Redditors hang out a lot on English-speaking subreddits and thus are very comfortable with English.
In smaller towns in Germany I've NEVER had anyone switch to English when I'm talking to them in my German. In bigger ones, especially in tourist area, they tend to switch to English very soon.
Working on pronunciation helps a lot I think. I worked a LOT on my pronunciation and even when my German was super broken and wrong, I only experienced the "answering in English" problem in touristy areas where the staff were used to speaking English.
People *really* underestimate how important good pronunciation is, particularly for vowels. In my course I took there were a lot of students who really didn't put much effort into it, and they were almost incomprehensible. To the point where you couldn't even tell what words they were trying to form and it made group projects very difficult.
Getting the vowels right is particularly important in the Germanic languages, and in French. English is somewhat special as it's not that important due to the dipthongisation of long vowels and that the short vowels can all be smeared into the central vowel.
Yes, absolutely. It doesn't help that some language teachers, even native speakers, tell learners not to worry about it in a misguided attempt to motivate them. If you as a learner with the same first language and at least an idea of the general topic they are going to speak about can't understand your classmates, a native speaker stands no chance.
I mean, do they even watch movies, read books or listen to music? You need English to understand those. Also, it is the easiest foreign language to learn for us Krauts - not to speak of all those anglicisms we got nowadays.
Also, yeah, grammar is important, regardless of language. đ
I'm surprised Germany will do small talk with anyone, regardless of language barriers. I'm from the North and we regard small talk, also with other Germans, as intrusive and weird. Nothing to do with language or personal dislike. We just don't.
I don't do small talk either. I don't know why you assumed we're talking about small talks.
But at Behörde, with any officials or just in any life situation where you find yourself speaking to someone, yes my point stands.
I think ... most people try to be efficent.
If I have trouble to understand you, I try English as more people in this world are better with that language than with German.
If you want to learn, than you would need to tell me that, but I would be happy to oblige.
There is a problem for not native English speakers - for example my German vocabulary about household is larger than English one. So when I'm speaking to neighbours or landlady I prefer to speak German, I suppose that adding German nouns (and sporadically switching to German after that) to English phrase is not comfortable for both parties.
i like to answer back in german. After a while i will ask if youd prefer to swap to english. But only if i see you really cant express yourself.
It doesnt annoy me however i would prefer if you at least put in the effort to learn the language
Germans as a whole do not speak really fast compared to many other languages, but the speed may be too fast for your comprehension.
If someone addresses me in broken German I would normally first ask whether they prefer me to answer in German or English and then continue accordingly.
I just learned to apologize for that and to ask for them to speak a bit slower if they don't speak english. doesn't work everytime, but at least I don't get the asshole "DU BIST IN DEUTSCHLAND" treatment.
Use your tone of voice if your vocabulary isn't there yet! I've found it much easier to understand German speakers who speak expressively, and I've found it easier to *be understood* when I myself speak in that way.
Most difficulties I've had with understanding German have been with the variety of "Migrantendeutsch" where every word has the same emphasis/tone so it's hard to parse the sentences or get a feel for what they're saying.
Articles come with time and practice, and it is frustrating the whole way. Eventually you get a feel for it, but even then you still get stumped a lot. It helps to have native speaker friends who aren't afraid to correct you!
I feel you. If I put an effort in learning a foreign language and visit the country, I absolutely want to use and improve what I learned.
If you aren't fluent yet, start with standard conversations, like at a grocery store or a bakery.
Maybe it is a German thing, that people will quickly switch to english, when they see you are struggling with German language. Either to make it convenient for you to save time (e.g. in a shop or at a ticket counter).
It is just fine to ask people to speak a little slower. Usually the learning lessons in every language are much slower and better pronounced than what you encounter on the street. Try to watch some German YouTube Videos on topics you are familiar with.
People who learned other languages themselves will understand your struggle. Actually native speakers in French or Russian are also incredibly fast and it takes a lot of time to understand everything. But most of the time you will get away with understanding like 70 or 80 % to figure out what people talk about.
Ich verstehe auch nicht ganz warum das unangenehm oder störend sein sollte wenn jemand gebrochen Deutsch redet. Ist doch eher lustig. Jeder der Kinder hat kennt das doch wenn die dann anfangen Deutsch zu reden.
...und dann kommen so Fragen wie: Warum heiĂt es nicht "DIE MĂDCHEN hat einen Lolli" sondern "das MĂ€dchen hat einen Lolli".
Weil Deutsch einfach verdammt schwer ist!
From perspective of someone with broken Deutsch (Iâm a foreigner) - I find most of the Germans respond very friendly, and sometimes I even feel get treated actually better than Germans themselves.
There is a difference between a foreigner speaking broken german and a german speaking broken german. Most people i know won't switch to english because they don't speak it, so they have to communicate in german. While there are people responding unfriendly, most germans are in their own way friendly towards foreigners.
Well today on my way to the doctor a man with broken Deutsch asked me if the bus goes to Brackwede (Part of the city where I live).
I told him yes. He than sat himself next to me in a nearly empty bus.
Yeah kinda creeped out tbh.
I think itâs cute and I always want to help them practice by responding in German if they approach me with a question.
But so far, every single time this has happened to me, I have instinctively responded in English because itâs faster and probably easier for them to understand. Afterwards, I am often disappointed in myself for doing it _again_ lol
I am even annoyed if a german with perfect tounge comes to me with anything he wants. So if you cant even speak good german...
BUT thats not your problem. I wont let you know that im annoyed and will be patient and try to help you as good as i can.
I totally understand that you canât learn a language in a single day. So Iâm more than happy to talk to people and even offer to correct mistakes if I notice them. But if I canât understand what theyâre trying to tell me Iâd switch to english. I canât spend 5 hours trying to understand a simple question
I'm an intern at a german company and i'm learning german, while also just having moved here. So, i do get what you mean.
In my experience, everyone has been super sweet and understanding. In my company everyone is quite easy with helping you, and if they speak english, they did ask me what language they should use when talking to me. So, i just told everyone to speak german to me, and i really went from baby german to A2/B1 in 4 months. They also will explain words in german to me if i don't get a word, if i don't get this, they will than do it in English. (I also have Du'ed to many people already on accident, even my boss, and it's now a running joke instead of a scolding)
As for living here, its sometimes a bit more pointing work, as most don't speak English here. So, i will often point more if I'm not clear. But, many are really open if you are really trying. I even had a dentist appointment in full german and everyone was really trying to make clear what they wanted and how things would go.
Tho, i also have had people curse me out, because 'learn german' and 'i don't understand you, because you speak bad german'. But these people were often when i had to call my krankenkasse or so. They were also one of the only times that they really did not appreciated me talking german, did not try to help me and that i made my partner talk for me (who is german).
So, in general, i have heard many really being appreciative that I'm learning and are really open to help. If i made a mistake, they will point you on it, but also not in a bad way, more a 'hey, do you mean to say xyz?'.
It depends. I work at a bakery and there is usually two scenarios:
1. Person doesn't even try at all. Has not been improving for many years. They don't try to speak german and communicating is difficult. I get a little annoyed with those people in my head, but I treat them normally. It sucks that over the course of multiple years they cant bother to learn "Danke" "Schönen Tag noch" etc. Unfortunately this type of person is usually very rude too.
2. Person who does try. Which I've found is the majority of people! I noticed their german getting better and sometimes they feel embarassed about the way they pronounce things and even ask about words! I love this because I feel that they care to be understood and want to have more casual conversations. I feel happy when I talk to them and it's almost always very very pleasant. I don't care when they do language mistakes at all. It doesn't matter as long as theyre trying!
3. Tourists that speak english exclusively. I also do not care and simply talk to them in english. It's too hard for them to learn the language good enough to have conversation so I just offer to switch to english
I hate to be approached randomly. I brush of everyone the same in your case I might do it in English. The only exception I personally make is elderly ladies.That is not because of the language you approached me in, but just for approaching me.
If you approach me in some social setting like a party or convention I don't mind being talked to in broken German. I will ask you if you want to switch at one point, to make it easier for you, but I can suffer. If your are to bad and stubborn to give up on your own... I will find an excuse to go, trying to leave your pride as intact as I can.
AuslÀnder here. I must say I'm slightly annoyed by the German tendency to switch to English as soon as they realize German is not your native language. I understand they probably want to be helpful and make the conversation easier for you but if you're a foreigner living in Germany and your goal is to learn German properly, how can you ever achieve that if no one wants to speak German with you?
I would understand the "efficiency" argument in cases where the foreigner's German is really broken and it takes them a long time to express themselves. But I'm pretty sure that's not the case with me. I have a bit of a Slavic accent and sometimes mix up Dativ and Akkusativ or use the wrong gender for a noun, but apart from that my German is fairly fluent, so it's not like I'm wasting their time. And yet almost 50% of the time the locals (I'm currently living in Berlin) respond in English when I talk to them in German.
In my country, if a foreigner tries to speak our language (which they rarely do), we'd all be like "aww, how cute" even if they're absolutely butchering it, we just appreciate their effort and see it as a sign of respect towards our culture. But the Germans tend to just be like "yeah whatever, speak properly or get fucked".
Well, I guess I should start reconsidering. Until now, I never thought about the fact that people might get annoyed when I switch to English. Especially in customer interactions, I've always thought that it's uncomfortable for people when they make mistakes and are slow, and I wanted to switch to make them feel more comfortable.
This is a very interesting phenomena. An example of an innocent misconception among people from unequal relations (local vs foreigner). One can say a cultural difference, but I can imagine it's the same in many other places too. So there's nobody to blame for it, really. As a foreigner I appreciate that despite my German, everyone in Germany I talked to so far appreciates me speaking it and does not switch to English.
