100 SHOCKING Differences Between Germany and America! 🇩🇪 

What differences should I include in the NEXT 100 differences video?? 😅

You know what I find fascinating every time I see it in an American movie or Series? The American assumption that if your car is in your driveway you must be at home. That there is no other plausible alternative. I've seen and heard it innumerable times. Its almost an American figure of speech "Open the door Bob*! I know you're in there, i can see your car outside/ I can see your car in the driveway!" it just shows that we have a vastly different car culture in our two countries. A German would assume that someone is home if they can see the person's car outside their home but they would never take it as a certain fact like I feel Americans do. A German might be out and about on foot, on their bicycle or maybe take the tram to the zoo. Nobody ever talks about this and I just find it intriguing. 😅

In Germany the groudfloor level is often marked with E for Erdgeschoss instead of 0.

6:53 OMG! I used to drink Fanta as a child and then had a phase where I only drank water. After that, even the German Fanta was over the top sweet! Can't imagine that to be increased even more.

In Germany we don't need to fly our flag. We KNOW that we are German and in Germany. We don't need to check our flagpole to see it that still persists. 🙂

81: There is a positive side effect of having the lights on the side the cars have to stop, they do not roll over the stop line onto the pedestrian crossing area (at least that is why city planners love the European traffic light position).

In Germany you have traffic lights also on the sides. The ones high above the road are meant to be seen from farther behind, where the lights in the side might not be visible. In case the road markings aren't visible in bad weather or snow, the driver always knows where to stop - in front of the lights. In the US, try to figure that out when the markings aren't visible.

look, if the traffic lights were on the other side, how would the car behind you see that it turned green a second ago and start honking immediately?

That's because the U.S. is made for cars and Europe is made for people. Since here at almost every traffic light also a crosswalk + bike lane, the American way would be much too dangerous, or would at least hinder the pedestrians! 🤷‍♂

Alright, Donnie, intervention: "Róllladen" is stressed on the first syllable, also just "Róllo" for short. Stressing it as "Rollláden" might cause hunger and confusion with "Rouláden", rolled-up slices of meat with filling (which my dictionary tells me are called "olives" in English).

that whatsapp is nearly unknown in the usa baffles me, because whatsapp was bought from facebook.

A few comments.... My wife and I use separate duvets in the US. We picked this up from our 2018 trip to Germany! We totally fell for the Eiskaffe in Salzburg this past May. We ordered the Eiscaffee and a dessert not knowing they would both be dessert items! One "older difference" that might not be a thing anymore is eating pizza with a knife and fork. I did this quite frequently on school trips in 1989 and 1990. BUT, on my 2017 trip with my family, we ordered pizza in Remagen, as did some older German teenage girls next to us. I told my 14 year old daughter to use a knife and fork to eat her pizza. She thought I was crazy! Low and behold, the German girls' pizza came out after ours and they ate it with their hands, like in America. My daughter wouldn't talk to me the rest of the night. 🤣🤣🤣

It's so funny that Americans don't pronounce "crêpes" like "Krepp" (as it's supposed to be pronounce) but rather say something that sounds like "grapes". So I often don't know if they are talking about thin pancakes or the berries of the vine. 😁

I am so impressed that actually found 100 differences between Germany and the US. amazing! It's great that you don't judge and just get used to the different culture. That's exactly what I - being a German - did when I lived in the US for 6 years.

Nice Video :D but i will never understand why americans still dont use the metricsystem I mean even China is using it 😂

This was an insanely entertaining and totally rich video. I am an Austrian living in Canada and truly loved that video. You guys are awesome -- keep it up.

i would not compare Pfannkuchen with pancakes, they are not similar enough to be compared direktly.... like a pfannkuchen is also NOT a crepe

To difference 27: Sometimes you have to do that in fast food restaurants or "Würstchenbuden", but in "normal" restaurant you usually get extra ketchup for free.

No 81 - the US way may be more convenient but the German way is safer. The same goes for (no) right turns on red. Watch "Not just bikes". In one of the more recent videos, he's talking about it.

