6 CUTE THINGS Germans do 😍🇩🇪- [PART 1]

[@hlillyfee]

I am German and I just asked my husband if I am doing the lips too, and he confirmed. I've never realized that :D

[@javelinpussy]

And maybe he looked at you, thought about it a second, made the "Jo" lips as well and said "Jo" 😂

[@hlillyfee]

@@javelinpussy he is Brazilian haha

[@insideAdirtyMind]

I do it, too^^

[@kriegerkaiser]

Filipinos do it too!

[@vanatani]

I never realized that the "jo" lips is actually a thing but it's totally true now that I think about it lol I do it too

[@dedlg8150]

Schaut euch doch mal die Statistiken an! In den 60ern bis 80ern ging die Zahl der Störche in Deutschland stark zurück. Gleichzeitig sank die Geburtenrate. Kann das Zufall sein??? 😅

[@OpaSpielt]

Der Eiskremkonsum ist in denjenigen Monaten erhöht, in denen auch mehr Störche beobachtet werden. Ich vermute deshalb, dass Störche nicht nur Babys bringen, sondern auch Eis. 🍦🍦🍦🍦

[@dedlg8150]

@@OpaSpielt Das scheint mir gründlich durchdacht und zwingend geschlussfolgert zu sein. Klar, dass uns solch wichtige Erkenntnisse von den Mainstream-Medien vorenthalten werden!

[@arnodobler1096]

Oh je wir haben im Dorf 3.000 Einwohner und über 30 Storchenpaare jedes Jahr! 🤔🤣

[@muglintar5266]

Es wurden logischerweise auch weniger Frauen vom Storch gebissen, was in früheren Zeiten dazu diente, zu erklären, warum Frauen nach der Geburt nicht unmittelbar wieder aufstehen konnten.

[@jazzochannel]

You can't argue with statistics :)

[@hubertheiser]

I love the "jo lipgs". I never realized this is a thing.

[@anjalecke5972]

My parents' love story started with the du/Sie: they had been working as teachers at the same school and were Siezing each other. One night at a school party, they were dancing for hours, but still Siezing and calling each other by their surnames. Next morning, my mom was very nervous if my dad also felt something special was starting between them, and was so relieved when the first words he said when he saw her, were: Guten Morgen, Monika, wie geht's dir?❤❤❤

[@bitte929]

Awwww ^^

[@millyhartz5604]

Sooooo cute!😊

[@LythaWausW]

Wonderful! It reminds me of the Loriot sketch about the boss and the secretary falling for each other but using Sie despite that. Then he says "say Du" and in the end that didn't work out.

[@atggarden5251]

Ihr zwei seid echt süß. 💖

[@Nikioko]

The Maibaum tradition is very different in different parts of Germany. In North Germany it is a high pole, not necessarily a birch tree, which is set by a group of people (neighbourhood etc.) celebrating Walpurgis Night/Dance into the May. This tree must be guarded as it can be stolen by other celebrating groups. In some areas, the trees must be physically removed, in others it is sufficient to knock three times to consider it ceremonially stolen. A stolen Maibaum can be released by paying ransom in form of alcohol to the kidnappers. However, Maibaums may only be stolen during the nighttime when the celebrations are going on.

[@kumikey]

This is very much the same as in Bavaria - often its the members of the Freiwillige Feuerwehr putting up the tree, protecting it and/or stealing other Maibäume.

[@QueenOfBrokenStone]

In the region I grew up in there was also a bit of a competition between the villages of who had the highest Maibaum, which was another incentive to steal other villages' trees :)

[@brigitteoesterle662]

In my region near Stuttgart this is called " den Maien stellen" . I got one from my former crush (today my husband). He had no birch tree, so it was a branch of a cherry tree.❤ The "Maibaum" is something else, the community or its "Gewerbeverein" or the "Landjugend" put up a huge tree that serously has to be guarded all night long for the dudes from the neighbor village wouldn't steal it which would be a big big shame. But traditions are "flexible" and change every 20 kilometres.

[@rhysodunloe2463]

Same in Rhineland-Palantinate. In our village the Maibaum is made and put up by the fire department. The night before the younger kids go around the neighborhood playing pranks on the adults (toilet papering cars, putting mustard on door handles,...) and then blame the witches the next day. The young men also try to steal the Maibaum. One year they hid it in someone's backyard who then cut it down into firewood first thing the next morning. 😅🙈 First of May then starts with "Maiblasen". Some members of the brass band play "Der Mai ist gekommen" (May has arrived) from the highest hill. Then the Maibaum gets put up and people meet under it to dance, sing, eat and drink. Mostly drink... I'm not quite sure when the Maibaum is taken down again but when I remember correctly it stands there the whole summer. It gets taken down at the beginning of autumn and then a Christmas tree takes its place one or two months later.