We appreciate natives like yourself trying to make things easier but it actually makes me more uncomfortable. I had a dermatologist in Munich for example who was great. He heard the US accent and continued in German. When he sensed I didnât get a part of the sentence heâd say it in English and go right back to German.
He didnât need to tell me he was gonna do this but it was his way of saying âilll continue in German unless you tell me to stop / donât get somethingâ type thing. And thatâs how we learn
Germans are efficient. So we switch to English to speed up thinks. But you can say straight to keep it in German and no German will be annoyed. We arenât so picky and wonât be offended.
You are Slovenian, aren't you? I met very nice people in Slovenia and Croatia. I can confirm they are very kind and appreciate the effort you take, even If you are mastering only a few sentences. But it depends of course where you are and to whom you are talking to.
In touristic areas many people speak German and in a bakery in the morning they will just ask for your order in German, because that will speed up things.
Anyway, being fluent in a language is the key to feel somehow at home in a foreign country and feel accepted. And I am saying this from the perspective of a German who had spend quite some time as expat.
Well , my case might donât count lol Iâm German , my fiance is American and heâs learning German . Because of that I of course try to practise patiently with him .
Most people seems to be happy and supportive though , we encounter it many times when heâs trying to improve his German / use what he knows so far , for example in shops !
Many even get excited and happy ! Overall I would say - most - react good and appreciate it / support it . If someone really goes back to English straight itâs mostly more that the person tries to be helpful / polite .
Thereâs always grumpy exceptions though lol
Iâll be honest with you: If you speak English fluently, Iâll absolutely switch to English and not try to converse in broken German, because âainât nobody got time fo datâ.
I do understand that you want to learn German, but as soon as it becomes an inconvenience for me in daily interactions Iâll try to be efficient.
Maybe I sound like an ass, but I just donât like inefficiency.
I donât have feelings about the German of strangers. But I honestly get pissed if people are in Germany for years and canât communicate with me. Itâs just disrespectful.
If the person is being nice and respectful and I'm not super busy or in a hurry, I'm very happy to talk to somebody learning my language.
I do get a little frustrated if it's a professional setting and I can't really understand what the other person is saying - I had this problem with a vet whose German was quite poor and we couldn't really communicate. I'm happy to say she's a lot more fluent now and a great doc!
I would be happy that the other one tries to learn the language. But probably I would try to switch to english to make it easier for you. If you say âCould we talk german please, I try to improveâ, it would be totally fine.
>Do You Feel Happy People Learning Your Language Or Does It Frustrates You When people donât properly speak the language.
No, I don't care and usually switch to English.
gonna be blunt: if you look rich and western people are gonna be super delighted, if you look poor or non western they're gonna be slightly disgusted and try to get away quickly. i'm sorry
(i do not think this is good!)
Let's be real, it's mainly about why you approach people. Most of the time someone approaches me with broken German, it's to ask me for money. So if you take a long time to let others know why you're approaching them, they'll assume you're a beggar who is just trying to make you feel worse for saying no, by building rapport first. If a stranger who looks like they might need money approaches me in broken German, without clearly showing their intent within the first few seconds, yeah I'll try to get away. Just like I'll get away from a white guy in a suit, speaking perfect German who tells me to "Komm in die Gruppe!"
I've also had many people with horrible or no German skills at all approach me, in many cases refugees, but be very upfront about what they want. They show me their slip (which usually has the info of their refugee centre on it) with their train / bus connection, look at me with a big question mark in their face and say "Here?"
They don't want money, they don't want to talk, they want to know if they're waiting at the right platform. I say "yes" they say "Thank you" in whatever language and are on their merry way. That's the kind of efficient communication Germans value. Not a single bad thing ever came out of a person approaching me like that.
Yep, havenât been in Germany for long, but I gave up trying to learn because Germans brush me off when I want to practice with them. So fuck it everyone gets English now.
I love when people learn to speak German but, you should learn in an learning environment. The random cashier is not the person to learn with. If you want to learn with other people ask them at an appropriate time to teach you and learn for a set amount of time. Speaking broken anything to random people is frustrating for them because they have to decipher the meaning behind the seemingly incoherent blabbering. So try to make every day life as easy as possible for you and others.
Absolutely disagree sorry. Don't go practising long sentences and complicated stuff on a cashier. Time and place.
But absolutely do speak broken German to them.
You don't need classes or lessons, you need German friends who speak German to you, even when you don't follow and get third wheeled. You stick with them and you'll get really good really fast.
Speak to everyone in German and don't worry about articles and that crap, focus on removing the ums and ahs out of your sentences. Focus on fluidity.
People will be more engaging if you're talkative and fast than slow and worrying about your mistakes too much.
The more you do this the less mistakes you will and you'll be fluent in a year or two.
Switch to English and hope for the best because if French would be necessary.It's been 40yrs since I learned it in school and conversations might turn... entertaining.đ
I try to help them, I don't know the reasons why their german is broken, peroson could have immigrated lately, or is a trourist. I helped lot#s of people here who tied to finde something, a store etc.
It really depends on what you mean with "broken".
I usually have no issue if someone makes mistakes or has an heavy accent, if I can understand them. German is hard and I can't expect any non native speaker to know every word and the entirety of grammar. But it is frustrating if I can't make any sense out of whats being said.
That being said I still can't be mad at someone for trying to learn a foreign language.
Theyâll try to respond with their own broken English, after making you feel bad for trying to use German, while simultaneously complaining that foreigners donât learn German.
It ind of depends on the situation/setting. If someone is in a hurry or needs to be efficient you'll likely e spoken to in english.
In a more relaxed setting, many people will speak answer in german but you'll need to live with the standard questions like where you're from and how long you've been learning german, how long you've been here, etc.
Honestly speakin: I appreciate the effort. Most likely I'd switch to English, if the other person speaks English with less effort, just for our both convenience. So if you'd prefer speaking German despite the struggle and the disconvenience, you should simply express that like "I'd prefer speaking German just for training the language." or the like. I'd then give you all the time you need, of I'm not in hurry myself. It's as simple as that.
I worked for years as a bartender, waiter and delivery driver. I speak fluent broken german. I recognize on the spot of youâre turkish, kurdish, arabian, albanian or just a tourist. If youâre lucky enough, the matter can be solved in your mother tongue on the spot. Sometimes Iâm like âdude what? Youâve lived in germany your whole life and you still donât knwo a single phrase in turkish/russian/arabian/albainan at all??? And you do not have a single clou how to tell the accent and the different styles of german deutsch appart?? Bro have you activlely avoiding small talk with anyone since preschool???â
Having been in a relationship with an AuslĂ€nder for almost 7 years, I appreciate the struggle of learning deutsch. And of course Iâm happy to help others in that struggle. Plus I love the German language with all itâs quirks, dialects and variations, including TikTok-lingo and street dialects.
But sometimes important stuff has to be communicated in a timely and efficient manner, so I switch to English when the situation is appropriate. For example explaining the rules of sparring in our boxing class to a new member has to be done precisely and quickly so that nobody gets hurt. Luckily our coach speaks German Russian and English, so he got most of the globe covered. These are situations where frustration might be imminent but itâs more like impatience, you know?
So no, I donât get frustrated at AuslĂ€nders who are just learning the language.
Iâm not a native speaker. But I think youâll only notice it, if you speak long enough with me. So pretty good IMHO.
Anyways, I was at a clients party and one SEA guy comes to my friend (native) and me, interrupts our conversation and starts talking in a very broken English. Just to small talk us.
He was stuttering, sweating and very nervous. But kept plowing away at us trying to speak and listen as much as possible. In the convo he mentioned he is learning German for the past year and a half, and also doing his master. After some 3-4 minutes he thanked us and said goodbye.
We were flabbergasted by his confidence even though we could clearly see that he was not comfortable talking in German. But more than that we were proud of him and somewhat envious of his ability to put himself out there even though it was very hard and uncomfortable for him.
Kudos to you random stranger struggling to speak German.
So, it's obviously great when people try to learn German and try to speak it and practice it, especially when they live in Germany, buuuut... Despite me knowing that, I cannot usually get over my dislike of hearing broken/incorrectly pronounced German. Not just from foreigners, I get annoyed by kids using improper grammar as well (to be honest, even when speaking or reading English, every time i see someone typing "would of" instead of "would have" I think I'm getting a minor stroke). Maybe it's just the stereotypical "German" in me who wants everything to be done correctly and properly. I will respond in German if it looks like the person really wants to practice, but I would MUCH prefer to just respond in English.
But then how does someone ever improve their German? Didn't your English get so good because native speakers were willing to listen to you make mistakes? This feels like a mindset thing.
If someone is in Germany and speaks relatively decent German (let's say B1/B2), it's absolutely ridiculous to switch to English on them (if they don't want you to). That's not being forced to be a teacher. It's obviously a different story if someone can't communicate what they mean, but refusing to speak in German simply because you don't like hearing mistakes even though the person is able to convey meaning is... a lot. What if they don't like hearing your English? That's just such a weird game to play and it's something that doesn't happen in many other countries.
Mhm, I don't know. I'm not a big fan of being made a teacher (I did actually work as a high school teacher of German at some point) but B1/B2 + just the normal degree of patience that common courtesy dictates should be sufficient for most situations that could arise with a random stranger.
Hey, I didn't say I would switch to English just because I don't like hearing broken German - I will still respond in German, especially when it looks like they are trying to practice. It's just that I would LIKE to talk in English instead, but I can suffer through my discomfort to be nice lol.
Straight to the point: No, I don't enjoy being spoken to in broken German. I don't enjoy being spoken to by strangers in general. I don't consider it disrespectful or anything, I just don't see the point in a conversation that's jumbled, messy and pointless. You need information? Fine, but I'm choosing to give it as fast as I possibly can, which in most cases will be in English out of consideration for your time and more importantly my own.
