Publisert i Tyskland forum
Many of my foreign friends who live in Germany complain that Germans are very rude - or at least unfriendly.
Obviously, as a German myself I don't really experience us that way. But I would like your opinion: Are we really as cold as some people say????
Not rude, but formal and uptight!!
innsent av Peque Hdzg i Tyskland forum
I don't think that Germans are rude at all, on the contrary, they are super polite, even when they are drunk ;-)
But yes, as a general rule, they are very formal, cold, uptight and a little unfriendly as well.. it takes them forever to warm up to you!! However, I guess it depends on which part of Germany you are living in. Southern Germans are the warmest I would say. Not like the Southern Europeans or Latin Americans, but compared to the rest of Germany, or the Scandinavians, yes, they are very open and friendly. East Germans are very laid back, not as formal or uptight as the rest. And well, Northern Germans are the hardest nuts to crack: polite, cold, unfriendly, uptight and a little snobby too. And it isn't just me, as a foreigner, who has this impression. I have German friends from Köln, Freiburg or Leipzig that find it really hard to adjust to the people of Hamburg, just to put an example.
As a general rule, Germans don't really like talking in any other languages but German. And if your German is broken, they would simply ignore you. Which can be very shocking to some, since, for example, the Spaniards or Latin Americans would go out of their way to communicate with you even if you don't know Spanish. An exception are the Germans that are very confident on their English or other foreign language skills. They would be very nice and open and keen to practice the language with you. But the rest, nope, not really...
Another thing, Germans may appear humorless to many, but the thing is, their sense of humour is very direct, like their personalities. Most of them really don't get sarcasm or irony, and if you make a sarcastic joke, they would probable take it literally instead of laughing it off.
But as many people pointed out, once they get to know you, they are super sweet and your friends for a lifetime!! Really, if you get in trouble or you need some help, your German friends would be the first ones in lending you a hand. So yeah, down deep inside, the Germans can be quite charming as well!! :D
Just my 2 cents!!
are germans rude
innsent av lorraine r i Tyskland forum
I have read that Germans are rude, but my experience so far has been positive...they are very direct..........I think Southern Germans, my experience so far, Blackforest, I found quite friendly, could be 'cos it's a touristy area.....but I find depends where they think you are from....I was in a little shop buying t shirt etc, shop owner wasn't overly friendly, she asked where I was from Canada, she was way more friendly, started telling me they had friends there etc.........also they say German don't talk to girls first you must make the first move......not so they guy that I met, total babe, came overafter a while to talk......very friendly big family, met them all, very small village, no negative attitude.
for Johanna Castillo
innsent av Sara de España i Tyskland forum
It is not true they are rude.
A man respect you dependece how you respect yourself. They know evaluate the intelillent of women and other aspects ... And Germans of course are not an exception!!
So you have to think maybe what kind of chat, what time, what and how do you write ...please, dont feel you offended for this.
It is just an answer for your last comment and advice from woman to woman. Never forget:They will handle dependece of your acttitude and how you respect yourself. So This comment is not for German men, you are talking about all men.
Answer for Carolina
innsent av Sara de España i Tyskland forum
Carolina, in the south maybe we are more full of friends and Germans can look like more solitary and distants but the reality is:
Germans know to make real friendship for life and honest.
Why you need to have hundred of friends who sometimes are moving just for interest ? I dont belive in eassy and falses friendships.
Germans are very honest and I evaluate this very higth.
I remember you the spanish saying "Quien tiene un amigo tiene un tesoro" it is mean "Who has a friend has a treasure". This mean is not eassy find the corrects persons.
rude german guys
innsent av Slettet bruker i Tyskland forum
I think german guys are so rude...is bit confusing because when a conversation is stablish all they want to talk about is naughty things sex sex sex But if the other person changes the conversation to a NORMAL regular topic ...germans guys turns against you like yopu are the worst enemy ..is like their is no other type of chatting that cant be include the SEX part...and then , they call us (latingirls) morons
Germans Are RUDE and Have Superiority Complex! Well, most are!!!!
innsent av Rei F i Tyskland forum
Rudeness and friendliness are universal. Like any other race, there are Germans who are rude, and there are others who are nice. We have been living in Germany for three years now. My general impression is that when Germans know a little bit more about you, especially what you do, they tend to respect you more. When they don't know anything about you, they tend to have a superiority complex- to a point of being racist. I am an American citizen of Asian origin, which makes my situation more unique. My husband is Caucasian. Very white American.