[@dominikweber4305]

Same in Bavaria lol

[@ThinkTankTheory]

Schultüte - School cone Maibaum - Maypole Jo - Yes Duzen - On a first-name basis Kaffee und Kuchen - Coffee and cake

[@girishtabla]

My daughter is studying in 🇩🇪 , we watch your all videos they are very helpful, informative to the point and very true Both of you are very sweet I like the way you say “smoothly “ Wish you good luck Thanks for everything 🌹🙏🏼🇮🇳🙏🏼🌹

[@simplegermany]

Thanks for your feedback @girishtabla ☺️ We're happy the information has helped you and your daughter!

[@WhatAStrangeDuck]

Re: No. 4 - the "jo" lips - I think usually or at least often this is accompanied by a humming sound like "mmmmhhhh... jo" while your brain is sorting through the options. It also can end with a no. Then the humming sound is most probably longer and at the end you kinda scrunch your eyes because actually you may want to accept but know that you shouldn't and choose not to accept. But you sort of regret it or at least want to let the other person know that you appreciate them offering you that choice. Hence a little eye-scrunch and a little head-wriggle "mmmmmmmmhhhhhh... nö". Often followed by "Aber Danke!" ("Thanks anyway!") Heh, never realized that was a German thing. Though, is it?

[@YeahButCanISniffUrPantsFist]

youre so right, i can see and hear it reading your comment hahah

[@raraavis7782]

Perfect description. I never realized it's a German thing, though.

[@fg68at]

It can be also written as "hmmm…jo". The "hmmm" while thinking can also be followed by any other answer. I.e. "Do you like tea or coffee?" "Hmm 🤔 Coffee please." This exists also in British english as "a sound made when considering or puzzling over something". And likewise in American English. www.collinsdictionary.com/de/amp/englisch/hmm

[@arnolsi]

Don't forget to shake your head a little. Not like yes or no more from one shoulder to the other.

[@schutzenfest6691]

"Kaffee und Kuchen" heißt bei uns einfach "Kaffeetrinken" (in einem Wort). Und zwar unabhängig davon, ob man Kaffee oder Tee trinken möchte. ;) Dazu gibt es (oft selbst gebackenen) Kuchen oder auch Kekse, z.B. Spekulatius, oder Waffeln oder "Teilchen" (Zimtschnecken, Quarkbällchen ...).

[@simplegermany]

Die ganzen Leckereien 😉

[@Wolfspaule]

Exactly!

[@raistraw8629]

Bei uns heißt es Kaffeekränzchen.

[@withyoctopus]

Bei uns heißt die Mahlzeit _Tee_ und findet zwischen 15-17 Uhr statt. "Komm zum Tee", "es gibt Tee am Teich". Es ist die Teezeit.

[@naneneunmalklug4032]

Ich lade auch immer zum "Kaffetrinken" ein. Dabei mögen weder ich noch meine Freundinnen Kaffee. Dann gibt es Kuchen oder anderes süßes Gebäck, Tee und Kakao. 🤷‍♀️Traditionen. (Ich fühle mich dann immer wie nen Hobbit mit seiner Vieruhr-Mahlzeit)

[@IntyMichael]

The worst thing that can happen is when the boss offers the "Du" to you and next time you meet it's "Sie" again. Then you know how much he cares about you.

[@RustyDust101]

Or, a standard reply to the forgotten "Du" is "Nach dem dritten Sie nach dem Du ist eine Runde fällig." "After the third Sie once you offered Du you will have to pay a round of drinks in the pub."

[@LythaWausW]

Holy crap that's awful. I've had some bad bosses but I've never had that.

[@LythaWausW]

@@RustyDust101 That makes me feel better.

[@nolanschmidt5239]

Die Schultüte ist ein mächtiges Instrument, eine einschneidende Sache ....ich weiß noch genau wie sehr ich mich darüber gefreut habe. Alle Kinder weltweit sollten eine bekommen.