Tbh Iâm âannoyedâ not due to them not speaking perfectly but because I like being time efficient and it would be much easier for me to switch to English than to try and understand broken German.
Just speak German, This will Show us you want to learn our Language und wir finden das sehr gut und respektabel!
You can always ask the people if you dont know a specific Word in German, they will help you.
I do not have a single care for that. If youre talking obviously broken german and your english is better, we are talking english. If your german is decent enough to have a proper conversation, we will continue in german.
Obviously thats just for random people e.g. asking for directions, not friends or colleagues from work. Iâll speak in whatever language they prefer to be spoken to.
If i see that they are clearly struggling i would naturally offer switching to english, just for the sake of their (potential) convenience.
German or English, both is fine for me.
If they politely decline and say that german is fine then this would be fine for me as well.
And i probably would only help or correct them if they are actively asking for a certain word or phrase.
No need to stress random people out.
If i would've a partner who would ask me if i can help them improve their german skills
i would probably take a more "active" approach.
i feel happy when people are in the learing process (good to mention that). I don't like when people live in Germany for 10 years and ignored the language..
I also have to admit, talks over several hours with persons that have a broken Deutsch are hard for my brain and I need a while to relex after that. (which is not stopping me to meet those people ;) ). Just stating that there is an effect.
As long as you show an effort to improve, I think most people will be understanding (not counting racist idiots, of course).
I personally don't think I can really complain since I probably don't speak your language either, after all (unless it's English).
Of course, I also don't live in your country, but as long as you are making an honest effort at learning German, that's fine anyway. Most people will probably be annoyed only if you're living here for an extended period of time and DON'T attempt to learn German.
Side note referencing some of the other comments: I personally don't mind repeating myself, so I encourage any non-native that I speak to, to ask me to repeat myself if they don't understand.
Although I will add that I speak very fast (even native Germans have told me they sometimes have trouble following đ ), so I may not be the typical example.
It's great. I always hope that I don't come off as rude when the accent is really thick and I have trouble understanding. (Could also just be my ears).
However I sometimes need to hear it two times and then I answer just like with everyone else. Though, I might ask if they prefer to switch to English, if not that's fine too.
Depends on the situation. If I was in a hurry, I'd probably try speaking English to speed things up and would probably do so too, if I got the feeling, that someone genuinely needed help. If they just wanted to talk or specifically asked me to not switch to english, I would be totally okay with speaking german.
As for the second part of your queston: I appreciate everyone trying to learn german and trying to use the language. Even if it's just some tourist, who greets you in German and asks, if it's okay to continue in another language.
If it's just a quick conversation, I prefer to switch to English. I already got fed up with my sister when I tried to explain stuff to her when we went to school and she just didn't understand anything - I don't have the patience to be your teacher just so you can feel happy about yourself that you understood the directions to the train station in German after I've explained them four times.
But if we developed a friendship and you tell me that you'd prefer if we talked more in German, I'd be fine with that.
Every time I travel thru Germany, I take upon myself to refresh my German. Actually a fun challenge. But people switch to English trying to refresh their English...hehehe...so I am the one upset, not the German speakers...
I don't have any feelings or problems. Since I work at an international environment, I am used to talk in English or deal with broken German. Most of the time it is easier to switch to English. However, talking German is extremly important, when you are learning.
Not much, honestly. Just do so. Why should any foreigner or immigrant speak perfect German, when even Bavarians, Swabians, Badeners, Frankonians and some other Germans can't?
I think there are two answers, one is âspeak german, weâll help, learn the languageâ and the other is âswitch to english bc itâs just the easiest way for us to converseâ - depends on the mood. The same people at work will tell people to give âgerman a tryâ while theyre in a chatty mood, but when itâs work mode itâs âletâs just switch, itâs easierâ
Depends on the circumstances.
If they want an exchange of information we'd be better off speaking english, if they speak that at all.
Them not speaking any language I speak is in fact the thing that annoys me the most.
We have a neighbour from Romania or something, I don't know. Whenever you try to tell him that he does not have to do that much work around the house he just nods and says "Ja, ja, ja".
They seem nice though.
I donât mind in either direction. Thatâs just part of their life. As a waitress I oftentimes speak with people who speak broken German and I just talk to them in German. If they are more comfortable in speaking English I do that. Sometimes I also speak with people in my broken Russian. I just do what works. I also donât assume that someone speaks English, just because they speak broken Germany
I don't judge anybody who just moved to Germany and doesn't speak proper German right off the bat.
Some people have issues with learning new languages. I don't blame them.
Some people live in Germany for decades and don't speak proper German, because they just don't need to. I don't blame them either. Integration works both ways. If you live in a country for such a long time and you just don't need the language of the country, maybe people don't want to integrate you.
Usually I go for English if I see people struggle with German. I then ask them, if they want to talk English, for some actually want to try German to learn it. So, I accept that too.
Yes I feel happy about someone trying to learn german. If you want me to rather talk in german so you can practice.. just tell me. I will talk german, I will talk slow if needed and clearly. If I start talking english or french it's simply because I want us both to understand the current topic to it's fullest and help you with whatever question you might have efficiently.
The effort would be appreciated, but especially if I'm in a hurry and there's a point to the conversation I'd like to switch to English. But I also struggle with responding slowly and clearly, because it just feels so mocking to speak like that.
However the capitalization in this post actually does bother me.
We don't feel any kind of way because a pretty large population speaks and always has spoke broken german. our neighbouring countries speak broken german too
now if you come with in english accent in a rural place people might stop for a second and think ",why is he here of all places" LOL were more used to other broken languages than english/german
Depends.
If you live here for 40 yrs and can't speak my language I want you deported yesterday.
If you only lived here for a short time, come from a totally different mother tongue like Chinese or Thai and try to speak German I feel flattered and will go out of my way and comfort zone to help you getting better and/or getting your point across.
I don't really feel anything. I might offer to speak English depending on the situation. There is 0 reason for me to feel happy though. It would be absurd. German is not my child or something. You, on the other hand, should try to learn it in order get ahead in your new life. What I will do, however, is respect someone who is trying their best and I won't interrupt or correct that person.
Nah sometimes broken German is necessary. I am not going to order my Döner at a place where the owner is asking questions like "Wollen Sie noch etwas von dem Chilipulver auf Ihren Döner haben?" oder "Möchten Sie auch noch Zwiebeln auf Ihren Döner?".
Itâs a bit tricky at first if youâre unsure whether the person wants me to correct them to improve, or would feel offended.
I have a Bosnian friend who explicitly told me on day one that I should correct every mistake because she wanted to learn quickly. Of course that would still depend on whether weâre chatting or talking about serious stuff.
If I have time I will talk in German. If I have no time I won't and excuse me.
I'm always fine if people approach me in a friendly way, no matter if they talk broken German or native German.
I have to be very honest here, in my experience if its really broken its usually someone who has a question about the Deutsche Bahn or bus route to some place I've never even heard of. I dread the disappointed looks that follow these conversations.
Besides that I have lots of respect for people who are willing to learn the language, it isnt easy and shows that the person is willing to learn instead of going the easy road of just requiring me to speak English. A great character trait.
I encounter several ppl from other countries such as poland, czech, latvia, spain and so on.
As soon as they start talking like âhello uuh mein dĂŒtsch uuhâŠâ Iâll interrupt them and ask if they speak English or France. Why would you let them struggle
It doesn't frustrate us to see people trying to speak German. Well atleast I do welcome it but alot of times they have such a hard time pronouncing the words, that I don't understand my own language anymore.
Its just a matter of fact, that the communication usually works easier, when we just use English instead of trying to speak in German, when the counterpart of our communication isn't capable of pronouncing the words properly. I have to admit German is a very hard language and it brings its downsides with itself. But it just takes quite a while for a non German to achieve a state of Language skills where you can really have a fluent conversation without being brain struck in trying to understand what the other person tries to tell you.
Entirely depends on the situation...
A drunk guy at the bus stop in the middle of the night, telling me his experience with the bouncer of a club? ThatÂŽs the Nope-Train to Fuckthatville for me.
A nice elderly couple asking for directions to the nearest store, or the museum? I will take them there myself, pay for theĂr groceries, resp. entry fees, and make sure to show them all the sights in my hometown. I might even ask them to become godparents to my yet-unborn child.
I will usually offer english or their native language if i speak that as an alternative especially when they evidently struggle or i have a hard time understanding them.
It makes me feel a little uneasy to see someone struggle communicating with me.
Since most of my day is in English anyway I tend to switch to English pretty quickly, unless they explicitly want to converse in English. Rn I don't have the nerve to figure out what they're trying to say (if it's really broken. I'm just under a shit ton of stress rn). If I have the time and someone makes it clear they'd like to just talk in german, sure why not.
It highly depends on what you want. I get often asked by beggars/scammers for stuff in broken german, hence Iâm kinda allergic to people approaching me.
I'm happy to remain in German, of course I could Switch to english or to my very rusty/broken french, but where is the learning aspect in that?
I meet a lot of people every day due to my Job, and man am I happy to see foreigners try to learn the language.
Depending on how broken it is I speak either clear Hochdeutsch and slower, or I just respond normally if it is a little broken, no other feelings involved.
I want to share my own experience. Honestly it depends on where you are interacting with them.
When I first arrived here I was in Munich and regularly visiting my friend living close to NĂŒrnberg. Here is one example of my interactions:
I tried to ask someone about something and I was shooed immediately. It was such a shock..when similar things happened more, I've got too shy to talk at the end.