Great, you have killed all your competitors! What will they be talking about after this complete list?

About difference 10: Not only that, but on most American eggs, an outer waxy layer is removed before they are sold, whereas German eggs don't get treated this way. This layer protects them eggs from certain germs, thus American eggs need to stay cooled while German eggs can stay in cooler areas of the house

There is no tv "tax" but a fee or dues. Taxes can be spent on/for anything in Germany, while fees or dues are to be used subject-related.

Just got back from Germany and loved it especially the vent windows. I also liked how bike lanes are separated from the road as to protect those of us who ride and don’t want to end up under someone’s car.

Objection, your honor - I have just spent four weeks in the US and wherever I went - Washington, Oregon and California - you would be given as many bags as you wanted but your would be charged between 15 and 25 cents for them. As far as the Frankfurters are concerned - buying them in a glass is just as as much an act of desperation as buying them in a vacuum wrapper - you buy them fresh from the butcher stall in your supermarket or directly from the butcher. Plus one thing I noticed while on my road trip in the US - the vacuum wrapped frankfurters have to be heated before consumption according to information on the wrapper - the ones in Germany can be eaten cold from the glass or package.

In Germany, we also have two major parties but four others that have a say in the decision-making process, and the remaining parties are irrelevant. But each party has the potential to get into government. Unfortunately, the last party to do so was the extreme right AFD. A party needs more than 5% to get into the Bundestag and more than 50% to govern, but several parties can join forces to get above 50%. For those interested in German politics: Government - SPD social working class party - FDP neoliberal party - Güne environmental protection party slightly left opposition - CDU conservative party - Linke very left party - AFD very right party The other parties in the government would have preferred to work with the Linke rather than with the FDP, but unfortunately the percentage points were not enough. One could perhaps mention the following: - CSU regional party, extremely conservative, cooperates with CDU. - Piraten young internet-savvy party that unfortunately lost voters due to internal disputes. - die Partei, a group of satirists who always draw attention to themselves with crazy actions. - NPD Neo-Nazis, which fortunately never really had power and is fought at every point.

Even if there a jars with sausages - usually (if not bought at a Metzger) we get them packed from the fridge section in the supermarket, too. But the jars come handy as they usually have a much longer shelf date and you can use them as reserve when you do not have any in the fridge.

Interesting list. 2 comments as German: No. 63: when counting with the fingers, the 4 is shown with the little finger folded; except people with pronounced rheumatism (etc.) count the 4 as you show it. No. 81: the road marking, the wide (!) line in front of the traffic light is a traffic sign (prohibition and mandatory sign) that you have to stick to (!); running over it on red is a crime! If you stick to it, you can of course see the traffic light without any contortions! If you look at the videos of "Not just bikes" you can see that almost no American sticks to this rule - it's probably a rule to be followed in the USA too!

Some of these don't apply to me (as a "German") at all, so I guess your observations must be based on the specific region you're at (Rheinland-Pfalz, was it?) or the people you socialize with. Some examples: 003 - Book titles - I have quite a bunch of German books on my shelves that have the title read from top to bottom. I suppose there isn't really a rule for that in Germany. 005 - Eggs - We actually have multiple sizes of egg cartons, most commonly 6 and 10, so I guess buying two smaller ones will give you the American experience. 008 - Seperate vs single covers - Again, something that doesn't really have a rule attached. Many German couples share a large, single cover, but just as many have separate ones, although that seems to be a newer development. 014 - Checkout clerks - Luckily, for the majority of stores, you're right, but we do have stores where cashiers have to stand all day. 017 - Wurstwasser - While those glasses with hot dog sausages are indeed a common sight, we also have dry ones in plastic packs. 023 - Eggs - In Germany, boiled eggs are a staple, however, whether they're soft-, medium-, or hard-boiled comes down to individual taste. For me, the yolk should be soft but the white should be solid. Oh, and we also eat scrambled eggs for breakfast. If you ever order breakfast at a German restaurant, bakery or café, you're more likely to get scrambled eggs than boiled ones. 027 - Extra packets of sauce - This is true for the big ones, like McDonald's, Burger King, etc., but you often get free extra sauce at small places, like the local Döner vendor 030 - Toilets - Nothing wrong here, but I find it peculiar that you didn't point out the little "platform" many German toilets have. Whenever I see Americans talk about that, they assume that Germans weirdly love to look at twhat they just made and thus have that display shelf, but I always assumed it's so that no toilet water splashes up to your butt. 046 - School grades - Again, nothing wrong here, but I don't think the American E is "mysteriously" skipped. I assume there are four "passing" grades that go A-D and one F-ailed grade. It's a nice coincidence that they nearly line up, but I don't think anything's actually missing. Also, in the highest level of the "Gymnasium", the so-called "Oberstufe", grades get replaced by scores ranging from 0 to 15, with 15 being the equivalent of a 1+. 052 - Free refill - Right, for the most part. I've been in some German KFC restaurants (which I hear are way better than the US-original) where free-refill is a thing. You did say "usually", though. 081 - The objectively wrong side for traffic lights - While having the traffic lights right above your head is not helpful, German traffic lights ususally do have another lower one on the sides of the road. One is even visible in the footage you're showing, to the left of the road.

