It's a cultural thing. In Germany, you're only allowed to admit to your English skills if you're an L2 German speaker or studied English at least at university level. Having lived in an English-speaking country may be acceptable as qualification if your stay was at least 6 months or a minimum of four stays totalling at least 12 months total time spent there. Otherwise "a little bit" is the closest you'll be allowed 😂
My husband is from Japan and he always makes me do all the phone calls, set up appointments because he “doesn’t speak English”. I find that interesting as I have never spoken Japanese and some how we’ve managed to have a relationship for 16 years. 😋
Germans: "No I barely speak English" that same German: *Studied English at Uni, wrote 5 books in English, won 18 English spelling bees, been to London, has 7 English-speaking friends, taught English, read over 50 English books, have their phone setting in English*
@@nox6855 oh I only speak Slovak I am using a translator. by the way I have been to Birmingham 18 times and to New York 19 times. Red 9 books in English,
@@southerner_ that's interesting, I speak some Spanish and German and have been learning them for a while, and I always wanted to try to learn a Slavic language but I'm not sure which one is right for me yet
So what's you point ? Just because some German wrote 20 books in English, reads 2 books in English every month, Visited London 5 times, is married to an American wife, works as an air traffic controller in germany (where the job interviews are always done in English) and regularly visits his father in-law in the US every year, that does not mean that he automatically speaks more than a tiny little bit of English... I don't know what kind of argument you are trying to make... 🌝
We Germans are perfectionists with a low self-esteem.😅 If we don't speak a language almost as good as a native speaker, we always feel like there is room for improvement. Our interpretation of "can" is not "more or less able to do sth." but "being able to understand 100% of whatever someone might ask you and being able to give a flawless answer". We just don't like to fail someone's expectations because it's embarrassing. So we lower the expectations by downplaying our language skills in the first place and always feel good about the outcome 😎😁
But if only you knew how badly native speakers in the US and UK speak English. 😂 The fact that he used the word predicament in this short puts him miles beyond most native speakers I know.
You hit it! Damn right...they always do that, however bad your German could be!...be positive, and take it as an encouragement rather than anything else😉
@@tareksyrian2423 Honestly though. People outside of Germany think Germans are harsh because of how our language sounds to them and how they perceive us, but when it comes to it most often than not you will find someone as respectful and nice as they can be 😂 Seen some people where I thought to myself "Better not say anything stupid" and when they open their mouths they sound and act like they've known you for years with how respectful they are.
@@Fuerwahrhalunke 😊😊Positiv zu denken ist einfach eine Hingabe, welche nicht jeder hat...bin mittlerweile schon seit 22 Jahren wohnhaft in Deutschland, und erfreulicherweise eingebürgert 😉😉
Ok but as a native English speaker who's never really needed to use another language, I never understood until recently why some people would write comments with not only something that looked fluent, but a very adept use of English, and then apologize for their English. But about 6 months ago, I started trying to learn Norwegian. I still only have the vocabulary of a toddler or so, but I've had a few basic conversations in Norwegian over the internet (with heavy help from Google Translate). I never realized how UNCERTAIN someone might feel trying to express themselves in another language, not sure if their grammar was correct, if their meaning was clear, if they fully understood the meaning and nuance of the words they were using, until I tried myself. It's SO DIFFICULT! I have even greater respect for anyone who tries to learn another language, especially my ridiculous language.
As a native German speaker who has learned 50% of his English in school and the other 50% from pop culture and media I have a lot of trouble with register. I use all the fancy four syllable words while simultaneously cursing like a sailor, something I don't even do in German. Add to that that my accent makes me sound like a villain in an Indiana Jones movie and I'm instant entertainment for Americans.
@@RoonMian I can only speak for myself, but I love hearing people with very distinctive/unique word choices and turns of phrase. One of my best friends says 'huzzah' and 'verily' completely seriously and in a grammatically correct context, despite those being very archaic words that most people only imagine in very over the top (to the point of being campy) medieval movies or something. It's spread to our whole friend group and has become part of our friend group's 'dialect', so to speak. There's not enough people who speak like movie villains in the world, in my opinion!