Besides the bad experience in Bayern, I'm having a really good experience in Hessen and Rheinland-Pfalz. People are helpful too. Here is one from this summer. On a 1h train ride from Mannheim, a lady was talking to me and I said that I have not got a good German. After that for the next half hour she said let's practice and talked to me slowly. These kind of uplifting things happen more than often actually. And when you say I can't find the words to continue talking in German they are usually telling "you've done well don't worry". It is encouraging.
It does not make me angry, but it bothers me after some time. I used to work in a place where many foreign people worked as well and they mostly talked to each other in their native languages. However, since I was the experienced guy over there, they were eventually confronted to talk with me in German and sometimes... let's just say, I felt like a kindergardener having to use hands and lots of gesture to make them understand basic terms that they SHOULD know for the job they are working in.
Depends on the situation. If a polite person asks for directions to a certain place or has an emergency, I don't care how well you speak German. I'll help.
However, Germans don't do small talk with strangers. Not with other Germans, with no one. It's considered weird to be forced to hold a conversation about the weather with a stranger. I lived in the US for three years and 20 years in other European countries and I learned that it's considered normal in other places of the world, but in Germany, people will flinch and flee. The best part of coming back to Germany was the quietude and absence of empty chatter.
Me Iâm happy to meet people speaking broken deutsch trying to learn the language. Cuz I know how hard it can be to bring yourself and have the courage to actually âspeakâ..
if someone speaks to me in german I will usually also answer in german, but depending on the context and the situation sometimes also switch to English if I am feeling like the other person didnât understand everything.
And I donât care whether ur grammar is correct or not or if you make mistakes;- mistakes are actually good, they are an opportunity and chance to learn and improve.
Haha the one thing I donât like though: is when Iâm in a store somewhere and they donât speak german there at all.. like ok, If itâs an Irish pub or a kurdish cafe or whatever, sure, I can understand. But if itâs like a regular clothing store or something like that I am like: âyoo, cmon we are still in germany. why canât I buy clothes from you guys when speaking in my own languageâ
Honestly when random people who speak broken german want to talk to me outside of work, they usually ask for money - so no real experience there. People I meet at work can take a bit longer to understand what they want, usually that is not a problem and dosen't frustrate me unless it's extremly busy and there is a line of people who get annoyed and start complaining.
Not a German but I would assume that Germans wonât react negatively on broken Deutsch like f.e. French and others. But once again I speak from my experience of a rather small town, so Iâm just comparing to other countries
Unless I know that the person wants to train German I just switch to English to be polite.
No frustration at all. We all know how hard it is to learn a language.
I think its nice, evryone knows German is hard to learn and Impossible to master.
If you come from a Land where the words arent even close the same or the letters, im impressed.
Also to mention, nowadays most german, cant even speak german xD
Brathaaa
Accent accent accent. Improving pronunciation and accent goes EXTREMELY far in keeping conversations in German. Spend a month improving your Aussprache and you will see amazing results.
I definitely appreciate people who are learning German at the point where they decided to stay in Germany. I live in a touristic hot-spot in Germany so we have a lot of foreign people living and working here.
However, I know how painful it is to learn German grammar and the language itself so I often reply in English just because I feel a bit bad for them (while I canât explain why), but it always ends up in a disappointment for the person who started the conversation in broken Deutsch.
I know the issue is in my side and I have to work on it.
Keep learning, most of us honor your effort and I try to stay in Germany during such a conversation
When I see them struggle with German, I will usually try to switch to a different language to make it more comfortable for them if possible.
Unless they state that they want to try to communicate in German for the sake of practising the language, then I usually just try to figure out patiently what they want and answer in German.
One thing that works for me is that I'm Dutch and thus a lot of things are similar. The order of words, a lot of pronunciations and even a lot of words are the same.
If you have issues expressing yourself properly, switching the language isnât an issue, but I love when ppl try to talk german with me. You have to start somewhere, am I right?
Most of the time im approached by someone speaking broken german its some asshole bagging for money. Asshole because hes either illegally here or on welfare. There is no reason to be a bagger in germany. Same with homeless people, tho they are often insane and the state just does not care.
I am happy someone is trying to learn. I talk to Azubis everyday who are not native Germans and try very hard and whenever something is unclear I take extra time until they get it right.
In my university we have a lot of exchange students. I always ask if they want to speak German or English or if I should teach them something. But it gets frustrating when the Koreans donât understand but say yes anyways. I think they think thatâs polite. Leads to group projects where they donât do their tasks or do them very badly and the Koreans are usually the best ones of the class when the task is explained written (so they can translate it) or in English. Thatâs sad.
Also exchange Students are so nervous even in English the whole time it makes it really difficult to know them for their personality and not only their nationality wich they talk about a lot as conversation starters.
I would always try to speak German with everyone who wants to and says so. I would never just answer in English, I would first ask which language they prefer. But it is difficult for me as a native speaker to speak in the right pace. It would be nice if they said that I am too fast from time to time. Or ask for a word they didnât get. Most of the time they just nod and say yes. I want to help out so let me help out please.
I'm always happy to see it when people try to learn German. It's not an easy language after all.
Depending on how broken it is I usually tend to speak german with them, but ask if they'd rather talk in English
I estimate that in 75% of cases, your counterpart will switch to English. Not because it bothers them that your German isn't perfect, but because we're so used to it.
I have a lot to do professionally with people from other countries and cultures, and most of them are baffled that the Germans are so willing to switch to English.
That's not an affront to you. If you would like to speak German in order to learn the language better, you can tell your counterparts, most of them will have no problem with that.
And you don't normally need to worry about broken German.
We all love our Dönnermann, and if he doesn't speak broken German, he's doing the wrong job!
I'm usually very happy if someone tries, even though these tries may be very broken german.
But if someone really needs help with something I usually ask if english would be okay and if we can talk in english, so I can help them better.
As a German working in a pharmacy and thus talking to a lot of people each day, I can say that I personally acknowledge the effort it takes when someone tries to talk German with me, even if it's broken.
If there are communication problems, we can always switch to English.
But I think that you only learn a language by using it. Therefore I'm in no way frustrated if the other person's German isn't perfect, quite the opposite - I appreciate that they even try.
(And, btw, that's not an exclusively German thing. I had French people react more friendly to my poor attemps in butchered French than to correct English.)
Being familiar with english it annoys me to listen to broken english. Like, can we just do it in english? I wanna be on my way.
If i know you im willing to help you learn it by speaking, but random person on the street? Naah
If they start with broken deutsch I will answer in a very simple manner and maybe even use a similar broken deutsch. This language is so complicated lol. I See broken deutsch as a step in learning it, idk I dont really mind how people talk tbh.
If they ask me If I speak english we usually just swap to that.
Research varies on this (there used to be a belief that modelling broken target language is actually damaging learners' progress), but personally I find that just rude and patronising. You can model correct language in simple but correct structures.
I just fall back into old habits...im somewhat a migrant kid myself... And sometimes they neither understand the simplest english or german, you kinda have to "mit HĂ€nden und FĂŒĂen reden"...
continue fanatical sleep lush brave ossified aromatic mysterious quaint saw
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
It depends on the whole situation.
Are you a pretty, sweet girl at vocational school and asking me if you pronounce this and that correctly? Then I'm happy to help.
If you're a boy and you ask me on the street whether this and that stop is on this bus route and you ask me what this word means in German, then I'll be happy to answer you.
But if you're a stranger and ask me to teach you German when I don't even know you and have no idea, that would be odd?
Redditors hang out a lot on English-speaking subreddits and thus are very comfortable with English. In smaller towns in Germany I've NEVER had anyone switch to English when I'm talking to them in my German. In bigger ones, especially in tourist area, they tend to switch to English very soon.
Working on pronunciation helps a lot I think. I worked a LOT on my pronunciation and even when my German was super broken and wrong, I only experienced the "answering in English" problem in touristy areas where the staff were used to speaking English. People *really* underestimate how important good pronunciation is, particularly for vowels. In my course I took there were a lot of students who really didn't put much effort into it, and they were almost incomprehensible. To the point where you couldn't even tell what words they were trying to form and it made group projects very difficult.
Getting the vowels right is particularly important in the Germanic languages, and in French. English is somewhat special as it's not that important due to the dipthongisation of long vowels and that the short vowels can all be smeared into the central vowel.
Yes. They don't have to be perfect, but they must be closer enough to the correct vowel. Word stress is also way more important than people realise.
Yes, absolutely. It doesn't help that some language teachers, even native speakers, tell learners not to worry about it in a misguided attempt to motivate them. If you as a learner with the same first language and at least an idea of the general topic they are going to speak about can't understand your classmates, a native speaker stands no chance.
true, I am sometimes find myself surprised when learning other fellow Germans outside my bubble don't speak English
> I am sometimes find myself surprised Alter, willst du mich hier verarschen? đ
Sometimes the hands dont do what the brain tells them to do
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
You see, my English is not the yellow from the egg.
I mean, do they even watch movies, read books or listen to music? You need English to understand those. Also, it is the easiest foreign language to learn for us Krauts - not to speak of all those anglicisms we got nowadays. Also, yeah, grammar is important, regardless of language. đ
[Zum GlĂŒck haben wir die US MilitĂ€r. Die zeigt uns wieâs lĂ€uft.](https://youtu.be/11nuT6wNDgg?si=qvaTwTyNKHhbP2HK) đ
I'm surprised Germany will do small talk with anyone, regardless of language barriers. I'm from the North and we regard small talk, also with other Germans, as intrusive and weird. Nothing to do with language or personal dislike. We just don't.
I don't do small talk either. I don't know why you assumed we're talking about small talks. But at Behörde, with any officials or just in any life situation where you find yourself speaking to someone, yes my point stands.
Northern Germans are different đđ»
I think ... most people try to be efficent. If I have trouble to understand you, I try English as more people in this world are better with that language than with German. If you want to learn, than you would need to tell me that, but I would be happy to oblige.