The other day, one of the residents in our building, purposely waited for me by the garbage room shared by all building residents.
"You have been putting plastic bags in the Biofill can!" He accused me glaringly. "Excuse me?" I almost jumped by surprise.
"Do you know what Biofill means?" He rudely asked, his nostrils flaring and his eyes blazing. "Do you understand English?" He shouted. (I teach English in one of the American universities!).
"I have lived most of my life in America," I said. "So, yes, I understand English."
I told him emphatically how offended I was by his accusation and how disrespectful he was. I also told him I didn't appreciate how he talked to me. I must have caught him by surprise because he stomped off and left his car trunk open and his engine on. Thirty minutes later, when I went down to dispose of some trash, his car was still open and running ! Now, whenever I go out of the building and he is also about to leave, he does not go out until I am gone!!!
Three months ago, another resident accused me and my husband of dumping car oil into the sink! "You don't speak and understand German, and you were the only ones who were not in the owners' meeting, and everyone said they did not dump oil, so, maybe it was you." How rude!!! (We have always relied on the car manufacturer's services including oil changes!).
Last month, our landlord, who we thought was great, came and gave me a receipt, in German. "You need to pay €1,754. He said that the monthly €250 (on top of our monthly rent and electricity) we pay for the common services is not enough. (The €250 is for hallway lights, garbage disposal, and water). "Deposit it in our bank account," he added.
After consultation with the housing services provided by the US Army who reviewed the receipt, it turned out that we only need to pay €24.50. The other charges were for Building Insurance and for Property Tax!!! We felt sad because we like our landlords.
But, we also have very friendly neighbors. A couple who live across from us are always willing and happy to feed our two cats whenever we go away. The German lady, Lidia, who works at the laundromat returned my diamond rings and two necklaces when I left them in the pocket of my jacket. My hairdresser, Ferry, is such a sweet and considerate lady, and Duska, the cashier in Lidl is always very friendly.
These are personal experiences. Good and bad, we like Germany. The opportunity to travel to other European cities is not only accessible, but it is also cheaper (than originating from the US). We love the Christmas markets, the endless festivals, the flea markets, the sausages, the beer, the cheese, the milk, and yes, the fact that any American food is available anytime at the Commissary as well. And believe it or not, we save so much more living in Germany than in the US! (But, this is another story....)
Thank you for reading.
you do?
innsent av Nicole M F i Tyskland forum
You have dual German citizenship? I thought Germany didn't allow that. I know some Germans here that don't apply for US citizenship because they lose the German one.
Maybe it's different if you have it because of your parents and not being naturalized into another country?
I don't look German :-)
innsent av Nicole M F i Tyskland forum
I have brown eyes and hair, I've been told I look French, Italian, and even Russian! Go figure. I'm originally from Spain and have double citizenship.
who knows
innsent av Nicole M F i Tyskland forum
Carolina, I don't think it will be my vibe because it doesn't happen in other places :-)
I'm pretty sure it was very obvious that I'm not German (nor the people I was with). But I do like Germany so maybe that shows somehow :-)
I don't know, but even at the airport everybody is sooo nice. This last time we had to buy some cold medicine at the airport's pharmacy and she was soooo nice. And I read that Germans are not expected to be all smiles when dealing with customers, so I assume she is really that nice.
I don't know, maybe they just like tourists a lot and it would be different if I were living there :-)
Super Nice
innsent av Nicole M F i Tyskland forum
I have only been to Germany as a tourist and Germans always impress me with how nice they are.
I don't know if I'm just lucky or what, but I am always impressed.
One time we got lost and asked a German man working on his garden, he didn't just give us directions, he got in his car and told us to follow him, and drove in front of us all the way to the highway, then signaled this is where we need to get in and said goodbye. Some other time we were just looking at a map kind of lost in the middle of the street and a German guy came to us offering his help and being very nice, some other time we walked into a restaurant and the people at the next table said hello with a smile, good bye when they left (it was Xmas)....and much more.
Germans have always been so nice to me that I told myself I'll always be there to help a German because they always help me. Again, I don't know if I'm just lucky or they really are that amazing.