Ask a German

[Homer]

26 minutes ago, xAveryx said:

Don't know why everyone loves berlin..

There are direct trains to Hamburg and Homertown!

[Andrea KF]

I consider travelling to Frankfurt. Is that a good idea or not?

 

If not. Where should I go instead?

[Homer]

Which Frankfurt?

[Andrea KF]

Frankfurt-am-Main. (The main Frankfurt?)

 

Is there anything to see at all in Frankfurt-an-der-Oder?

 

Are there any more Frankfurts?

[Skycaptain]

2 hours ago, Andrea KF said:

Frankfurt-am-Main. (The main Frankfurt?)

 

Is there anything to see at all in Frankfurt-an-der-Oder?

 

Are there any more Frankfurts?

There's the Main one and the Oder one 😋😋

[daveb]

1 hour ago, Skycaptain said:

There's the Main one

I think that's the one with the Bad Homburg. Who would Goethe that place?

[Piotrek]

17 hours ago, Homer said:

Homertown used to have the best handball club team in the world though, 50 years ago There are very few "handball cities" that come to mind. Kiel, Flensburg, Gummersbach (which is a ridiculously tiny town). But if you look 80km further south from Kiel... meh.

 

Field hockey is the same - Hamburg has a bunch of super successful clubs, but I have never seen a hockey fan in my life.

When I looked at the names of some German handball clubs, I was wondering about some of those places too  

 

As for field hockey, the Wikipedia article even has a separate map for Hamburg  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019–20_Feldhockey-Bundesliga

(btw. when I was planning what to do in Utrecht I hoped to be able to watch a game by Kampong. It turned out it was a period between seasons, though.)

[Guest]

Okay this is a grudge I held for a long time.

 

So in German class we were forbidden to talk in English. I once said Im going to fetch a book in my locker. 

I got called out by my classmates for saying Locker but when I interrogated them on the correct term non of the assholes could name it. 

So we went to the teacher and he was also stumped so we googled it and got something. And he was straight from Germany. 

 

So my question is what would you call a locker that side of the world and how much has English made it into every day language?

[Guest xAveryx]

We call a locker always "schließfach", honestly I've never heard a german call it locker. It literally just means "case where you lock your things into".

But many words are inherited from english language eventhough some of them are english words but words you wouldn't use in english. For example 'smartphone' or 'cellphone' in german means 'handy'

Edited January 24, 2020 by xAveryx

[thyristor]

5 hours ago, GatsbyGirl said:

Okay this is a grudge I held for a long time.

 

So in German class we were forbidden to talk in English. I once said Im going to fetch a book in my locker. 

I got called out by my classmates for saying Locker but when I interrogated them on the correct term non of the assholes could name it. 

So we went to the teacher and he was also stumped so we googled it and got something. And he was straight from Germany. 

 

So my question is what would you call a locker that side of the world and how much has English made it into every day language?

Haha... I'm not sure lockers are very common at German schools, it was something new to me when I moved to Sweden (where it is called "skåp", meaning shrine but also cupboard. In my schools in Germany we had our stuff on a shelf underneath the desk surface, it was only a few books. Everyone had their specific place where they would sit all year long.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, xAveryx said:

We call a locker always "schließfach", honestly I've never heard a german call it locker. It literally just means "case where you lock your things into".

Its interesting to see how here English has made it into the vocabulary this side. Probably explains why we have so many issues lol.

[Guest xAveryx]

19 minutes ago, thyristor said:

Haha... I'm not sure lockers are very common at German schools, it was something new to me when I moved to Sweden (where it is called "skåp", meaning shrine but also cupboard. In my schools in Germany we had our stuff on a shelf underneath the desk surface, it was only a few books. Everyone had their specific place where they would sit all year long.

yeah lockers were something new when i was in eighth grade. we were all veery excited because we only saw it in american movies

 

[Luftschlosseule]

Our school was retrofitted with lockers but you had to rent them from an outside company. I loved it because I carry fun books everywhere I go, which makes my bags heavier by default.

Regarding Bayern München the soccer team, you either love them or hate them, there seems to be no middle ground.

 

Homer, how do you call Berliner? Krapfen?

[Bzztoh]

Why can’t you pay with debit-card in Germany? Netherlands and Scandinavia hardly use cash anymore 

[Guest xAveryx]

1 hour ago, Bzztoh said:

Why can’t you pay with debit-card in Germany? Netherlands and Scandinavia hardly use cash anymore 

You can pay with debit cards but I would say it isn't as common in germany as in other countries. Germans mostly pay with debit cards if they don't have cash on hand or if it is a bigger purchases or  investments.