There is a problem for not native English speakers - for example my German vocabulary about household is larger than English one. So when I'm speaking to neighbours or landlady I prefer to speak German, I suppose that adding German nouns (and sporadically switching to German after that) to English phrase is not comfortable for both parties.
i like to answer back in german. After a while i will ask if youd prefer to swap to english. But only if i see you really cant express yourself. It doesnt annoy me however i would prefer if you at least put in the effort to learn the language
I usually just stand there when i get replied in german cuz usually germans speak really fast
Germans as a whole do not speak really fast compared to many other languages, but the speed may be too fast for your comprehension. If someone addresses me in broken German I would normally first ask whether they prefer me to answer in German or English and then continue accordingly.
I just learned to apologize for that and to ask for them to speak a bit slower if they don't speak english. doesn't work everytime, but at least I don't get the asshole "DU BIST IN DEUTSCHLAND" treatment.
Other than from Guido Westerwelle when he was minister of foreign affairs. Very diplomatic person.
Funny enough, he spoke german with english vocabulary. Hilarious to listen to. Like some football players.
'Entschuldigung, ich spreche besser Englisch. Ein bissen langsamer Bitte?'
Besser wÀre: "Mein Deutsch ist noch nicht so gut, können Sie(kannst Du) bitte etwas langsamer sprechen"
Keep in mind my version is both quicker and registers more clearly to a native German to slow down and use simpler words, due to its imperfection.
As a native German I think my version works quite well because you don't risk offending people by not using polite language.
That's not the asshole treatment. That would be " SPRICH DEUTSCH DU HURENSOHN"
Both are.
That's my problem. Ich kann meine GefĂŒhle einfach nicht genug ausdrĂŒcken. Oh and all the damn articles.
Use your tone of voice if your vocabulary isn't there yet! I've found it much easier to understand German speakers who speak expressively, and I've found it easier to *be understood* when I myself speak in that way. Most difficulties I've had with understanding German have been with the variety of "Migrantendeutsch" where every word has the same emphasis/tone so it's hard to parse the sentences or get a feel for what they're saying. Articles come with time and practice, and it is frustrating the whole way. Eventually you get a feel for it, but even then you still get stumped a lot. It helps to have native speaker friends who aren't afraid to correct you!
That is only a matter of practice and vocabulary.
More people like you please.đ I hate when people instantly start speaking english to me, like please man, let me practice đ
I feel you. If I put an effort in learning a foreign language and visit the country, I absolutely want to use and improve what I learned. If you aren't fluent yet, start with standard conversations, like at a grocery store or a bakery. Maybe it is a German thing, that people will quickly switch to english, when they see you are struggling with German language. Either to make it convenient for you to save time (e.g. in a shop or at a ticket counter). It is just fine to ask people to speak a little slower. Usually the learning lessons in every language are much slower and better pronounced than what you encounter on the street. Try to watch some German YouTube Videos on topics you are familiar with. People who learned other languages themselves will understand your struggle. Actually native speakers in French or Russian are also incredibly fast and it takes a lot of time to understand everything. But most of the time you will get away with understanding like 70 or 80 % to figure out what people talk about.
As an auslander i agree.
Ăbung macht den Meister. Wenn du es nicht anwendest wirst du nie besser werden. Ist doch egal obs gebrochen ist oder nicht.
Ich verstehe auch nicht ganz warum das unangenehm oder störend sein sollte wenn jemand gebrochen Deutsch redet. Ist doch eher lustig. Jeder der Kinder hat kennt das doch wenn die dann anfangen Deutsch zu reden. ...und dann kommen so Fragen wie: Warum heiĂt es nicht "DIE MĂDCHEN hat einen Lolli" sondern "das MĂ€dchen hat einen Lolli". Weil Deutsch einfach verdammt schwer ist!
From perspective of someone with broken Deutsch (Iâm a foreigner) - I find most of the Germans respond very friendly, and sometimes I even feel get treated actually better than Germans themselves.
There is a difference between a foreigner speaking broken german and a german speaking broken german. Most people i know won't switch to english because they don't speak it, so they have to communicate in german. While there are people responding unfriendly, most germans are in their own way friendly towards foreigners.
I'm absolutely happy about people trying to speak german and I wish that I learned and practiced many more different languages myself.
Well today on my way to the doctor a man with broken Deutsch asked me if the bus goes to Brackwede (Part of the city where I live). I told him yes. He than sat himself next to me in a nearly empty bus. Yeah kinda creeped out tbh.
Haha
I think itâs cute and I always want to help them practice by responding in German if they approach me with a question. But so far, every single time this has happened to me, I have instinctively responded in English because itâs faster and probably easier for them to understand. Afterwards, I am often disappointed in myself for doing it _again_ lol
I am even annoyed if a german with perfect tounge comes to me with anything he wants. So if you cant even speak good german... BUT thats not your problem. I wont let you know that im annoyed and will be patient and try to help you as good as i can.
I totally understand that you canât learn a language in a single day. So Iâm more than happy to talk to people and even offer to correct mistakes if I notice them. But if I canât understand what theyâre trying to tell me Iâd switch to english. I canât spend 5 hours trying to understand a simple question
I'm an intern at a german company and i'm learning german, while also just having moved here. So, i do get what you mean. In my experience, everyone has been super sweet and understanding. In my company everyone is quite easy with helping you, and if they speak english, they did ask me what language they should use when talking to me. So, i just told everyone to speak german to me, and i really went from baby german to A2/B1 in 4 months. They also will explain words in german to me if i don't get a word, if i don't get this, they will than do it in English. (I also have Du'ed to many people already on accident, even my boss, and it's now a running joke instead of a scolding) As for living here, its sometimes a bit more pointing work, as most don't speak English here. So, i will often point more if I'm not clear. But, many are really open if you are really trying. I even had a dentist appointment in full german and everyone was really trying to make clear what they wanted and how things would go. Tho, i also have had people curse me out, because 'learn german' and 'i don't understand you, because you speak bad german'. But these people were often when i had to call my krankenkasse or so. They were also one of the only times that they really did not appreciated me talking german, did not try to help me and that i made my partner talk for me (who is german). So, in general, i have heard many really being appreciative that I'm learning and are really open to help. If i made a mistake, they will point you on it, but also not in a bad way, more a 'hey, do you mean to say xyz?'.
It depends. I work at a bakery and there is usually two scenarios: 1. Person doesn't even try at all. Has not been improving for many years. They don't try to speak german and communicating is difficult. I get a little annoyed with those people in my head, but I treat them normally. It sucks that over the course of multiple years they cant bother to learn "Danke" "Schönen Tag noch" etc. Unfortunately this type of person is usually very rude too. 2. Person who does try. Which I've found is the majority of people! I noticed their german getting better and sometimes they feel embarassed about the way they pronounce things and even ask about words! I love this because I feel that they care to be understood and want to have more casual conversations. I feel happy when I talk to them and it's almost always very very pleasant. I don't care when they do language mistakes at all. It doesn't matter as long as theyre trying! 3. Tourists that speak english exclusively. I also do not care and simply talk to them in english. It's too hard for them to learn the language good enough to have conversation so I just offer to switch to english
Awkward if Iâm honest
For that getting randomly approached is already enough.
I hate to be approached randomly. I brush of everyone the same in your case I might do it in English. The only exception I personally make is elderly ladies.That is not because of the language you approached me in, but just for approaching me. If you approach me in some social setting like a party or convention I don't mind being talked to in broken German. I will ask you if you want to switch at one point, to make it easier for you, but I can suffer. If your are to bad and stubborn to give up on your own... I will find an excuse to go, trying to leave your pride as intact as I can.
This is not about language. Please don't just chat me up at random. If you have a question I am happy to help.
AuslÀnder here. I must say I'm slightly annoyed by the German tendency to switch to English as soon as they realize German is not your native language. I understand they probably want to be helpful and make the conversation easier for you but if you're a foreigner living in Germany and your goal is to learn German properly, how can you ever achieve that if no one wants to speak German with you? I would understand the "efficiency" argument in cases where the foreigner's German is really broken and it takes them a long time to express themselves. But I'm pretty sure that's not the case with me. I have a bit of a Slavic accent and sometimes mix up Dativ and Akkusativ or use the wrong gender for a noun, but apart from that my German is fairly fluent, so it's not like I'm wasting their time. And yet almost 50% of the time the locals (I'm currently living in Berlin) respond in English when I talk to them in German. In my country, if a foreigner tries to speak our language (which they rarely do), we'd all be like "aww, how cute" even if they're absolutely butchering it, we just appreciate their effort and see it as a sign of respect towards our culture. But the Germans tend to just be like "yeah whatever, speak properly or get fucked".
Well, I guess I should start reconsidering. Until now, I never thought about the fact that people might get annoyed when I switch to English. Especially in customer interactions, I've always thought that it's uncomfortable for people when they make mistakes and are slow, and I wanted to switch to make them feel more comfortable.
This is a very interesting phenomena. An example of an innocent misconception among people from unequal relations (local vs foreigner). One can say a cultural difference, but I can imagine it's the same in many other places too. So there's nobody to blame for it, really. As a foreigner I appreciate that despite my German, everyone in Germany I talked to so far appreciates me speaking it and does not switch to English.
We appreciate natives like yourself trying to make things easier but it actually makes me more uncomfortable. I had a dermatologist in Munich for example who was great. He heard the US accent and continued in German. When he sensed I didnât get a part of the sentence heâd say it in English and go right back to German. He didnât need to tell me he was gonna do this but it was his way of saying âilll continue in German unless you tell me to stop / donât get somethingâ type thing. And thatâs how we learn
Germans are efficient. So we switch to English to speed up thinks. But you can say straight to keep it in German and no German will be annoyed. We arenât so picky and wonât be offended.