81: I here that from americans over and over again. But I do not know a single traffic light, where there is not also a traffic light to the side so that you are **not** forced to look straight up. The traffic lights above the streets are only needed by cars that are farther away and are not in the front line.

Number 81 is the classic Americans do it allways wrong issue! Stop looking on the traffic light above you if you are in first row! your traffic light is on the right therefore! The lights above you are for the cars behind you so they can see it from there. The car in the first row is supposed to check for pedestrians, bycicles and other possible situations so they look to the right have their side mirror in view as well. This is also the main reason why the people that want to turn left for example have their seperated traffic light on the left side too so they see if anyone or anything is to their left that might cause an accident.

Another difference: Americans float on cloud #9 while Germans float on cloud #7😀

Small correction: The church tax isn't different based on the question if you are catholic or protestant, the tax is different based on the state you life in. But within the state in question, all christians pay the same (as long as they are part of a chuch).

Donnie over here doing the cannonball run of cultural differences. I wanted to comment on one of the points somewhere in the 20s but by the time I gut to the comment section you where ten points on and I forgot what I wanted to say.

Your calendar starts on sundays? Well that’s weird

The US has common law, whereas Germany has civil law

ah yes kinder eggs are forbidden in america because they are so dangerous for children. rather get your child a nice assult rifle , thats safe and really good for them

6:27 that is the difference between a Bratwurst and a Hotdog, wich you can both get in germany

I agree with the traffic lights comments from before. Don't drive so close that you need to look up at the sky. And most traffic lights, as stated are up, to the right, and/or. The traffic light here in Dormagen are to the right and left and I personally have never seen seen them upstairs where you need to crane your neck although I do agree, don't drive all the way up there because it's red. You need to wait anyway. My thoughts. Just as no ones needs to speed to the red light.

There is a good reason traffic lights are like that in Germany, it forces drivers to not stop too close to the intersection, which is a known problem in US.

This is one of your best videos so far. Enjoyed it a lot.

Aber why are you wohning in Deutschland? Deutschland is the badest location you can wohning in the Universum!

A billion in Germany is actually a "bi-million" meaning a million millions, a trillion is a tri-million, a million billions... the "-ardés" are just the kilo-versions in-between: a milliarde is a 1000 millions, a billiarde is a 1000 billions...

Very accurate. Although it was quick, I agree with this 100%. American also living in Germany. I didn't see one wrong fact coming from my last 30 years living here. The states could learn alot from Germany. I won't get into the deeper stuff, but at least they know if they are männlich or weiblich and not an it?

Finland here again. I always find it odd that in English-speaking countries people don't even know what quark is, because here it is one of the staples that can be found in any grocery store. It also comes in dozens of different flavors. It is also a food that is used a lot by people who try to grow muscle because of its high protein content. In recent years, manufacturers have answered that demand by creating even higher-protein, no-sugar version of quarks. I'm one of those people who tries to get lots of protein, and if I bake a blueberry pie, one of the ingredients that goes to the dough is high-protein, low-sugar, vanilla-flavored quark. I wouldn't know how to live without them.

