FGL: Culture and Greetings

Culture and Greetings

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Germans are much more formal than Americans when it comes to greeting and addressing each other. Many Americans, for example, assume the use of first names, even with people one has just met, is socially acceptable or even expected. This is not true in German. In fact, there are two ways of saying "you" in German. You means "du" if the person you are talking to is a friend, a family member, a child, or another student your own age. The word for "you" in German is "Sie" when you address strangers and acquaintances. In modern German society, however, the use of the informal "du" is common among young people in school or university.

dusie.pngBelow are a few guidelines to help you. Calling someone "du" when "Sie" is appropriate can be considered very rude. This is a big deal in Germany, so when in doubt use "Sie" (you formal)! Below are a few other guidelines to help you:

Use the formal Sie form when...

  • you are talking to adults you only know casually or have just met.
  • the situation would call for using "Mr." (Herr) or "Ms./Mrs." (Frau) in English.
  • in a business situation unless specifically invited to do otherwise.
  • addressing colleagues at work (unless they are close friends of yours).
  • you are telephoning someone you've never met for the first time.
  • you have doubts about which form to use.

Use the du form when...

  • talking to family members or relatives.
  • talking with close, intimate friends.
  • addressing children under the age of about 12 and pet animals.
  • addressing God, as in a prayer.
  • you are invited by the German-speaker to do so.

Exception: If you are young and are meeting someone your own age, let's say another high school student from Germany it would be o.k. to use du. The younger you are the more relaxed are the rules.

Image discussing the difference in saying "How are you?" in Germany and the US

Easy German 1 - Hallo

In the video you are about to watch some German Gymnasium students (the Gymnasium is the equivalent to an academic, college prep high school in the U.S.) decided to test how Germans react when greeted with "Wie geht es Ihnen" (How are you?" formal) or "Wie geht es dir?" (How are you? informal). Watch how some of the people react really uncomfortably while others find it funny as the students greet them by asking "How are you?" in downtown Münster:

Video property of Easy German. Original Video Source Links to an external site..

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