[@helfgott1]

Dear Ladies when i was very much younger in the late 1960´s I was scared about school. In a way i was not so much afraid of the school itselve,but feeling and knowing there is something new,another chapter of my life just scared me. BUT there were my parents sisters at my first day of school.I got a schultüte with all these beautiful things in it. I was not afraid anymore

[@Arazhul12]

It took me 8 years that my mother in law offered me the Du. My father in law already after 5 min. So I tried to avoid all the years to address them directly because I found it strange to separate between them. So instead of asking : willst du/wollen sie noch ein Stück Kuchen? I was like:wer will noch ein Kuchen? Kind of hart doing it in every conversation, but I was young and wouldn't know better 😂

[@simplegermany]

😂😂

[@floralovespringandflowers6227]

You poor soul. That sounds horrible. My parents offer the "du" to any of my friends and boyfriends immediately. I am super thankful now 😄

[@dominikweber4305]

@@floralovespringandflowers6227 same

[@segka8536]

This sounds a bit strange. I would avoid it in the same way.

[@RB-vw8zq]

Oh, that is unusual - and very uncomfortable. I would have avoided addressing them the same way as you did. Normally, the parents coordinate and offer the "Du" together. It usually means they consider you a serious contender, possibly the one to eventually marry their daughter or son. A former friend of mine used to have one girlfiend after another. Whenever he introduced his latest lady to his parents, his mother would secretly ask him: "Ist das etwas Ernsthaftes, oder ist die nur für untenrum?" 😄 They would not want to waste the "Du" on a woman just considered a sex partner...

[@Anna00abroad]

I got a little "Schultüte" every year till I graduated high school and it made the first day of a new school year feel pretty special each year ^^ love my parents for coming up with this

[@sisuguillam5109]

Great idea!

[@martialme84]

HAHAHA I do the "Jo"-Lips too! I never realized that this is a particularly German thing to do! Just thought humans did that in general...

[@Samcaracha]

ich wusste noch nicht mal, das das "Joh!" so "deutsch" ist. Aber ich lache sehr!

[@carolynbest9519]

I worked at a Gymnasium in Germany. One day, two of the teachers who had worked with each other for years, agreed to "duzen" each other. Everyone in the room clapped and cheered! As a native English speaker, that was really surprising to me!

[@floralovespringandflowers6227]

My German gran knew another German woman she considered her friend at least 30 to 35 years and only in the last 5 years these two did finally "duzen" each other 😄😄😄. When I pointed that out to my gran she would always say "Girl, we are from a different generation."That is true. She was born in 1921 and would therefore turn 100 this year.

[@MihcaelTube]

@@floralovespringandflowers6227 I had older family members who said "Sie" and not "Du" to their parants in the first half of the 20th century.

[@elfsieben1450]

@@MihcaelTube It's like in anglophone countries when kids had to address their parents with Sir and Ma'm.

[@LythaWausW]

@@elfsieben1450 That ppl still do that today in some places (with strangers) is so charming, I love it. Although I hated it when I was suddenly old enough to be a Ma'am. *sigh*

[@anchouse94]

OMG cute thing number 4, I didn't even realise I'd been realising this all along! They do do that! O_o So subtle, so German :D love it

[@dirksiebert6577]

I wasn't aware that this is a gesture specific to Germans. As a German I of course do it often, also without the spoken "Jo". Nice observation!

[@kilsestoffel3690]

It could also be followed by a "nö" (nein, no)

[@jhdix6731]

@@kilsestoffel3690 maybe even "och nö" ;-)

[@carolaoffhaus5240]

@@dirksiebert6577 for me it is the other way round, I thought it is a franconian thing, but meaning, " yes, by all means!" in typical franconian understatement.

[@RustyDust101]

Now that I come to think about it, yepp, totally agreed. I seem to do it, too.

[@vanatani]

"Half were Du-ed and half were Sie-ed" or "You can Du me" sounded funny hehe

[@schjue]

In the German fable, the stork is called "Adebar", this term is composed of the Germanic nouns "auda" for luck or salvation and "bera" for bear or give birth. Consequently, in a figurative sense, Adebar is the "bearer of luck", and it is evident from this naming that the stork is directly associated with childbearing and is considered a lucky charm. Decorating is usually done by the neighbors, who want to wish the family good luck with it.

[@simplegermany]

Thank you so much for that detailed explanation! 🤗

[@nanamuskuri6630]

But is this symbol genuinely German? I mean think of dumbo

[@flothchtronk2068]

@@nanamuskuri6630 Dumbo the fat stork! 🤣

[@Stranglehold138]

Late to the party but I just found this channel. I heard there was apparently a folk belief that the stork used its long beak to plant seeds in the earth, thus making it a symbol of fertility. Not sure if these are independent of one another or might have influenced each other.