@@ninjabgwriter I love your way you reflect yourself and that you became aware of what it's like to learn an other language. Really love your modesty :) I think we all could be more like that and cheer others up that mistakes are totally ok :) And now I need to apologize for my english :D
English proficiency is such a two-edged sword though in Germany. People you meet on the street who claim to only speak 'a little' often end up impressing you with impeccable English, but then you've got a whole sub-clan of corporate professionals who claim they are 'fluent' on 'native level' in their CV but the moment they open their mouth you're not sure if that's even supposed to be English.
Those are fun in job interviews. Don't apply for jobs asking for some level of English proficiency and be surprised if the interview is conducted in English.
The people who surprise you may be engineers. They DO speak perfect English because English is the language of engineering, but engineers often don't look like "professionals", whereas corporate people are just leeches anywhere in the world.
Oh god, now I'm reminded of that one speech of Günther Öttinger when he failed upwards into the EU commission... "on ze wonn händ ze kraises rewiehlt zätt zerr is ä nieht for mor govermänt reguläschn."
My friend was in Germany around people who spoke no English. A man sneezed towhich a second man responded "Gezhunheit" MY friend, said "Thank God, somebody who speaks English!
My neighbor always spoke to me in Germanacross the fence in the garden behind our houses...I could not speak German very well at that time but I tried my best. , Then one day she appeared at my job at an international school and told me she was the new English teacher there...She had a masters degree and had never let on!
That's actually very good of her. The Dutch always answer you in English giving you no chance to practice your Dutch, then complain about foreigners not learning Dutch. Even worse in the Randstad they respond in English to other Dutch native speakers from Belgium or Dutch Limburg.
After they told us "we're German" (because some great-grandfather came from Germany, not because they'd know anything about country, culture or language).
I got lost in Frankfurt trying to find my hostel. I had a nice family stick with me and ask other locals if they know how to get there. They translated from German to English and I made it to my hostel safely. Such love and appreciation to that family.
Unfortunately that is typical German and many foreigners think Germans cant speak English though most of the ppl do. (except for the ones who were bad at English during Hauptschule or some of the elderly) It's a pity because the random Person at the street doesnt expect you to do a presentation about politics
@@Cuteemogirl94 I think it is more being critical about fellow countrymen, countrywomen if you want, and the resulting hesitation aka missing guttts to just swim even in front of others ~
😅 i think i can speak english. But my gramma is bad. That is no problem for me. I live in germany, don't need it in my Job and so it is not important. But for nomal dialogs it is good enough.
I'm a Brit, was talking to a German girl on holiday remarking on her PEREFCT accent and asked how long she had studied in Surrey, she said she had never been to the UK.
Omg that so true! 😂😂 They say they don’t speak English or say a little bit. But then when you talk to them they speak good English. In the USA if they say they don’t speak English, they really don’t speak English and will speak to you in their language.
because people always make fun of our accent when we speak in english, so the most german people say they dont speak english, i caught often myself in that situation as well :D
@@ThomasVWorm you know that she faked her cv, don't you? Check it out. She said she made a bachelor at university twenty years ago. Find out when bachelor was invented at German universities.
@@ThomasVWorm Well, her accent is terrible, but almost no politician seems to have a good pronunciation. It seems like having a terrible pronunciation in English is a requirement to becoming a German politician. I haven't studied at an English uni, and my pronunciation is way better than hers. I'm astonished how bad you can pronounce things after having lived in the respective country.
@@ThomasVWorm yeah it's always these toxic elitist people who try to feel like better humans because they spent their whole life on hiding their origins. To me it always looks like they have some personality issues...
😂 So great! Because so many native English speakers learn greetings and to count to 10 in another language and when asked will say, "I speak a little." No. You know some words. 😂
@@DaNoobrobloxNoobIsBest "Ich spreche kein Deutsch" in German means "I don't speak German" in English. He answered "But you're definitely speaking German"
And then there's me, a Belgian Limburgish/Dutch speaking guy trying my very best to keep it German in Aachen and they just ruin my effort by either responding in English or by speaking Hochdeutsch at 250 km/h like they're on the fucking Autobahn.
It's similar to when my father wants to speak in Dutch in the Netherlands. Usually, they will answer in German. 😅 Maybe those people in Aachen you are talking to, think your German skills are quite good and this is why they speak fast, because they think you're language level is good enough to understand it.
So true and accurate! In reality they can speak really good english. I always got the line" my english is not so good" but in fact they can speak it very well.
When I made it to the US in the late 1980s, I was so shy socializing, I taught myself so flawlessly to say "I am sorry, I don't understand you because I don't speak English" to avoid people asking me questions or anyone approaching me.