@Bzztoh Do you use debit cards for small things around 10 euros?🤔

[thyristor]

1 hour ago, xAveryx said:

You can

... barely ...

1 hour ago, xAveryx said:

pay with debit cards

 

In Sweden you can barely pay with cash anymore, not on the busses, more and more shops have stopped it as well, even most BANKS don't handle cash anymore but will be pointed to the nearest automatic teller. So, whenever I visit Germany and without a thought walk out to buy a roll at the bakery, I'm suddenly not liquid enough to pay 10 cents....

 

There are pros and cons to going card/digital. Obviously, it makes you more transparent to any surveillance and ad targeting.

[Homer]

"No cash" is not a thing in Germany. Shops/stores etc are required to accept cash by law.

[thyristor]

1 minute ago, Homer said:

"No cash" is not a thing in Germany. Shops/stores etc are required to accept cash by law.

The weired thing is this: In Sweden, MasterCard and VISA are the more expensive types, compared to Maestro or EC. Maestro is for teenagers or people counting their every penny, and it's said not to work well abroad and not in all shops in Sweden. But whenever I come with my MasterCard to Germany, those few shops that accept creditcards sometimes don't accept MasterCard/VISA but only Maestro %&/(/&%¤#"!#¤%&/

[daveb]

I know some people in the US prefer to pay with cards, but I prefer cash for many day to day transactions like grocery shopping and the like. For me paying with cards distances me a bit from the money going out so it can be easier to overspend. Maybe that just comes down to what I'm used to and to experience. At least in the US it is still just as easy to pay cash for the most part as to use a card. Many gas stations, for example, actually give you a lower price if paying cash.

[Guest xAveryx]

2 minutes ago, thyristor said:

Maestro is for teenagers

It's weird to hear that even teenagers have credit cards.. In germany those are only allowed for 18+ people.

 

3 minutes ago, daveb said:

For me paying with cards distances me a bit from the money going out so it can be easier to overspend.

Exactly my reason why I don't like paying with cards. Maybe that's the idea behind it for a consumption orientated country like the USA?🤔

[Ortac]

7 minutes ago, thyristor said:

But whenever I come with my MasterCard to Germany, those few shops that accept creditcards sometimes don't accept MasterCard/VISA but only Maestro %&/(/&%¤#"!#¤%&/

That is something that irritates me immensely about Germany. I think there is a similar situation in some parts of the Netherlands. In many other countries, Maestro does not exist at all and there are no banks or card issuing authorities which provide them. So if you are a visiting foreigner from one such country, you're screwed, essentially. 

 

It's not at all good business practice - intentionally or not, it sends a message of "Foreigners go away! You're not welcome here!"

[Bzztoh]

2 hours ago, xAveryx said:

You can pay with debit cards but I would say it isn't as common in germany as in other countries. Germans mostly pay with debit cards if they don't have cash on hand or if it is a bigger purchases or  investments.

@Bzztoh Do you use debit cards for small things around 10 euros?🤔

Yes, or ApplePay. Most of the time I don’t have any cash on me or in the house. Months go by without touching any cash. Unless I go to Düsseldorf, Aachen or Köln that is

[Piotrek]

50 minutes ago, daveb said:

For me paying with cards distances me a bit from the money going out so it can be easier to overspend.

That's one of the main cons that come to my mind too. 

 

Speaking of cash machines, I came across one that only had German menu. Is that common? I was unsure what to select so I had to spend some time searching for one with Engliah language menu option.

[Grumpy Alien]

Let’s see...

 

1. Pardon me for the obvious subject but it’s always been a special interest for me. What were you taught about WWII/Nazi Germany/the Holocaust in school? Is it ever referred to by older generations or is it taboo?

 

2. I would really like to see more of Germany. (I’ve only been to Aachen and the Köln Bonn airport.) I’m not into nature or beer but love history, culture, and art. What cities/places/museums/monuments... etc. are must-sees in the country?

 

3. Is it true that you can smash two or more German words together to make a brand new word? Like those really long words to say a specific thing?

[Homer]

25 minutes ago, Kimchi Peanut said:

1. Pardon me for the obvious subject but it’s always been a special interest for me. What were you taught about WWII/Nazi Germany/the Holocaust in school? Is it ever referred to by older generations or is it taboo?