[@reinhard8053]

@@nanamuskuri6630 It's the same in Austria. What connection should there be to Dumbo ?

[@desertrose1609]

I'm from the region of Südbaden and here there's also the tradition of the Maibaum. My mother is from the countryside where it's still common "einen Maibaum zu stellen" (although it's not as often done now). My mother always said my father was too lazy to do it that's why he married her before May to avoid doing it (they married in April) because traditionally only unmarried women could get a Maibaum. My mother always wanted one. Also, in my mother's village there were also other types of "courting": my mother found one May a bouquet of lilacs in front of her front door which meant that she had a secret admirer. To this day, she still doesn't know who it was or could have been. Also, I don't know if it's regional but here in my region there's also the 1.Mai-Streich, where young men play a prank during the night to the first of May to the townspeople. One time e.g., the town sign of my grandparents village got swapped with that of another town that had the same name but is located in Schwaben.

[@KingQwertzlbrmpf]

japanese actually has three levels of courtesy you can talk in. One form for within the family, with close friends or for talking woth children. One form that is exclusivly for very formal situations, talking with your boss, someone older than you etc. It's considered very respectful almost reverent. And then there's one form for everyday use with collegues and strangers alike that is still considerd to be polite. It is considered very rude to adress somebody with the incorrect level of courtesy.

[@kjell4439]

A cute rural(?) custom i know is that if you are not married by the age 30 you have to go in front of the city townhall with a broom and clean the entry/steps until a girl comes a gives you a kiss, and therefore sets you free. It was a way to avoid having people end up alone forever as it was normal to be married by that age. Don't know the origins, but some did it and even announce it in local newspapers. It's a traditional way of sharing with your city you are still available. ;)

[@simplegermany]

Oh wow, that sounds super interesting. And what happens if no girl comes and gives a kiss? 😲In which German area is this tradition held?

[@kjell4439]

@@simplegermany it is called "Treppenfegen" and originated from Bremen, later was adopted in many other cities. I'm from a small town in mid-west, so it traveled far.. friends and family take the 30yo on his birthday to the town hall and unload many (previously collected) bottle caps onto the stairs for him to clean up with a broom, just to spice things up a little. Also, some require the guy to wear a silly costume. Something bright, neon or whatever, as a way to put the spotlight on him. While he then swings the broom, he and friends drink beer while waiting and throw their new caps onto the floor for him to clean up too. It sounds horrific, but it is all in good intent and just a way to get drunk on his birthday while also highlighting he hadn't managed to find a SO yet.. in the old days he had to wait for a virgin. Rules were then relaxed a little and now any women that is available and allowed to marry is fine.. once "set free" family and friends go to the nearest bar or restaurant to have dinner and that's it. Maybe he really did find a girl willing of accept him, but i don't know about how successful this is.. just a tradition nowadays that is just fun and a friendly mockery. There is also a female version called "Klinkenputzen", but i don't know much about that one. The word however is a very common saying and means "someone going door to door to sell something" and "cleaning door handles" (lit.trans.) as she/he carries on.

[@floralovespringandflowers6227]

@@simplegermany East Westphalia too 😊

[@LythaWausW]

My first time in Bremen I saw this and was blown away by the silliness and what must have been mortification of the poor young man. I was hoping this cute tradition would make the list.

[@teardrop-in-a-fishbowl]

Origin of the tradition around the maypole: On this day, the First of May, the Germanic earth goddess Freya married the sky god Wotan. In honor of the gods, a couple wreathed with leaves, the May King and May Queen, went into the forest. In order to escape the anger of the church, this (many) custom changed to erecting a maypole and it´s handled differently in many places. In some places this was a birch, later just a very high pole that was decorated before being raised. The custom of choosing a May Queen and May King still exists in some places.