I taught myself to say the sentence "Or we could have this conversation in [language]" in 10 different languages to fuck with Americans criticising my English. "What, you don't like my English? Okay, dann könnten wir dieses Gespräch auch auf deutsch führen, wenn dir das besser gefällt. Ou nous parlons en francais. O potremmo parlare Italiano..." When somebody comes at you stupid you have to go back at them way stupider.
See that's the difference if he would have asked in austria... There were two farmers on the side of the road when a tourist stopped and asked for directions: First in german: The two only looked at him, not saying a word. Then he asked in english, no reaction, he tried in french, then spanish and lastely with hand gestures. They only stared at him. So he gave up and drove off. Then one of them said to the other: Wow he's fluent in german, english, french and spanish, what a higly educated man! And the other one said: So what? It didn't help him, did it?
Over the last 25 years I've heard many Germans (try to) speak English. You won't believe how much they have improved. They have my deepest respect. And that in a country where everything on TV and in the cinemas is dubbed in their own language....pretty impressive. I've watched a lot of German TV when I was a kid (we only had two Dutch TV stations then) and I will never forget Clint Eastwood saying: "Ziehe dein Colt, du Drecksau!". 😂
More like narcissism. Normal people around the world would rush to help out of goodness of their heart and empathy. Germans would rush to help just to 'be nice' and present themselves in a good light. It's all about themselves which is why they will stop to think about how it will make THEM look when it should be just about offering help where possible. Ridiculous
As a german woman, at my last company i only used english and japanese at work. In private also mainly english/japanese because my husband doesnt speak german. Still, i feel ashamed to say i can speak english, because my pronounciation is really bad. I got more confident now, no problem to speak to foreigners, but other germans are the problem. They would laugh about it. Its so stupid, actually. The main point of a language is communication. People understand me. Then that is fine. Nothing more is needed 🤷♀️ If my japanese sounds very german, nobody cares 🙄
This may seem like an odd question, but do you recognize some medical terms loaned from German in to Japanese, and (assuming you live in Japan) if so does that make going to the hospital and talking to a doctor in Japan any easier?
@@hikikomoritv1326 Yes, same here. Numerous individuals of German origin found themselves bereft of the ability to articulate thoughts with a degree of fluency comparable to their anglophone counterparts. I think it is imperative to acknowledge that the rudimentary English instruction imparted in schools lacks the sophistication requisite for the nuanced expression essential to effective communication in the English language. Personally, I would not have responded with such eloquence; however, I would have diligently endeavored to extend assistance by facilitating the engagement of an interlocutor proficient in the English language. It is crucial, nonetheless, not to overestimate the command of English possessed by individuals of German descent. But I can understand everything perfectly fine.
for me its enough to talk "Simple Englisch" or Denglisch I dont know. I can express myself and say what i want to englisch speakers. No matter for me too talk like an Englisch Teacher. What do you understand perfectly German? Or do you mean our German Englisch also Denglisch? 🙂
English is getting to be the Universal language of the world. The funny thing is a lot of Americans cannot understand English speakers in the UK. I listened to a conversation from Scotland. Speaking English. A five minute conversation in English in Scotland. I only understood one word of the conversation. Was the word cat. Australian English is very difficult for American English speakers. Compare Webster's Dictionary (US) with Oxford's Dictionary (UK).
Thats the reason why we learned every English in school. Problem is that you mix them all together at some point. Most prominent for me is mixing British and American. Makes me sometimes wonder if I even have the right word😅
The reason this happens is simply because people are insecure and uncomfortable speaking a different language because they know they will make mistakes. Sure people are also very self critical or want to be humble, or they dont want to be bothered sometimes, but its mostly just being uncomfortable with making mistakes. I personally dont like being approached by english speakers, especially native speakers, simply because I feel bad about making mistakes and I also feel overwhelmed, because Im simply not used to it, regardless of skill, and its mostly the same for other germans.
I think the main problem is other Germans. Let's face it. A lot of our fellow countrymen like to be very critical of other Germans' English skills - even when somebody speaks it fluently. Any detectable accent is bad - according to them. Which is ridiculous, because having an accent when speaking a foreign language is very normal. A lot of Germans also seem to think that having any kind of detectable accent, that is actually detectable as German, means that you have a strong accent, which is also nonsense. Not having one at all is rare. People don't know what a strong accent is. I've seen Germans tell other Germans to not speak English because it supposedly sounded embarrassing - even though it did not. And how are you ever going to improve your pronunciation if you're not ever allowed to speak it?