Oh boy. There was a time later in school when there was literally no way around it. History classes, okay, makes perfect sense. German classes, here, have some novels to read on the matter. English classes, same. Didn't take long for me to be happy when there was something else being talked about. So yeah... too much. Not saying this to neglect its importance or the role Germany played or what have you, but we rarely got to cover the things between WWII and the present (which was 15 years ago).

 

25 minutes ago, Kimchi Peanut said:

2. I would really like to see more of Germany. (I’ve only been to Aachen and the Köln Bonn airport.) I’m not into nature or beer but love history, culture, and art. What cities/places/museums/monuments... etc. are must-sees in the country?

If you are into old buildings and shit, here are a couple of places to see: Goslar, Münster, Freiburg, Trier, Regensburg. Burghausen in the very (very very) southeast is home to Europe's largest castle. I should probably mention our capital, which I hate with a burning passion but history, so. 

The train ride from Cologne to Frankfurt along the Rhine valley is particularly scenic. Same goes for Munich - Regensburg - Nuremberg. I'm not an artsy person myself, so the only thing I can think of on the spot is the station of the otherwise completely useless town of Uelzen. (I'll go have to ask a friend of mine, who is a history teacher, about history stuff)

 

25 minutes ago, Kimchi Peanut said:

3. Is it true that you can smash two or more German words together to make a brand new word? Like those really long words to say a specific thing?

Yes. I mean, you could do that theoretically, but we rarely "stick" more than two words together in practice.

[Grumpy Alien]

@Homer Yay! Thanks! 🤤 I love old buildings and shit 😂 and the train sounds like a great idea... could stay in different areas and travel by train so I can look at the scenery on my way.

[thyristor]

20 minutes ago, Kimchi Peanut said:

Let’s see...

 

1. Pardon me for the obvious subject but it’s always been a special interest for me. What were you taught about WWII/Nazi Germany/the Holocaust in school? Is it ever referred to by older generations or is it taboo?

My school did a guided visit to the concentration camp during ninth grade, and I'm pretty sure that is obligatory for all schools and classes. As an eigth-grader I happened to attend such a visit. Other than that, my education on WW2 derives from Swedish highschool curriculum which I found adequate and sufficient to take in and evaluate more information later in life.

 

20 minutes ago, Kimchi Peanut said:

2. I would really like to see more of Germany. (I’ve only been to Aachen and the Köln Bonn airport.) I’m not into nature or beer but love history, culture, and art. What cities/places/museums/monuments... etc. are must-sees in the country?

Yea, Munich got art museums, some Egyptian stuff and the largest technical Museum in Germany ("Deutsches Museum", takes you days to see everything), and the fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein is like an hour or two away. Probably an hour trainride and then two hours waiting for your turn to get in, but it's worth the wait, even if you're not into nature, the Maria bridge close by the castle invites you to a breathtaking view you don't want to miss. Also, the king who built the castle was very artsy (and queer if I remember correctly; oh, and murdered). Dachau is also nearby (20 minutes commutertrain from Munich central station) if you are interested what Germans themselves tell about the holocaust. Dachau is also known for having been residence to many renowned painters and writers.

 

20 minutes ago, Kimchi Peanut said:

3. Is it true that you can smash two or more German words together to make a brand new word? Like those really long words to say a specific thing?

Like Homer said, yes. I'm trying to come up with examples. But linguistically you do the same in English, just that the English spelling does not admit it's one word (uh, er, actually, linguistically it would be a definitiondebate, but let's not.... ).

 

"Lokomotivführergewerkschaftsmitgliedsversammlung", okay, let me dissect that...

Versammlung = meeting, gathering

Mitglied = member

Gewerkschaft = union

Lokomotivführer = train driver (yes, it's "Lokomotive" + "Führer", which litterally means leader)

 

You could do this in absurdum: Lokomotivführergewerkschaftsmitgliedsversammlungsprotokoll

[Grumpy Alien]

@thyristor *screaming* Ugh I’ve wanted to see Germany properly for years. All of the things!!!! Sounds great

[Homer]

There's a railway museum in Nuremberg as well. Sinsheim has a technical museum but is otherwise unremarkable. Totally forgot to mention nearby Heidelberg because woop, scenery. Oh and Hamburg has a huge model railroad which started as a little fun project of two brothers but has since escalated into the biggest of its kind worldwide.

[Phantasmal Fingers]

Do you know any German football fans (apart from yourself, that is) who would fly to Scotland to see Hearts vs Rangers at Tynecastle rather than an 'Old Firm' game at Ibrox or Parkhead? And either way, would you care to comment on this?