[@floralovespringandflowers6227]

Your list is super cute. I am a German and I also find all that definitely very cute too about my culture 😄. I could add one more to the list: In East Westphalia we do "Laternesingen" / "Martinssingen" (sing with your lantern/ sing on St. Martins) on either the 10th or 11th of November. It depends if you are a Protestant or a Catholic on which day you go and if it is called "Laternesingen" or "Martinssingen". I was raised as a Protestant and we would go on the 10th of November because that was the birthday of Martin Luther who split the Catholic church. He himself was only called Martin because the 11th is the day of the Catholic Saint called Martin who gave a beggar half of his coat. What both these confessions do is that they either buy a paper lantern or make it themselves and then there comes a candle in it (real or electric) and you attach it to a stick, gather together in a group and go out from door to door, ring the bell and then sing for the neighbours and get treats as payment. That is the reason it is called "Laternesingen" or "Martinssingen" because you go to sing with your lantern in the dark on either Martin Luthers birthday or Saint Martins feastday. As a child appart from Easter, my own birthday and Christmas that was the best day of the whole year. You would make your lantern in Kindergarden or school days before and on the day, you would wait untill it got dark and then make all grannies and granddaddies in the neighbourhood super happy by singing and come home with a huge back of sweets you could afterwards eat all by yourself at any given time cause you earned it. It is similar to the American Halloween tradition but nicer cause you don't threaten people (although some people might consider singing children a threat 😄). Back in my day, it was a huge thing and I looked super foward to it. I would always go singing with my best friend and afterwards she would get all my Snickers and I would get all her Milky Ways 😄. It is a super cute tradition. And I think that only in my area Protestant people don't do the singing on the 11th but the 10th of November. The whole thing is the reason that I knew Martin Luther's birthday and still do it today. It was the third most important birthday I learned after Jesus' and my own 😉. If you ever want to see it: Go to Bielefeld on either the 10th or the 11th in a neighbourhood with lots of Kindergarden and primary school children. There you will surely still see them going from door to door to sing 😊. Children roughly do it untill they are 14. 😊

[@nysam755]

The cutest thing in this video is your relationship guys imo , in every video you seem so calm n satisfied n respectful of eachother n i just realized that it adds such good atmosphere to ur videos And thanks for ur helpful contents👍

[@resathe6760]

Where I am from in Germany (Saxony) it is normally called a Zuckertüte because at least until a few years ago, it contained mostly sweets besides the school utensils. A funny thing that happened when I got mine: my aunt had those great knives with really colourful handles you use at breakfast to cut open bred rolls and I begged my mom for one. And there was one in my Zuckertüte and my Dad was, ah that doesn't look sharp at all and he tested it on his thumb and it started bleeding a lot ;D

[@simplegermany]

😂

[@grmpf]

Wow, and I thought knowing how to test a knife without getting cut was a quintessential dad skill.

[@lilg2300]

same in berlin, it's called zuckertüte here as well.

[@millyhartz5604]

I didn't understand if the parents make those Tüte and leave it at school so that the Child receive it in classroom,or they receive it at home and take it to school.(or not)🎉

[@resathe6760]

@@millyhartz5604I think it is different in different parts of Germany or just depends on the very individual ways you celebrate your Schulanfang. Where I grew up our parents prepeared the Zuckertüte and then it was hung up on a tree in the school garden and we all got to cut if off from there :)

[@insideAdirtyMind]

I am from Thuringia and we have a different tradition with the Maibaum. Early on this day the young males from our village go into the wood, cut down a huge birch tree and carry it into the village. Then they will put it up at the village square, which is very dangerous. Every year there are some people who get killed by a fallen tree if something goes wrong. It is a tradition for young man to show off a little. They have to concentrate and work together to put the massive tree up. It is a tradition to celebrate the springtime also and that the winter is gone now. In the evening before the event every village does a huge fire at a high spot and party. Like dancing around the fire and drinking beer, and when the fire is burned down we use to jump over it to hope for good luck (mostly you need good luck to not burn your butt). It looks so wonderful and out of this world when we are up the hill and making the huge fire and every village around us is doing the same. You look into the nature and see fireplaces spark up everywhere in the night.

[@sabinereimer7809]

The difference between Sie and Du is normally about status and/or age. Always the older or higher in status ranking person offers the Du. It's a showing trust thing.😉

[@JPFighter93]

not just trust, but also respect. If I say Du to someone who is in a role of power or totally removed from me, i pull them down to my level verbally. to say du to someone can be so inappropriate that it is considered a insult. For exaple if i say to a Policemen "Du A*loch" its way more offensive than "Sie A*loch"

[@Skyl3t0n]

@@JPFighter93 "Raus hier du W*chser!" "Wie bitte?!?" "Tschuldigung, Sie W*chser."