Oh yes... not just with languages, but also sports. How many times have I joined an Anfängerkurs, where everyone apparently went to the junior olympics and plays the sport every weekend with friends and family, but they consider themselves a beginner 😂
yeah but even though it is being tought in school doesn't mean ppl remember what has been tought. also some people had 5 yrs of english (5. through 10. grade) and some 10 yrs (3rd through 12th) depending on the schools they went to and/ or which Bundesland they live in
we´re used to listen to english, because of english music, movies etc. we´re used to write and read english, because we were taught that in school... but speaking english is sth completely different. imagine you can read and understand a language (almost) perfectly, but you never had the opportunity to speak it. you would be aware of every single mistake you made ... but you would be unable to implement your knowledge. this would lead to you being very self-conscious... and thats exactely why germans say, that the only speak a "little" english. we dont speak english on a daily or even yearly basis... and "speaking" english wasnt taught in school at all. all that matters is writing english.
@@MrNukedawhales true. I can understand almost everything but have a hard time speaking the language since my own vocabulary is so small or everything sounds "denglish" in my opinion.
It's easier to read too. I play some games in english and don't have any problems but I have a hard time to understand other people and start to panic if someone talks to me 😅
I am German and can say „I don’t speak french“ in french flawlessly without an accent. The only other french words I can say are „baguette“, „merci“ and „eclairs“ - because boy, I love eclairs! 🤣
Yeah same with me, my french is really bad BUT I seem to have a no obvious german accent. So french people think I speak well and fire ahead once I admitted that "Je parle un peu" ... and I am lost.
😂😂 I loved that show..... I think the original point they were making is that english people always ask a foreign person if they can speak english but they don't do it in the language of the country they are in rather they ask in english......my takeaway from this is that americans do the same 😂
@@skrich9690I think if you need help in a foreign country, asking in the language you speak is acceptable. If you know how to say the equivalent of “excuse me” in the local language that’s better, but obviously anyone who speaks English well enough to help should be able to understand the person in need, so this doesn’t seem terrible to me. Are you implying it is terrible?
It helps a lot if you try speaking crap German, the reason they hesitate is that they think their English sucks, if you speak embarrassing German first it lifts their confidence enough to try English lol
I found the same thing in Spain. "A little" English often meant conversationally functional. I wonder if, coming from a multi-lingual country like Florida my standards are a bit lower.
Our english teachers where sadists who always made fun of our vocabulary-use, gramar, pronounciation,.. so we got a 'Bit' of a confidence problem with that one! :o)
I asked a few people someone said a little bit and was speaking very well. A few days later I asked someone else they said yes but couldn't understand or say anything.
Whenever I try to speak my rusty German in D, CH or AT, after a few sentences the local usually starts speaking English to me :-) And I believe I offended a local in the Netherlands, when I asked him "Excuse me, do you speak English?" :-D
Hahah so true. The trick is not to ask them if they speak English. Ask them instead “Do you speak *a little bit* English?” And to this they will say “yes a little bit ya”, and then will proceed to speak as perfectly as in this video. Try it, it really works!
After 3 years in Germany I went for a job interview for a German airline. The job offer was for people "interested in learning german" because the 6 week training is entirely in German. I don't trust my German level so I went for this position instead of the "normal" one for Germans. In the interview we spent 20 minutes speaking English and 20 speaking German. They asked me why I didn't apply for the normal position, and offered me to start the training in 3 weeks instead of the ordinary 3 months for the "German learners". I'm no native speaker but I guess I also embody the "I don't speak-" philosophy. I've been germanized 😂
@@JustinSawyer-ji5wmYes and no it was also the Norse langugue that was dominant over most of the modern day Germany, Britian France and Scandiniva. It is not just the settlers that brought over the langugue it is also the Vikings themselves that brought them over.
@@ZorbaplayzAnd? There are multiple influences of langugue in the world and this one is like many a remanant of the Roman Conquest. That does not make the whole langugue of England a Greek one does it? English has been more influenced by French then Greek even. But the point is that Norse or Old Germanic was the dominant part when Old English was born. You can even google it.