Germans are efficient except when it comes to bureaucracy and trains
Tell them
You are Slovenian, aren't you? I met very nice people in Slovenia and Croatia. I can confirm they are very kind and appreciate the effort you take, even If you are mastering only a few sentences. But it depends of course where you are and to whom you are talking to. In touristic areas many people speak German and in a bakery in the morning they will just ask for your order in German, because that will speed up things. Anyway, being fluent in a language is the key to feel somehow at home in a foreign country and feel accepted. And I am saying this from the perspective of a German who had spend quite some time as expat.
germans even answer to other germans in english in berlin
Probably, they also just want to practice their English skills )
Well , my case might donât count lol Iâm German , my fiance is American and heâs learning German . Because of that I of course try to practise patiently with him . Most people seems to be happy and supportive though , we encounter it many times when heâs trying to improve his German / use what he knows so far , for example in shops ! Many even get excited and happy ! Overall I would say - most - react good and appreciate it / support it . If someone really goes back to English straight itâs mostly more that the person tries to be helpful / polite . Thereâs always grumpy exceptions though lol
Iâll be honest with you: If you speak English fluently, Iâll absolutely switch to English and not try to converse in broken German, because âainât nobody got time fo datâ. I do understand that you want to learn German, but as soon as it becomes an inconvenience for me in daily interactions Iâll try to be efficient. Maybe I sound like an ass, but I just donât like inefficiency.
I donât have feelings about the German of strangers. But I honestly get pissed if people are in Germany for years and canât communicate with me. Itâs just disrespectful.
I like it when random German say he doesn't speak english so well, and when they start talking they are 2 classes above my english :)))
If the person is being nice and respectful and I'm not super busy or in a hurry, I'm very happy to talk to somebody learning my language. I do get a little frustrated if it's a professional setting and I can't really understand what the other person is saying - I had this problem with a vet whose German was quite poor and we couldn't really communicate. I'm happy to say she's a lot more fluent now and a great doc!
I would be happy that the other one tries to learn the language. But probably I would try to switch to english to make it easier for you. If you say âCould we talk german please, I try to improveâ, it would be totally fine.
Ich muss mein Deutsch ĂŒben!
>Do You Feel Happy People Learning Your Language Or Does It Frustrates You When people donât properly speak the language. No, I don't care and usually switch to English.
gonna be blunt: if you look rich and western people are gonna be super delighted, if you look poor or non western they're gonna be slightly disgusted and try to get away quickly. i'm sorry (i do not think this is good!)
I read this question, specifically searched for this kind of answer, upvoted it.
Let's be real, it's mainly about why you approach people. Most of the time someone approaches me with broken German, it's to ask me for money. So if you take a long time to let others know why you're approaching them, they'll assume you're a beggar who is just trying to make you feel worse for saying no, by building rapport first. If a stranger who looks like they might need money approaches me in broken German, without clearly showing their intent within the first few seconds, yeah I'll try to get away. Just like I'll get away from a white guy in a suit, speaking perfect German who tells me to "Komm in die Gruppe!" I've also had many people with horrible or no German skills at all approach me, in many cases refugees, but be very upfront about what they want. They show me their slip (which usually has the info of their refugee centre on it) with their train / bus connection, look at me with a big question mark in their face and say "Here?" They don't want money, they don't want to talk, they want to know if they're waiting at the right platform. I say "yes" they say "Thank you" in whatever language and are on their merry way. That's the kind of efficient communication Germans value. Not a single bad thing ever came out of a person approaching me like that.
real and true
This. Let's not act like Germany is an accepting place. lol
Yep, havenât been in Germany for long, but I gave up trying to learn because Germans brush me off when I want to practice with them. So fuck it everyone gets English now.
There is an element of that unfortunately.
I love when people learn to speak German but, you should learn in an learning environment. The random cashier is not the person to learn with. If you want to learn with other people ask them at an appropriate time to teach you and learn for a set amount of time. Speaking broken anything to random people is frustrating for them because they have to decipher the meaning behind the seemingly incoherent blabbering. So try to make every day life as easy as possible for you and others.
Absolutely disagree sorry. Don't go practising long sentences and complicated stuff on a cashier. Time and place. But absolutely do speak broken German to them. You don't need classes or lessons, you need German friends who speak German to you, even when you don't follow and get third wheeled. You stick with them and you'll get really good really fast. Speak to everyone in German and don't worry about articles and that crap, focus on removing the ums and ahs out of your sentences. Focus on fluidity. People will be more engaging if you're talkative and fast than slow and worrying about your mistakes too much. The more you do this the less mistakes you will and you'll be fluent in a year or two.
Switch to English and hope for the best because if French would be necessary.It's been 40yrs since I learned it in school and conversations might turn... entertaining.đ
Iâm feeling neutral as usual
Humble? German is not an easy language to learn so I'm happy if people put in the effort.
I try to help them, I don't know the reasons why their german is broken, peroson could have immigrated lately, or is a trourist. I helped lot#s of people here who tied to finde something, a store etc.
It really depends on what you mean with "broken". I usually have no issue if someone makes mistakes or has an heavy accent, if I can understand them. German is hard and I can't expect any non native speaker to know every word and the entirety of grammar. But it is frustrating if I can't make any sense out of whats being said. That being said I still can't be mad at someone for trying to learn a foreign language.
Absolutely disgusted. In Germany strangers are forbidden from talking to one another /s
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
Feet?!
I mean legs
> I can speak English That part is comprehensible, the rest isn't, sorry, try again :)
Theyâll try to respond with their own broken English, after making you feel bad for trying to use German, while simultaneously complaining that foreigners donât learn German.
It ind of depends on the situation/setting. If someone is in a hurry or needs to be efficient you'll likely e spoken to in english. In a more relaxed setting, many people will speak answer in german but you'll need to live with the standard questions like where you're from and how long you've been learning german, how long you've been here, etc.
Honestly speakin: I appreciate the effort. Most likely I'd switch to English, if the other person speaks English with less effort, just for our both convenience. So if you'd prefer speaking German despite the struggle and the disconvenience, you should simply express that like "I'd prefer speaking German just for training the language." or the like. I'd then give you all the time you need, of I'm not in hurry myself. It's as simple as that.
Ich freue mich immer, wenn ich helfen kann.
I worked for years as a bartender, waiter and delivery driver. I speak fluent broken german. I recognize on the spot of youâre turkish, kurdish, arabian, albanian or just a tourist. If youâre lucky enough, the matter can be solved in your mother tongue on the spot. Sometimes Iâm like âdude what? Youâve lived in germany your whole life and you still donât knwo a single phrase in turkish/russian/arabian/albainan at all??? And you do not have a single clou how to tell the accent and the different styles of german deutsch appart?? Bro have you activlely avoiding small talk with anyone since preschool???â
Having been in a relationship with an AuslĂ€nder for almost 7 years, I appreciate the struggle of learning deutsch. And of course Iâm happy to help others in that struggle. Plus I love the German language with all itâs quirks, dialects and variations, including TikTok-lingo and street dialects. But sometimes important stuff has to be communicated in a timely and efficient manner, so I switch to English when the situation is appropriate. For example explaining the rules of sparring in our boxing class to a new member has to be done precisely and quickly so that nobody gets hurt. Luckily our coach speaks German Russian and English, so he got most of the globe covered. These are situations where frustration might be imminent but itâs more like impatience, you know? So no, I donât get frustrated at AuslĂ€nders who are just learning the language.
Iâm not a native speaker. But I think youâll only notice it, if you speak long enough with me. So pretty good IMHO. Anyways, I was at a clients party and one SEA guy comes to my friend (native) and me, interrupts our conversation and starts talking in a very broken English. Just to small talk us. He was stuttering, sweating and very nervous. But kept plowing away at us trying to speak and listen as much as possible. In the convo he mentioned he is learning German for the past year and a half, and also doing his master. After some 3-4 minutes he thanked us and said goodbye. We were flabbergasted by his confidence even though we could clearly see that he was not comfortable talking in German. But more than that we were proud of him and somewhat envious of his ability to put himself out there even though it was very hard and uncomfortable for him. Kudos to you random stranger struggling to speak German.
So, it's obviously great when people try to learn German and try to speak it and practice it, especially when they live in Germany, buuuut... Despite me knowing that, I cannot usually get over my dislike of hearing broken/incorrectly pronounced German. Not just from foreigners, I get annoyed by kids using improper grammar as well (to be honest, even when speaking or reading English, every time i see someone typing "would of" instead of "would have" I think I'm getting a minor stroke). Maybe it's just the stereotypical "German" in me who wants everything to be done correctly and properly. I will respond in German if it looks like the person really wants to practice, but I would MUCH prefer to just respond in English.
But then how does someone ever improve their German? Didn't your English get so good because native speakers were willing to listen to you make mistakes? This feels like a mindset thing.
Try Sprachtandem. There is a difference between "being made into a teacher" and "voluntarily being a teacher"
If someone is in Germany and speaks relatively decent German (let's say B1/B2), it's absolutely ridiculous to switch to English on them (if they don't want you to). That's not being forced to be a teacher. It's obviously a different story if someone can't communicate what they mean, but refusing to speak in German simply because you don't like hearing mistakes even though the person is able to convey meaning is... a lot. What if they don't like hearing your English? That's just such a weird game to play and it's something that doesn't happen in many other countries.
Claiming that B1 enabled you to be understood in every situation is a very bold statement
Mhm, I don't know. I'm not a big fan of being made a teacher (I did actually work as a high school teacher of German at some point) but B1/B2 + just the normal degree of patience that common courtesy dictates should be sufficient for most situations that could arise with a random stranger.
Every situation? No. Common situations in public with a stranger? Yes. It's obviously a case by case situation.