[@RB-vw8zq]

Yes. And if your boss is younger than you are, he/she gets to make the offer. If she/he does not do it, you will have to stick to the formal "Sie" indefinitely...

[@rhysodunloe2463]

Kaffee und Kuchen is pretty similar to inviting someone over for afternoon tea in England. They often serve tea with sandwiches, scones or cake. In our family it's also mostly a thing for special occasions. Like birthdays, religious holidays or some relatives from outside paying a visit. My grandmother had a rule: The more important the event and guests the more complicated the cake. Like Käsekuchen or seasonal Früchtebiskuit for the neighbors and close family and cream cakes like Frankfurter Kranz or Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte on birthdays or long awaited visits from far away.

[@karlsulzle3927]

Normally, the person, who is older than you, proposes to say ,, du" to each other. So if you are younger, always wait until you get the ,,du". Just when you are talking to a younger person or a person around your age you usally say ,, du".

[@thomasb.9965]

You‘re so awesome... as a german, i get a different ( and funny) point of view to our behaviours and all day living... you put it right to the spot ... and remember:“... Kuchen geht immer...“😂🤣😇

[@rolandratz1]

Hey Ihr zwei - ich habe keine Schultüte zu meiner Einschulung bekommen; ich bin 1951 geboren und '57/'58 war die Wirschaftslage gerade mal so im Kommen und meine Eltern konnten es sich nicht leisten. Aber... als ich mit 40 Jahren eine Umschulung absolvierte und den ersten Tag in die Berufsschule ging, hat mich meine Frau mit einer kleinen, ca. 30cm hohen Einschulungstüte überrascht. Gefüllt war sie mit meinem Lieblingsmarzipan, Mandarinen und... mit kleinen Schnapsfläschchen (man nennt sie heute, glaube ich, Shorts?). Ich habe mir seeehr gefreut darüber !!

[@hopemasike531]

Wie schön und aufmerksam, das ist ja toll!

[@sisuguillam5109]

Wie süss ist das denn? Meine Eltern haben meiner Schwester zum ersten Tag als Lehrerin nochmal eine Schultüte geschenkt.

[@andreamuller9009]

The rule of the etiquette for "Sie " and "Du" is actually very simple. An adult, especially an elderly person or your boss in the business is always addressed with "Sie" and the surname. The older person offers the younger person to address the "Du" and by their first name, never the other way around. That would be rude ... very large fat pot that you can step into. ;) In business it's the same with the boss, the boss either offers the "Du" ... (or he doesn't, because he may prefer the formal way) ... because the boss is a person of respect (you just have to introduce yourself he / she would be older than you, even if that is not the case). Oh, and never never address a police officer with "Du" ... that is considered an insult .... Although in connection with a swear word "Sie" is a better choice, it brings even more distance...... hence the saying: "Sie Arschloch" klingt besser als " Du Arschloch " Could maybe be translated with: "Sir asshole" sounds better than "you asshole" But it is also better not to try it with a police officer. Lol

[@Zackabier]

Ihr habt einen wunderbaren Humor. Gleich mal abonniert.

[@alexanderlotharson5634]

Hey guys, nice video! At least in the UK there is something quite similar to 'Kaffee & Kuchen': it's 'five o'clock tea' or 'afternoon tea'. Obviously it's rather tea than coffee served with shortbread, scones, biscuits or some other type of pastries. And by the way, 'Kaffee & Kuchen' in Germany is sometimes replaced by 'Tee & Kuchen' especially in the north. (Gerade das Video nochmal geschaut: bei Yvonne's 'Hä' bei 14:19 könnt ich mich wegschmeissen vor Lachen! Somit nominiere ich dieses 'Hä' als Nummer 7 in dieser Liste.)

[@FiveOClockTea]

Bin aus'm Süden und wir tauschen den Kaffee auch meistens mit Tee aus 😊

[@alexanderlotharson5634]

@@FiveOClockTea Ein Südländer, der Tee trinkt? Verrückt!

[@lorenzsabbaer7725]

î think the royals implemented that no? cause they are german, same with the christmas tree

[@FiveOClockTea]

@@alexanderlotharson5634 vielleicht nicht allzu normal, aber die meisten meiner Freundinnen bevorzugen sogar Tee am Morgen, statt Kaffee ☕

[@marionschroder1844]

Nicht unbedingt britisch. Kenn ich auch von den Friesen.

