Does everyone in germany speak german?

Question

someone today told me that most people speak english in germany. and that kids in school are getting taught english. is this true?

Answer 1

I am sure that many people in Germany speak English, and there are many foreign countries that teach students to be bilingual. However, people in Germany speak their native language to each other, and that is language is German.

Answer 2

I hope so !

Answer 3

lol....Yes, almost EVERYONE speaks German in Germany...just because most people speak English (which I don't agree with) that doesn't mean that they speak it in their everyday life. It just means that they KNOW English.

Answer 4

My wife is from Germany and yes children learn English in school. My wife started to learn English in 5th grade, but today they start teaching English at elementary schools.

So it is not  aproblem to find someone who is speaking English, but German is the main language

Answer 5

Most people can at least say "hi, how are you?" and "I would like...", just as many Americans can say "guten Tag" and "ich moechte..."

Most kids learn English in school, just like most kids in America learn French, German, Spanish, or Latin.  However, most kids have at least five years of one foreign language, usually English or French.  The knowledge they leave school with is most often between 1 and 3 semesters of American, college-level foreign language.  

Most Germans' knowledge of English is at least pass-able.  They can order pizzas and stuff like that if they have to, but it's not like the overwhelming majority of people are near-native speakers with Southern accents or something.

The quality of English textbooks is pretty awful (for example, the American-themed textbook was written entirely in British English), most people (especially in small towns) are not comfortable speaking English, and there are English words being integrated into German whose meaning changes, so there is often a lot of confusion in meaning (i.e., a "Bodybag" to a German is a messenger bag that goes across the body; "Back Factory" is the name of a bakery chain...).  An acquaintance of mine, also an English teacher, recently tried to send her young daughter to an English-language Saturday morning school.  At the end of the first day, the parents came early to get their kids and see what their kids had learned.  All of the kids had learned to count to ten... incorrectly.

Answer 6

I am an American that travels to Germany very often for business (once or twice a month).  

Most Germans, especially the younger generations, speak English very fluently.  This is because in Western Europe English it is usually a basic requirement in the schools.  The same is true for Belgium, Poland, Austria... etc. etc.   Of course, some people are not serious about their studies, and won't know it well.  Overall, this is not the case though.

However, in Eastern Germany it is sometimes more difficult to get by with only English.  The older generation was not required to learn English, and many speak Russian as their second language.

What many people don't know is that many Turks live in Germany (about 3 percent of the population... which came as migrant workers like the Hispanics in the US).  Many of the Turks don't speak English, unless they are part of the young generation that grew up in Germany.  There are also other ethnic minorities in Germany that may be less likely to speak English.

Overall, travel in Germany is very easy for Americans.  If you can't communicate with language, people are generally friendly enough to try other means (hand gestures, etc.).  Don't worry.

Answer 7

In my observation,NOT ALL.Because,some people who came from other country  and live in Germany don`t speak German.....like Turkey,Poland,Russian etc....They dont speak German,they speak their own language.

Talking about,school in germany....they teach english (they have English Subject) from kindergarten until the age 8

years..,not more...But they are some young Germans speak English.

Answer 8

Normally every single Germans speak German Language. Immigrants, not everyone, speak not good German Language, but they learn it at school.

The kids start to learn in the 3. grade English already.

Answer 9

germans speak german in everyday life.

if there is a foreign person in germany who asks something in english, we answer in english (in case we speak it)

whenever we travel to another country, we speak the language thats mostly understood in the country we go to, this may be english.

most schools start teaching english in 3rd or 5th grade. other foreign languages taught could be french, latin, spanish, italian, ...

Answer 10

Many Germans speak English. Yes German children are taught English in school along with other languages like Spanish and French.

Answer 11

Yes most of the younger people can speak English here because we all get it taught at school! Often the kids learn more than 1 foreign language French, Italian, Spanish, Russian or even Sinic. My cousin for example has English, Italian and French lessons. It often happens when tourists try to speak German the German people automatically answer in English...a bit disappointing for some one who tried hard to learn German!;-)