@@actualiygod6782 First of all, french has not had anywhere near as much influence on the english language. If anything the english have had a large impact on the french. Approximately 35%-ish of English words are from Greek derivation and the French also have many similarities. Secondly, i never said that the whole english language is another Greek language, i said that it ‘came from the Greeks’ meaning that the early forms of the language were from greek derivation. (Sorry if I didn’t make it clear). You also say that nordic was the dominant part of English when it was born however what is defined as born? There were many dialects before Ye Olde English and most took inspiration from greek terms. Although Hengist and Horsa (Scandinavians who had a huge influence on England) may have affected these many dialects and formed a main one, there were still large parts filled with Greek words. You may be able to look up that the English language was from nordic descent however much of the Greek spoken influenced this nordic dialect forming English as we know it. P.S. sorry for the essay.
Thats because, sadly, literacy is declining in america and comprehensive reading levels are going down across the country (source: american board of education and linguistics). The average american household owns 3.6 books.
My high school German exchange student classmate in my French class spoke perfect American accented English on a native speaker level. It’s only when he starts to not understand some older cultural references that you start to clue in.
@@sauce6534 Judging by your ability to read comprehensively and your egotism about speaking a language and being this ridiculously proud about it, you must be american.
It's because in order to learn a language, you really need to understand the grammar. I was told if you are an American with grammar issues - learn another language. It will then force you to understand how it works. Americans use awful grammar as a general rule. He done it, I'm going to go lay down, I ain't done nothing, etc. It's hard to listen to sometimes on tv shows....because nonnative speakers of English just don't make these mistakes, so I'm not sure to hearing these types of mistakes where I live in Poland.
Maybe see if anyone at the MUSEUM DER KULTUREN across the plaza could help. Museums tend to have resources for people who don't understand the local language, and sometimes even maps. Failing that, try walking around in a circle with radius 150 m centered on the point where you were standing when conversing with those folks and see if that helps.
Stranger: Do you speak English? Me: Panics. OMG. Stranger talking to me. Danger alert! *shakes head* nein nein. Runs away. Social awkwardness it is for me.
German are quite modest people. My german husband can correct news journalists when they speak english, I can't and its my native tongue! He's still modest about his knowledge of languages when all we can speak is english?
I worked for a company that is based in Germany. I felt so humbled during the daily telcos that were conducted in English. Global telcos that were attended by colleagues and vendors from non-English speaking countries on every continent except for Antarctica.
Important lesson hidden inside: When you go to a foreign country, do memorise the basics (hello, bye, thanks, excuse me) in local language and use them! It makes a big difference when interacting with locals.
I work at a store in a part of Berlin, where we get all kinds of tourists from around the world, mostly american though. Mumbling a german greeting to me and not saying anything after, makes me think, that you speak german but you're just a quiet or shy person. I will then proceed to normally talk in german to you and at some point I'll realize, that you did not understand a single word, I've just said. Memorizing and using a few basic words and phrases of a country's language you're travelling to, is fine, if you're just gonna use it on the street and there are no further words exchanged. But if you're in a situation, where you have to utter more than 3 words, then it's just better to let me know, that you don't speak my language. Greet me clearly in english for example, don't use "hi" for that purpose, because it's used everywhere in the world, basically but any other english greeting will work or for the case, that you can only think of "hi", you could also just tell me, that you don't understand my language. I'd appreciate that even more although I get, how it could feel a little clunky to you. This way, it's way easier for both of us. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice gesture but in cases, where you actually have to talk to each other, it's highly impractical
Well, then things have changed in 30 years because we did visit Germany before internet was everywhere and we couldn't find anyone who spoke English - for real. McD's - the kids in school were able to communicate but anyone over about 30 - don't even try to get help. They certainly weren't this conversational, even though I thought they all had it in school.
@@beckypetersen2680 Well, people in the East learned Russian up until the Fall of the Berlin wall, so 1989. The problem is that even if you learn a language (or anything else really) at school, it doesn't mean that you retain all of that after graduation, which is probably why most people over 30 didn't speak it with you. Nowadays, that is a bit different because of the internet and streaming, etc. However, I'm not really a friend of the whole, everyone learned it at school thing, because even though that is true, there are massive differences between different countries as far as proficiency goes. In some countries in Europe, only around 20% can hold a basic conversation in English with you, even though they learned it at school, and then you have the other extreme, the Netherlands, where over 90% are able to do so. And the reason for that is not that they learned it at school.