[@jaymo1655]

Kaffee und Kuchen war bei Oma immer 15:30! und wehe man war zu spät! 😳

[@sherylm679]

Number 4 is so funny and true! I live in Munich. My husband, his friends, and my teacher also do that.

[@mikedavinson1693]

Hello pretty lady how are you doing today and how is the weather over there

[@deniserosa4771]

I just found your channel and I loved it!! Very well done. Hello from Orlando Florida

[@claudiaf.4766]

Früher (zumindest in der Ostzone ,Mitte der 80er) wurde die Schultüte auch Zuckertüte genannt- womit auch gleich der ursprüngliche eigentliche Inhalt einer Solchen erklärt war. 😋😉

[@liesascott5414]

Kaffee und Kuchen is usually happens on a nicely set table with fine china, candles and guest often bring flowers. Flowers are in Germany a very common thing to give to someone, often without a specific reason. I miss it in the US.

[@n1vca]

The Maibaum-Tradition is more kind of country side thing and also very popular in Bavaria. I grew up near Düsseldorf and had no clue about these traditions. Kaffee and Kuchen is the German version of "tea time", it just ads a bite of cake. So Ivonne's boss told her "You can say you to me" :-) Crap Papier (Kreppband) = masking tape or crepe tape (crepe tape sounds delicious) Thanks for sharing and greetings from Munich into my beloved home town of Düsseldorf

[@masterjack85]

It is a thing. The Du has to be offered to you and is a sign of respect and trust. Nowadays it is not quite as strict and always depends on how you started your interaction with that person. If you start with the formal "Sie" you stick with it until the other person offers the "Du ". To be polite you would use the formal "Sie" with strangers, people who are older than you or persons in a higher position. If you meet someone for the first time and aren't sure you can always ask and it is even considered very polite to ask. You most likely will be thanked and offered the Du instantly

[@kragth]

You both are cute 😊 In the east where i live there is no maibaum tradition. Tanz in den Mai is called Hexenbrennen here. A big fire where everyone is chatting, dancing and drinking. 😊

[@simplegermany]

Wow Hexenbrennen sounds like fun! 🔥 🍻

[@amazonja75]

Walpurgisnacht

[@thuringian1127]

Here in my town in Middlegermany I never heard about any day like that and the Maibaum is also unknown to me and i also never noticed that anyone here celebrates getting into May or idk what happens there now.

[@resathe6760]

@@thuringian1127 I think it is very common in most villages in middle Germany. I am from Saxony and here it is called Hexenfeuer. It's on the 30th of April and you burn down branches and twigs you collected or accumulated in autumn or over the winter. For example if you have trees in your garden and you prune them in the autumn or winter you make a pile of the branches (also good for hedgehogs to hibernate) and you burn them down on that day. At home we often made some kind of puppet (from straw and big paper bags and sometimes old clothes) that looked like a witch and it was put on top of the pile and got burned with it (sounds really barbaric if I think about it now ;D). In the last years the communes charge a lot for it in some places so I think there aren't happening as many as a few years ago anymore.

[@thuringian1127]

@@resathe6760 ok, nice to know, but I really never heard about both and also never saw something like that and I don't live in a Village either.

[@heiligepommesbude9555]

"Kaffee & Kuchen" 😂 Greetings from 🇩🇪

[@guilhermelopes7809]

I live in Germany for 5+ years already and the "jo lips" is something that I always found really funny hahahhahaha. Even funnier is that most of my germans friend to whom I talked about this, they haven't even realized that they do that 😅

[@jbZahl]

In Bavaria the Maibaum was for the whole village. I can't remember it having to do anything with crushes. It was more of a pride of the village thing. It could be stolen during certain nights by neighbouring villages. If succesful it had to be bought free, usually with free bier for the successful thieves. So more of a capture the flag situation.

[@tschaytschay4555]

In Baden-Württemberg we do both. One big one in the village and the little one for crushes. And if someone sees the boy bringing the Maibaum to the girls house, this person will draw a line between the girl‘s and boy‘s house.

[@simplegermany]

Oh that is interesting! I (Jen) love playing capture the flag. I guess I need to go to Bavaria one day to see this scene in action 😜

[@RustyDust101]

@@simplegermany But only with whole trees, not only a simple flag. The logistics are, just a teensy tiny bit more complex. :D

[@helgaioannidis9365]

Yes in Bavaria usually the Maibaum is decorated with symbols for the shops and professions that are to be found in the village. So someone from outside could immediately figure out if e.g. he could find a shoemaker or pub there.