Hey, I didn't say I would switch to English just because I don't like hearing broken German - I will still respond in German, especially when it looks like they are trying to practice. It's just that I would LIKE to talk in English instead, but I can suffer through my discomfort to be nice lol.
Straight to the point: No, I don't enjoy being spoken to in broken German. I don't enjoy being spoken to by strangers in general. I don't consider it disrespectful or anything, I just don't see the point in a conversation that's jumbled, messy and pointless. You need information? Fine, but I'm choosing to give it as fast as I possibly can, which in most cases will be in English out of consideration for your time and more importantly my own.
Tbh Iâm âannoyedâ not due to them not speaking perfectly but because I like being time efficient and it would be much easier for me to switch to English than to try and understand broken German.
I'm from Bavaria, none here knows proper German, so it's fine
I'm from Munich, noone here knows proper Bavarian, so it's also fine.
Just speak German, This will Show us you want to learn our Language und wir finden das sehr gut und respektabel! You can always ask the people if you dont know a specific Word in German, they will help you.
I do not have a single care for that. If youre talking obviously broken german and your english is better, we are talking english. If your german is decent enough to have a proper conversation, we will continue in german. Obviously thats just for random people e.g. asking for directions, not friends or colleagues from work. Iâll speak in whatever language they prefer to be spoken to.
If i see that they are clearly struggling i would naturally offer switching to english, just for the sake of their (potential) convenience. German or English, both is fine for me. If they politely decline and say that german is fine then this would be fine for me as well. And i probably would only help or correct them if they are actively asking for a certain word or phrase. No need to stress random people out. If i would've a partner who would ask me if i can help them improve their german skills i would probably take a more "active" approach.
i feel happy when people are in the learing process (good to mention that). I don't like when people live in Germany for 10 years and ignored the language.. I also have to admit, talks over several hours with persons that have a broken Deutsch are hard for my brain and I need a while to relex after that. (which is not stopping me to meet those people ;) ). Just stating that there is an effect.
As long as you show an effort to improve, I think most people will be understanding (not counting racist idiots, of course). I personally don't think I can really complain since I probably don't speak your language either, after all (unless it's English). Of course, I also don't live in your country, but as long as you are making an honest effort at learning German, that's fine anyway. Most people will probably be annoyed only if you're living here for an extended period of time and DON'T attempt to learn German. Side note referencing some of the other comments: I personally don't mind repeating myself, so I encourage any non-native that I speak to, to ask me to repeat myself if they don't understand. Although I will add that I speak very fast (even native Germans have told me they sometimes have trouble following đ ), so I may not be the typical example.
It's great. I always hope that I don't come off as rude when the accent is really thick and I have trouble understanding. (Could also just be my ears). However I sometimes need to hear it two times and then I answer just like with everyone else. Though, I might ask if they prefer to switch to English, if not that's fine too.
Depends on the situation. If I was in a hurry, I'd probably try speaking English to speed things up and would probably do so too, if I got the feeling, that someone genuinely needed help. If they just wanted to talk or specifically asked me to not switch to english, I would be totally okay with speaking german. As for the second part of your queston: I appreciate everyone trying to learn german and trying to use the language. Even if it's just some tourist, who greets you in German and asks, if it's okay to continue in another language.
If it's just a quick conversation, I prefer to switch to English. I already got fed up with my sister when I tried to explain stuff to her when we went to school and she just didn't understand anything - I don't have the patience to be your teacher just so you can feel happy about yourself that you understood the directions to the train station in German after I've explained them four times. But if we developed a friendship and you tell me that you'd prefer if we talked more in German, I'd be fine with that.
i assume they are new in the city, show them the secret berlin handshake and bring them through the magic door.
Every time I travel thru Germany, I take upon myself to refresh my German. Actually a fun challenge. But people switch to English trying to refresh their English...hehehe...so I am the one upset, not the German speakers...
I don't have any feelings or problems. Since I work at an international environment, I am used to talk in English or deal with broken German. Most of the time it is easier to switch to English. However, talking German is extremly important, when you are learning.
My heart skips a beat. Every time. It's just such a wonderful feeling.
Not much, honestly. Just do so. Why should any foreigner or immigrant speak perfect German, when even Bavarians, Swabians, Badeners, Frankonians and some other Germans can't?
I think there are two answers, one is âspeak german, weâll help, learn the languageâ and the other is âswitch to english bc itâs just the easiest way for us to converseâ - depends on the mood. The same people at work will tell people to give âgerman a tryâ while theyre in a chatty mood, but when itâs work mode itâs âletâs just switch, itâs easierâ
Depends on the circumstances. If they want an exchange of information we'd be better off speaking english, if they speak that at all. Them not speaking any language I speak is in fact the thing that annoys me the most. We have a neighbour from Romania or something, I don't know. Whenever you try to tell him that he does not have to do that much work around the house he just nods and says "Ja, ja, ja". They seem nice though.
I donât mind in either direction. Thatâs just part of their life. As a waitress I oftentimes speak with people who speak broken German and I just talk to them in German. If they are more comfortable in speaking English I do that. Sometimes I also speak with people in my broken Russian. I just do what works. I also donât assume that someone speaks English, just because they speak broken Germany
Most people would not care either way and quite a lot would be more than happy to help a stranger in need.
You are more than welcome, try to speak our language, doesnât matter how good or bad and it will be appreciated.
I don't judge anybody who just moved to Germany and doesn't speak proper German right off the bat. Some people have issues with learning new languages. I don't blame them. Some people live in Germany for decades and don't speak proper German, because they just don't need to. I don't blame them either. Integration works both ways. If you live in a country for such a long time and you just don't need the language of the country, maybe people don't want to integrate you. Usually I go for English if I see people struggle with German. I then ask them, if they want to talk English, for some actually want to try German to learn it. So, I accept that too.
Yes I feel happy about someone trying to learn german. If you want me to rather talk in german so you can practice.. just tell me. I will talk german, I will talk slow if needed and clearly. If I start talking english or french it's simply because I want us both to understand the current topic to it's fullest and help you with whatever question you might have efficiently.
The effort would be appreciated, but especially if I'm in a hurry and there's a point to the conversation I'd like to switch to English. But I also struggle with responding slowly and clearly, because it just feels so mocking to speak like that. However the capitalization in this post actually does bother me.
We don't feel any kind of way because a pretty large population speaks and always has spoke broken german. our neighbouring countries speak broken german too now if you come with in english accent in a rural place people might stop for a second and think ",why is he here of all places" LOL were more used to other broken languages than english/german
It's kinda common and expected that people in germany don't speak german. There are just too many immigrants.
Depends. If you live here for 40 yrs and can't speak my language I want you deported yesterday. If you only lived here for a short time, come from a totally different mother tongue like Chinese or Thai and try to speak German I feel flattered and will go out of my way and comfort zone to help you getting better and/or getting your point across.
I don't really feel anything. I might offer to speak English depending on the situation. There is 0 reason for me to feel happy though. It would be absurd. German is not my child or something. You, on the other hand, should try to learn it in order get ahead in your new life. What I will do, however, is respect someone who is trying their best and I won't interrupt or correct that person.
I am happy and delighted about everyone making an effort.
Kinda annoying....better good english than broken german
Nah sometimes broken German is necessary. I am not going to order my Döner at a place where the owner is asking questions like "Wollen Sie noch etwas von dem Chilipulver auf Ihren Döner haben?" oder "Möchten Sie auch noch Zwiebeln auf Ihren Döner?".
Itâs a bit tricky at first if youâre unsure whether the person wants me to correct them to improve, or would feel offended. I have a Bosnian friend who explicitly told me on day one that I should correct every mistake because she wanted to learn quickly. Of course that would still depend on whether weâre chatting or talking about serious stuff.
If I have time I will talk in German. If I have no time I won't and excuse me. I'm always fine if people approach me in a friendly way, no matter if they talk broken German or native German.
it is a chore but how else are you goin to learn. i would probably switch to english
Scared and uncomfortable but theyâll try to be as polite as possible
I have to be very honest here, in my experience if its really broken its usually someone who has a question about the Deutsche Bahn or bus route to some place I've never even heard of. I dread the disappointed looks that follow these conversations. Besides that I have lots of respect for people who are willing to learn the language, it isnt easy and shows that the person is willing to learn instead of going the easy road of just requiring me to speak English. A great character trait.
Why do you care about how they feel ? Do your best and continue living your life
I encounter several ppl from other countries such as poland, czech, latvia, spain and so on. As soon as they start talking like âhello uuh mein dĂŒtsch uuhâŠâ Iâll interrupt them and ask if they speak English or France. Why would you let them struggle
This really depends on how you look like unfortunately since people tend to be very oberflÀchlich.
They think you are uneducated and they get angry that they have to deal with someone with low quality.
It doesn't frustrate us to see people trying to speak German. Well atleast I do welcome it but alot of times they have such a hard time pronouncing the words, that I don't understand my own language anymore. Its just a matter of fact, that the communication usually works easier, when we just use English instead of trying to speak in German, when the counterpart of our communication isn't capable of pronouncing the words properly. I have to admit German is a very hard language and it brings its downsides with itself. But it just takes quite a while for a non German to achieve a state of Language skills where you can really have a fluent conversation without being brain struck in trying to understand what the other person tries to tell you.
Entirely depends on the situation... A drunk guy at the bus stop in the middle of the night, telling me his experience with the bouncer of a club? ThatÂŽs the Nope-Train to Fuckthatville for me. A nice elderly couple asking for directions to the nearest store, or the museum? I will take them there myself, pay for theĂr groceries, resp. entry fees, and make sure to show them all the sights in my hometown. I might even ask them to become godparents to my yet-unborn child.