Difference #101: Germany is the current Basketball World Champion! :P

I really do not understand why (US)-Americans have problems with our traffic lights. There is always one on the side which can be seen easyly by just turning your head a bit. Traffic lights on the other side sometimes would not work. For example: 2 lanes (from the same direction) continuing as 1 lane, and the drivers on the former 2 lanes taking turns in being allowed to go.

I can't drink german Fanta. It is too sweet. Can't imagine how american Fanta tastes. 😅

#24 is not correct. This is not a broadcasting tax. Taxes are paid to the tax authorities. Broadcasting taxes are forbidden by the German constitution (fundamental right of freedom of broadcasting). What you mean is the broadcasting fee. The broadcasting fee must be paid from every private household and enterprise to the (independent) broadcasting fee service. The German public broadcast is completely independent from german federal, state or local authorities. But there are laws in all 16 German states that describes that public broadcast services must be provided and that you have to pay for the German public broadcast. Then you can watch and listen to the public radio, TV and their publishing services in the internet everywhere with every device every time without additional costs. Btw.: The German public broadcast was established by American, British and French Forces in Western Germany after WWII. The British BBC was the role model for this. This provided a very high level of free press in (Western) Germany. #28: T-Mobile US belongs to the Deutsche Telekom AG in Germany. "T-Mobile" was the old Telekom brand for cellular services in Europe. #44: WhatsApp belongs to Facebook. #57 is not correct in general. The 16 German States (not the Federal Republic) have their own school systems. Every state has primary schools (Grundschule) and Gymnasium (high level school up to 13th class), bot not all states have Hauptschule and Realschule, but other forms. 16 states - 16 school systems. #70: Asparagus spears are white before they grow out of the ground. In Germany, this is harvested when the tops look out of the ground a little bit. But you can buy green asparagus, too. #78: Only fresh milk needs to be refrigerated. UHT milk (H-Milch) lasts longer without refrigeration. Many Germans prefer H-Milch. #81: What's the problem? Don't drive too close to the traffic light unless there is a contact loop. Also, traffic lights often have a second and lower light on the side. #83: Americans have prudish sexual ethics. Nobody cares about what the priests say. That's all. Germany is a free country. #86: German pancakes are thicker than french crepes, but not as thick as American pancakes.

16:12 We have the different terms Geschoss and Stockwerk. Geschoss counts the lowest above ground as 1, like the US does, and Stockwerk means always that the first is the first above ground floor. We have also Untergeschoss. It's the level below ground, some department store, grocery stores or malls have it.

#6 -- forbidden because by US law it is illegal to have an inedible item inside a manufactured food product -- chocking hazard. You can still get kinder eggs but they don't have any surprises inside. You don't have to go all the way to Germany to get the genuine kinder surprise eggs though -- totally legal in Canada (I can't speak to Mexico however).

on the Traffic light hight: in Germany you have the high Lights witch are for people way Back and some Lights at face Levels for the Front Cars. Sometimes there ist also an extra Pole in the left side for that reason.

white and green asparagus is technically the same plant the white gets simply harvested before it gets out of the ground

Traffic lights: When you approaching to a traffic light it is definitely harder to recognise it , when it is 20 meters or more further away! It is more important to see the traffic lights early (!!!) and easy when you approaches to the intersection than when you're waiting for the green light!!!

I knew all of these but never really realised there were so many of them. As others have said, you have basically summed up EVERY video EVER on the differences between Germany and the US and rendered all the others redundant! I'm quite out of breath after listening to you reel all of these off!

#18 the stickers on car's windshields that are mentioned here as showing "emission levels" show, more specifically, that the emissions of *fine dust* are below a certain limit (this has nothing to do with CO2 emissions or the climate). ... just to clarify which type of emission this is about.

