.

Answer 9

Germans atleast want you to try. My dad went there and said they will help u just noe a couple of phrases. If you are flying lufthansa the stewarteses are a little bitchy. If you want more water or any drink say " Kann Ich, bitte, mehr wasser haben?" wasser =water, replace with any drink or food. Also if you ask a question say bitte= please. Germans are really anal for that ****. Also if some one says danke schoen then your reply bitte. It is a basic thank you and your welcome. Also if you have to go to the bathroom say, Ich haben zu pinkel oder ich wird stribt! it means that you would like to use the facilities.

Answer 10

The absolutely appreciate it! And, it's one of the best ways to practice and learn more German. Just don't get disheartened if they want to speak English with you-- it doesn't they want to practice as much as you do...just keep speaking German with them.

When I lived in Germany, the host family I stayed with were incredibly encouraging to hear me speak German, and we had Fridays as our English day...that is to say, my host mum wanted to practice her English. My only recommendation, to that end, is that if you're getting important instructions and you can't quite understand them, ask for them in English...it may save you from getting lost where you're staying/living (I ended up walking home from school...which was about 10km, because I got lost taking the bus).

And don't get discouraged when people tell you that it's easier for them to speak in English with you...tell them that it probably is, but you're in Germany, so you're going to speak in German. And if that doesn't work, flip them the finger and say "verpiss dich!" (When I was in Lucerne, Switzerland, I asked a man for directions in both German and French--I'm tri-lingual--the man looked at me and said "Manchmal spricht man hier Deutsch", so I looked it him and said  "Ja, sprech' ich gerade. Und was sprichst du denn?" and he was a bit stunned)

Viel Spass beim Besuch!

@ Alwin: sagen die Kinder jetzt "owned"? Als ich in Koblenz war, habe ich nicht gemerkt dass die alle "f*cked" gesagt haben, und irgendwann habe ich das deutsch wort dafuer benuetzt, und dann kam mein lehrer vorbei, und er hat gemeint "du kannst schon deutsch sprechen, warum brauchst du so ein wort? und sonst, wir nuetzen das englisches wort. also, das wort is f*ck". es war wirklich peinlich. Auch, ich haette gerne so ein Kanadiener, als ich von Kanada bin. Waere schoen mit ahornsirop und so 'was...

Answer 11

yes they like it if you at least try to speak german because most german people think americans are lazy and don't care to try... try not to be one of the many. however a lot of young germans like if you speak english with them because it gives them a chance to brush up on their english.

Answer 12

sure they do