Brits versus Germans! TOP 5 culture shock moments

The Germans and the Brits are culturally very similar. But there are still differences. Here are my top 5 culture shock experiences as a Brit living in Germany.

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[christianblunt]

Queuing is really an issue and I really think that is a good idea that more and more stores also implement this one-queue-concept.

[palomino]

I personally think this "Ich bekomme XY"-approach very impolite, too - and I'm German.
I always love it when I'm waiting in a cue, the guy before me orders like "Ich bekomme..." and gets areply like " No, this or that is out" - this is a moment of a silent, inner reconciliation !
If you are a polite guy and want to omit the word "bitte" you can always go with "Ich hätte gerne" (I'd like to have).
About this cueuing thing: Even though we've never been any good at it, I feel that our "common manners" in this regard have deteriorated even further throughout the last years; back in the day those folks waiting at the bus stop or at the platform would at least have waited for the arriving passengers to come out of the bus or train - not so today - today the bulk of people on the outside would fight to their last breath to get in asap - regardless of anybody still left inside, desperately trying to get out.

[virtualinfinity]

I am German, I am about to turn 57 and I am clearly with you on the queueing issue. I have visited Great Britain dozens of times, for fun, for work and what not. And I am very impressed about the discipline and friendliness when it comes to queueing. I think every German should at least visit Great Britain once to experience it. It makes life so much easier and more pleasant, that I fail to understand, why we are apparently incapable of adopting it. That being said, on occasion you will find functional queueing and even friendliness while doing so in Germany. But often enough, some moron comes up and ruins it.

[swanpride]

A correction considering the lack of "bitte"...we have something in German which is called the "Höflichkeitsform" (polite form), which is basically the use of the Konjunktiv when asking for something. So you can say "Kann ich mal bitte die Butter haben" but it is even more polite to say "könnte ich mal bitte die Butter haben." But it is also possible to just say "Könnte ich die Butter haben", meaning the Konjunktive is implying the "bitte". If you are in a bakery and say "Ich hätte gerne X", the "hätte" is basically the implied "bitte". If you would say "Geben sie mir mal X" or use any other phrase which doesn't involve some sort of Konjunktiv, it would sound extremely impolite, no matter what tone you use. Though the tone naturally plays a role, too.

[linajurgensen]

4:15 even I as a northern German would say „Ich hätte gerne“ („I would like to have“) bc it sounds a lot nicer.😊 I think „Ich bekomme“ sounds quite rude to be honest🤭.

[agnes]

Und noch ein Gedanke: wieso hast du so eine verteufelt gute deutsche Aussprache? Sogar die ös und üs stimmen! Meine Glückwünsche!

[masy]

Sehr witzig! Meine Tochter ist gerade auf einem englischen Internat. Der Kulturschock im Schulbereich ist noch viel extremer. Lehrer dort sind das Wort „Nein“ nicht gewöhnt. ;-)

[Eamonnpd]

I know we often take the micky out of the Germans but I've always really liked them.

[ankiebmann]

In Italian, they even use two different terms for "bitte".
Asking for sth = per favore;"un caffè per favore!"
Giving sth = prego; "un caffè prego!"
__

Formal addressing - yes that's quite complicated with lots of nuances in German.

[michaelgrabner]

Staying in the formal form of "Herr/Frau X" respectively "per Sie" combined with the accurate tone is their german way of showing politness and respect by keeping verbally a distance..generally spoken...and "Yes" in some companies it is part of the work-ethic ..I think because the inhibition threshold to become verbally unpolite in situations of stress - (which would disrupt the teamwork and would be therefore inefficent) - is way higher while speaking in formal speech than speaking in informal language by being "per Du"...

[genestealman]

I can't agree on the queuing thing, but that's maybe because I'm from East Germany.

Regarding the formal address: "Sie" is in fact "you" while "du" would be "thou". So while we're as formal to non-familiar people as you, we didn't lost the more personal address. ;)

[ludgerweidemann]

Nice video! Thank you! It is always very interesting for me to see and hear what the differences between other nations are. So I am looking forward to more videos like this. What about the differences in dealing with bad weather? What do Britons like most after work, what German? Do British people like to ride a bicycle or is the car sacred, as in Germany? I am not sure if you are more British than German ... do you have more Beer or more tea? :-)

[whocares]

well ... you forgot the most important pluralis majestatis - the way you have to adress a noble when you are commoner that is ... and this one as a brit ... (just kidding) - anyway I very much like your show ^^

[godsowncountry]

women in Germany usually tend to walk close to the shop windows, no matter if it´s the right or the left side. 😉

[YukiTheOkami]

your wellcome has two transmations in german
a polite and a not so formal one
the polite one is "bitte sehr" or "gern geschehen"
the informal you use with friends and family is "kein problem" / "kein ding" it also translates to "not a big deal" but is used as a informal "your wellcome"

[andrewozenilek]

I'm a born German. But if you ever find a comprehensive formula on when to use the formal adress and when the informal, please let me know! I still struggle with it some time.
Also I never noticed the right-hand-driving pedestrian. I always thought British people were so much much more efficient standing on lthe left side of an escalator letting faster people pass. In Germany it's chaos.

[agnes]

Ach, das macht mich wahnsinnig, wenn man nicht bitte und danke sagt! Ich komme aus einer Kultur, wo bitte und danke automatisch und immer benutzt werden, und hier, in Deutschland stellen sich mir jedes Mal die Nackenhaare auf, wenn ich höre, dass jemand bestellt ohne bitte zu sagen und etwas in Empfang nimmt ohne ein danke. Meine Kinder, hier sozialisiert, lassen auch gerne bitte und danke weg, und ich nerve sie immer noch jedesmal, so unhöflich kommt es mir vor ohne.
Ich glaube, ich habe mich zu neunundneunzig Prozent assimiliert, bin Deutsche geworden, nur der letzte ein Prozent nervt mich noch, und ein wesentlicher Teil davon ist die Sache mit bitte und danke.

[andeekaydot]

Formal addressing: "You".

During my childhood in a little village I learnt that there were even more ways of formal addressing than only Du/Ihr and Sie. I even think the Sie did not yet exist in the local dialect at that time.
Instead, persons of respect, esp. oder people, had to be addressed as _"Ihr"_ and _"Euch"_ : *Herr Doktor, könnt Ihr bitte nach meinem Kind schauen?*

Later I found that roughly two generations earlier, there had been even more ways of formal addressing: an Emperor, king, or any person of rank, addressed him/herself as _Wir_ (1st P. pl.), and this Person would address people of lower rank as _Er/Sie_ (3rd P. sg.): "Er bringe Uns die Zeitung",
which in today's German would be "Bringen Sie mir bitte die Zeitung" towards a male servant.

Thus, German became a lot easier along the last hundred years...

[andibuletten]

You described the germans behaviour quiet well.
But instead of saying something like "you're welcome" or thank you, we show it to you with our gestics and mimics. We bow down blink with an eye or shake your hands.🤷‍♂️

[Skorp]

09:53 Nummer 2, so habe ich es mal in einer Doku gesehen, wird sogar der Planung von Gebäuden berücksichtigt. z.Bsp. Flughäfen (wenn die mal fertig werden). In Japan würde man diese so planen das die Menschen eher links vorbei laufen.