Does anyone here speak fluent German that is used in the present time? I am going to Germany and wish to know some common German slang and phrases. Any customs I should be aware of?
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illuminati
ANSWERS: 4
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I have no idea how to convey pronunciation of Deutsch (German) through English writing. Fortunately in this new age of computers and the internet there are many, many websites out there that have audio files attached so you can hear and learn. Here is one such site: http://german.about.com/library/anfang/blanfang01.htm Customs and traditions of the modern German people is much like you find in any modern Industrialized nation - we all wear the same cloths, eat fast food (fry up the Brits call it) go to bars or movies, watch TV, work - blah. There are some 'quaint' hangovers from earlier times. While most may still follow some of those found here, http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/germany-country-profile.html I doubt all do due to the meshing of cultures of the westernized world via fast travel and now global communications. Its the 21st century, not the 19th century, 200 years has had a huge impact on how people act/behave we all pretty much are homogeneous nowadays.
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I don't care who teaches you...trust but confirm haha Some people...teach others new to the language...to say bad stuff now and then...hehe
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I speak German fluently, but there is no way I could teach you anything via Answerbag. Your best bet would be to go to a large bookshop, and find the travel section. There are usually phrasebooks, sometimes with CDs to help. As for customs, the Germans are very much like most peoples of European origin. Be polite and interested and you will manage. You will also find that, in the bigger cities, there are many who are quite competent in English.
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Second what the others say...a book and a few conversations in Germany will set you up better than answerbag. : ) As far as slang...depends on your age really, as well as where you're going. One thing to be aware of - "geil" literally means "horny" in English but is tossed around a lot by the younger age group to mean "cool" or "awesome". If you have time, you could also google German idioms, there are a lot of fun ones!
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