About number 45: While cheetos are non existent in regular german grocery stores, super markets etc. I've found them at a local turkish super market (Izmir Markt). The ones they have are made in Turkey along with some special halal Haribo varieties that are nowhere to be found in german stores.

the peperoni pizza is not like it is in germany, but like it is in italy therefore it is the right way, because only the italians got a say in what is and what is not a pizza.

15:24 no, this is no Margarita pizza by the original Italian restaurants in the south of Germany.

The traffic lights above are for cars further away and there should normally be on on the side for the first cars

I don't understand why he thinks that sausages in jars are unfortunate. the "sausage water" is great for boilling the sausage or even seasoning side dishes like mashed potatoes and of course jars don't have plastic.

#50 That is not true. In Germany womans jackets used to have the pull on the left side too. I think with clothing getting less tailored to the sex of the wearing person and making it as cheap as possible there might have been a change to "unisex" zipper orientation. I dunno because as a non-female I am not in the know about women's jackets.

About number 3, CDs follows both standards. In the times of vinyl records, East Germany has one standard, West Germany the other one.

Rectangel pillows are much more common throughout Europe, I hardly can remember having seen square pillows even in German Hotels.

A friend of mine was in the U.S. at the age of 20. His birthday is the 4th of october, so he was able to order beer because the waiter read his birthdate wrong --> 04.10. :D

101 difference: in Germany there is a second Weihnachtstag, that doesn´t exist in the US (or elsewhere?) I always thought 2. Weihnachtstag is normal everywhere, just recently found out it is not.

@traffic lights: You definitely have a point there. Especially since today you are required to make yourself known by stopping directly at the line.

American farmers have such a large area of land that it often takes them days to drive around it. German farmers have faster cars. *Joking

81: it is proven the system in the U.S. is responsible for more accidents with heavier injuries

#82 I have encountered about 50/50 of those methods at gas stations. The other day in Wisconsin (high German content) I could pay after pumping at several stations. And in over 40 years of driving I have never ever been at a station in Germany that requires paying before pumping.

I'll repost my comment on Ryan Wass' reaction video to one of yours: "PassportTwo do so good content. Donnie is really very dedicated to do proper research. The animations are also gorgeous. Definetly one of the best channels for Germany related content. I'm happy you subscribed."

you said once, that 70% are german viewers and followers. did you question yourself why this is the case? i am curious about your answer, i reply with many other reasons, and why you passport 2 plus 1 should continue this journey, throughout germany, europe. because you are gentil, and positive thinking. we germans love you - and want you to stay. also for your kid. this is more than adventure.

Traffic Lights: NO NO - they are at the point of stop in most countries (at least EU), IMHO only in America - perhaps Canada?

We also use FOUR hole punchers

We are opening our xmas presents in the early hours of the 25th! In the old days a new day started at nightfall! So the opening of the presents still happens at the same time, since it´s fully dark everywhere in Germany at 6 pm on the 24th. Just the start of a new day has changed in the meantime! 😁

Wow, that was a very fast run through pretty much all differences I have ever encountered, heard or seen. And I try daily, but it’s quite often only every other day - the perks of being a mom to a German Kindergartenkind with a full time job. 😒

68) Don't know about Germany but here in Austria "iced coffee" does mean coffee with ice cubes and "ice coffee" means coffee with ice cream

Renewed passport is arriving around Tuesday, and then going to try to head to Germany asap! This is an awesome psych-er-upper!

26: Yet, I doubt that most Americans are flying the 48-star-flag shown in the viddiouu 😜

Ich liebe das Wurstwasser ♥ man benutzt das Wurstwasser, um die Würstchen im Topf zu erwärmen. So geht der Geschmack nicht verloren bzw wird nicht verwässert. 😉

Comments by a german: 9 Google Street View: we still have maps 15 Wedding Ring: Hand depends on Roman-Catholic or Lutheran 62 Restaurants: The US way was common in East Germany prior to german reunification 66 Kitchen: It becomes more and more common recently that landlords rent out their apartments including kitchens.

You're wrong on the Church Tax. Only if you (still) are a member of a "Volkskirche" (Lutherian or Catholic), your are forced to pay the Church Tax. If you're not a member of any of those, you pay what you want toward your Church. Rest assured that those who pay volunarily often pay a LOT more. Example: if you're a Baptist, you don't pay no Church tax.

tha hell is 32?