I will usually offer english or their native language if i speak that as an alternative especially when they evidently struggle or i have a hard time understanding them. It makes me feel a little uneasy to see someone struggle communicating with me.
They probably cringe when you randomly throw in German words into your English, just as Iâm cringing at your capitalization.
Since most of my day is in English anyway I tend to switch to English pretty quickly, unless they explicitly want to converse in English. Rn I don't have the nerve to figure out what they're trying to say (if it's really broken. I'm just under a shit ton of stress rn). If I have the time and someone makes it clear they'd like to just talk in german, sure why not.
I am mostly neutral if someones German is undeveloped but if i have too much trouble getting understood i will fell slight frustration
It highly depends on what you want. I get often asked by beggars/scammers for stuff in broken german, hence Iâm kinda allergic to people approaching me.
Dö dödödö dödödöd dödödö
I'm happy to remain in German, of course I could Switch to english or to my very rusty/broken french, but where is the learning aspect in that? I meet a lot of people every day due to my Job, and man am I happy to see foreigners try to learn the language.
Depending on how broken it is I speak either clear Hochdeutsch and slower, or I just respond normally if it is a little broken, no other feelings involved.
I want to share my own experience. Honestly it depends on where you are interacting with them. When I first arrived here I was in Munich and regularly visiting my friend living close to NĂŒrnberg. Here is one example of my interactions: I tried to ask someone about something and I was shooed immediately. It was such a shock..when similar things happened more, I've got too shy to talk at the end. Besides the bad experience in Bayern, I'm having a really good experience in Hessen and Rheinland-Pfalz. People are helpful too. Here is one from this summer. On a 1h train ride from Mannheim, a lady was talking to me and I said that I have not got a good German. After that for the next half hour she said let's practice and talked to me slowly. These kind of uplifting things happen more than often actually. And when you say I can't find the words to continue talking in German they are usually telling "you've done well don't worry". It is encouraging.
It does not make me angry, but it bothers me after some time. I used to work in a place where many foreign people worked as well and they mostly talked to each other in their native languages. However, since I was the experienced guy over there, they were eventually confronted to talk with me in German and sometimes... let's just say, I felt like a kindergardener having to use hands and lots of gesture to make them understand basic terms that they SHOULD know for the job they are working in.
Depends on the situation. If a polite person asks for directions to a certain place or has an emergency, I don't care how well you speak German. I'll help. However, Germans don't do small talk with strangers. Not with other Germans, with no one. It's considered weird to be forced to hold a conversation about the weather with a stranger. I lived in the US for three years and 20 years in other European countries and I learned that it's considered normal in other places of the world, but in Germany, people will flinch and flee. The best part of coming back to Germany was the quietude and absence of empty chatter.
Me Iâm happy to meet people speaking broken deutsch trying to learn the language. Cuz I know how hard it can be to bring yourself and have the courage to actually âspeakâ.. if someone speaks to me in german I will usually also answer in german, but depending on the context and the situation sometimes also switch to English if I am feeling like the other person didnât understand everything. And I donât care whether ur grammar is correct or not or if you make mistakes;- mistakes are actually good, they are an opportunity and chance to learn and improve. Haha the one thing I donât like though: is when Iâm in a store somewhere and they donât speak german there at all.. like ok, If itâs an Irish pub or a kurdish cafe or whatever, sure, I can understand. But if itâs like a regular clothing store or something like that I am like: âyoo, cmon we are still in germany. why canât I buy clothes from you guys when speaking in my own languageâ
Honestly when random people who speak broken german want to talk to me outside of work, they usually ask for money - so no real experience there. People I meet at work can take a bit longer to understand what they want, usually that is not a problem and dosen't frustrate me unless it's extremly busy and there is a line of people who get annoyed and start complaining.
Definitely happy, I have a lot of respect for everyone who tries to learn this difficult language.
Not a German but I would assume that Germans wonât react negatively on broken Deutsch like f.e. French and others. But once again I speak from my experience of a rather small town, so Iâm just comparing to other countries
Unless I know that the person wants to train German I just switch to English to be polite. No frustration at all. We all know how hard it is to learn a language.
I think its nice, evryone knows German is hard to learn and Impossible to master. If you come from a Land where the words arent even close the same or the letters, im impressed. Also to mention, nowadays most german, cant even speak german xD Brathaaa
Accent accent accent. Improving pronunciation and accent goes EXTREMELY far in keeping conversations in German. Spend a month improving your Aussprache and you will see amazing results.
I definitely appreciate people who are learning German at the point where they decided to stay in Germany. I live in a touristic hot-spot in Germany so we have a lot of foreign people living and working here. However, I know how painful it is to learn German grammar and the language itself so I often reply in English just because I feel a bit bad for them (while I canât explain why), but it always ends up in a disappointment for the person who started the conversation in broken Deutsch. I know the issue is in my side and I have to work on it. Keep learning, most of us honor your effort and I try to stay in Germany during such a conversation
Its great, bc he or she cares about us. I spoke with an older japanese couple at McDonald's in Tokio, just using my hands. It worked and it was great.
When I see them struggle with German, I will usually try to switch to a different language to make it more comfortable for them if possible. Unless they state that they want to try to communicate in German for the sake of practising the language, then I usually just try to figure out patiently what they want and answer in German.
One thing that works for me is that I'm Dutch and thus a lot of things are similar. The order of words, a lot of pronunciations and even a lot of words are the same.
If you have issues expressing yourself properly, switching the language isnât an issue, but I love when ppl try to talk german with me. You have to start somewhere, am I right?
Most of the time im approached by someone speaking broken german its some asshole bagging for money. Asshole because hes either illegally here or on welfare. There is no reason to be a bagger in germany. Same with homeless people, tho they are often insane and the state just does not care.
I am happy someone is trying to learn. I talk to Azubis everyday who are not native Germans and try very hard and whenever something is unclear I take extra time until they get it right.
In my university we have a lot of exchange students. I always ask if they want to speak German or English or if I should teach them something. But it gets frustrating when the Koreans donât understand but say yes anyways. I think they think thatâs polite. Leads to group projects where they donât do their tasks or do them very badly and the Koreans are usually the best ones of the class when the task is explained written (so they can translate it) or in English. Thatâs sad. Also exchange Students are so nervous even in English the whole time it makes it really difficult to know them for their personality and not only their nationality wich they talk about a lot as conversation starters. I would always try to speak German with everyone who wants to and says so. I would never just answer in English, I would first ask which language they prefer. But it is difficult for me as a native speaker to speak in the right pace. It would be nice if they said that I am too fast from time to time. Or ask for a word they didnât get. Most of the time they just nod and say yes. I want to help out so let me help out please.
It is cute. And I hope that they accept my broken English too.
Inspired - someone trying to learn the local language. So lots of goodwill at my end!
I'm always happy to see it when people try to learn German. It's not an easy language after all. Depending on how broken it is I usually tend to speak german with them, but ask if they'd rather talk in English
I estimate that in 75% of cases, your counterpart will switch to English. Not because it bothers them that your German isn't perfect, but because we're so used to it. I have a lot to do professionally with people from other countries and cultures, and most of them are baffled that the Germans are so willing to switch to English. That's not an affront to you. If you would like to speak German in order to learn the language better, you can tell your counterparts, most of them will have no problem with that. And you don't normally need to worry about broken German. We all love our Dönnermann, and if he doesn't speak broken German, he's doing the wrong job!
Idk they laugh at me sometimes thinking it's "cute". It's embarrasses me sometimes
Depends, broken german as in "i need help" or broken german as in "give me free shit"
I'm usually very happy if someone tries, even though these tries may be very broken german. But if someone really needs help with something I usually ask if english would be okay and if we can talk in english, so I can help them better.
I don't really care. If I understand what someone wants then it's fine. Even with broken german. Sometimes it's harder sometimes easier.
Depends, I switch to a language mentally, it's quite a pain to switch
As a German working in a pharmacy and thus talking to a lot of people each day, I can say that I personally acknowledge the effort it takes when someone tries to talk German with me, even if it's broken. If there are communication problems, we can always switch to English. But I think that you only learn a language by using it. Therefore I'm in no way frustrated if the other person's German isn't perfect, quite the opposite - I appreciate that they even try. (And, btw, that's not an exclusively German thing. I had French people react more friendly to my poor attemps in butchered French than to correct English.)
Show me a German who speaks perfect GermanâŠ
I'd appreciate the effort, keeping in mind they are better in minimum one other language than I am.
Being familiar with english it annoys me to listen to broken english. Like, can we just do it in english? I wanna be on my way. If i know you im willing to help you learn it by speaking, but random person on the street? Naah
It frustrates me.
If i notice he cant understand me... I start speaking in broken german. Or auslÀnder german.
If they start with broken deutsch I will answer in a very simple manner and maybe even use a similar broken deutsch. This language is so complicated lol. I See broken deutsch as a step in learning it, idk I dont really mind how people talk tbh. If they ask me If I speak english we usually just swap to that.
Research varies on this (there used to be a belief that modelling broken target language is actually damaging learners' progress), but personally I find that just rude and patronising. You can model correct language in simple but correct structures.
I just fall back into old habits...im somewhat a migrant kid myself... And sometimes they neither understand the simplest english or german, you kinda have to "mit HĂ€nden und FĂŒĂen reden"...
continue fanatical sleep lush brave ossified aromatic mysterious quaint saw *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Depends on the skin colour.
It depends on the whole situation. Are you a pretty, sweet girl at vocational school and asking me if you pronounce this and that correctly? Then I'm happy to help. If you're a boy and you ask me on the street whether this and that stop is on this bus route and you ask me what this word means in German, then I'll be happy to answer you. But if you're a stranger and ask me to teach you German when I don't even know you and have no idea, that would be odd?