Flossing prolongs your life! (well, people that floss regularly are generally more health concious and thus tend to live longer)

Wow, Donnie that was an impressive collection. Of course, there would be some little corrections/errors. I think you switched the paying for gas, because in Germany you fill up and then pay. The last time I was in the US I found some UHT milk (unrefridgerated milk). Eggs are also packed in boxes of 6 in Germany. I floss fairly often but not every day.

Fact 86, a pancake is not a Pfannenkuchen (Even if the translation says so). I can decide to make Pfannenkuchen or pancakes, theire different enough to be considered seperate things

Wow, very good video! Good foundings and thank you :)

10:50 untoasted toast is considered bread, but a type of bread, that needs to be toasted, therefore the name "toast"

I don't floss my teeth every day, but once in a while I do. Primarily, when I notice something is stuck between my teeth and I can't get it out.

Fact 28: "Deutsche Telekom" provides more than just "mobile" here in Germany. Landlines, DSL, and many services more. In the US the Telekom is only able to provide Mobile connections since it has no chance to enter the landline market. Therefore, they called themselfs "T Mobile". Because they can only deliver "Mobile" in the US ... Greetings from a german ... 😀

101: Germany and also Europe uses only SI-Einheiten, like meters, celsius, kg...US uses non physical based stuff nobody understood ;-)

Why are ingredients measured by volume in the US? By compacting for example flour the amount would not be that accurate...

In Germany, the following things are dangerous: drafts; sitting in a wet swimsuit or on a cold surface. In the US, eating sunny side up eggs are dangerous.

Some of those made me realize how different germany is from other european countries as well. In some of these cases Luxembourg for example does it the same as the USA.

to no. 11 (incl. no. 52): giving away such an ammount sauces combined with the free-refill-politic plus the way bigger portion sizes could be the problem, employers "can't" pay their employees fairly. maybe beeing less in this "give-me-all-i-can-have"-mentality would be a great step in the right direction ;)

I looked up the word Bierstein, because i heard americans use it for a beer glas or jug. Turns out it's actually a kind of scale, a residue that forms in the surfaces of your brewing equipment, and it's something you don't want. But i can just about picture the misunderstanding that led to English speakers thinking the term refers to the jug itself, some time in the 19th century.

Germans need to learn how to handle firearms and get licenced and registered before being able to purchase one. Hunting licences are issued only after vigorous, lengthy training.

Great! Very well chosen examples. I did actually try to introduce the idea of having at least one single "sit only stall" in Winslow Hall (the international and grad student hall) at the University of Maine, Orono 'Flagship' Campus. On the men's floor that is to say. My motion was passed. But just to be revoked 2 weeks later when I could not attend the dorm board meeting :-)

People in Germany ride bikes (even old people )or walk as forms of transportation. In the US, not so much.

The two button toilets are common in the US in new public places. The US military has used 24 hour time and day/month/year forever (I wonder if Germans got that from the post WWII occupation). In US states with annual car inspection it's much less strict and comprehensive than in Germany. There is no rule in the US about political parties and in fact the founders thought that they weren't necessary, but the structure they defined just leads to two parties. Basically the coalitions are inside the parties instead of being formed later after the election among parties. Shelf stable milk has been common in supermarkets in the US for about 30 or more years but costs more than the refrigerated milk. Paying at the pump in the US was unknown until credit cards became common around 40 years ago. You used to typically pump first (with self service, which was not a thing many years ago) and then pay in small towns but pay first in cities. Shows on US PBS are European style with no commercials during the show and with dramas (because they are usually from the UK/EU) some time for announcements at the end. And square bed pillows (sorry, Germans) don't make any sense. Aldi and Lidl store in the US have seated checkout people, and don't have free bags. Also by local laws now free particularly plastic bags are often forbidden. But remember that Oklahoma is one of the most backward states in the US.

10:45 actually most germans (I think) take the pinky down to show a 4, instead of the thumb