[@Pryderia110]

@@tschaytschay4555 can confirm im grew up in South-Baden near Lake-Constanz we did exactly that.... and its a line out of lime

[@SethManex]

Discovered this channel two weeks ago and I’m obsessed, been binge watching a ton of videos. Makes me understand Germans at a time I was considering moving back or changing countries. Moved to Germany slightly over two years ago from Kenya. Love you guys ❤

[@lilithbernstein]

My mom made me a Schultüte when I started my PhD. So very German! :D

[@Myladyinred999]

That's sweet

[@yumpox]

I got a small one when I started Fachoberschule as well :-)

[@Nikioko]

A Schultüte is very much lika a Pinata, but for a different purpose and you dont have to break it open blindfoldedly. And it is cone shaped, very much like a spliff which is also called "Tüte" in German.

[@JPFighter93]

I didnt made the connection between the spliff and the Schultüte jet xD haha

[@RustyDust101]

My "Schultüte" contained the 'Mäppchen' / pencil case with, yes, pencils, a fountain pen, eraser, small rulers, crayons, etc. But the rest was filled, contrary to tradition, not with sweets but with savory snacks such as Bifi mini-salamis, small bags of chips, Salzstangen/pretzel sticks, etc. I was a real savory snack kid and not into sweets that much. The tradition was to sweeten the sudden change of going away from home, leaving your parents behind, and going to a strange new place all alone, without the safety blanket of home.

[@LythaWausW]

The fascinating thing for me is the separation of pencil and eraser, and the continued but elegant use of the fountain pen altough I've seen my students leak ink *everywhere*. Why fountain pens? I know from my husband, a math teacher, that math is done in Germany with pens, not pencils, supposedly so they cannot change it later and argue the grade. So, did the federmappe also come with a pencil sharpener or did you guys have a school room sharpener mounted on the wall like in America?

[@tomgan4576]

Grüße aus Sachsen-Leipzig .Mal eine Sichtweise vom anderen Ufer.Sehr belustigend.Daumen hoch !

[@Safra62]

It can also be the "Nö-Lips"! ;) If you have to think it through and it's a Nö... :-D

[@oOIIIMIIIOo]

Jo 😙

[@venator-classstardestroyer568]

"Jo" That was a perfect dad impression.

[@FrauTietze42]

The stork decoration is usually done by friends and/or neighbours to celebrate the baby. Neighbours also decorate for special anniversaries ..like 10 years is the wooden anniversary and the decorations made of wood

[@Ouwkackemann]

Originally the Maibaum is only for your secret crush. But later the real girlfriends were upset, because they wanted to have one as well and forced (more or less) their boyfriends to set one. Originally it is not supposed to be like so and it is given only freely. What you totally forgot, the night to the 1st May is the Walpurgisnacht, where witches, werewolves and demons are on their way to their big annual party on the Blocksberg, where they make big fires, dance and worship the beast. On the countryside, there is a lot going on in this night. There are dance festivals, like you said, Tanz in den Mai, and the youth is going nuts almost. Maibäume get set and stolen, pranks are done to people which you don´t like so much, and chalk lines are made on the street. The chalk lines are made out of a mixture between chalk and water and show secret couples. Those lines go from the house of one to the house of the other partner of this hidden couple, so that in the morning everybody sees them and knows from there. As kids we used to hear some noise that night, and in the morning we were driving around with our bikes and watched out for the Maibäume, the chalk lines and the pranks. Later we did them on our own.

[@gregorrom4405]

Ich finde euch echt super.

[@mimmeisinger4926]

Jo, mit den Lippen, ich war mir auch garnicht bewußt, dass wir das machen. Aber es stimmt 😆 PS Deine Aussprache für Kuchen ist exzellente👏🏻👏🏻

[@rhysodunloe2463]

Wow! I grew up with some way different Maibaum traditions. I grew up in the Pfälzerwald (Palatine Forest) where the Maibaum is a long wooden pole painted with diagonal stripes (ours were yellow and black) with metal signs of the different local job branches (like bakers, shoemakers, carpenters...) at the sides and a ring of evergreen branches and ribbons and a young tree with ribbons on the top (So what you in Bonn call a Maibaum is just the tip of the iceberg to us. 😉😅). I also saw the same thing in Bavaria, but with blue and white stripes. Maybe the tradition even comes from the time when our region was governed by Bavaria. So it's a community thing not a private one. The Maibaum is carried to the central place and put up with ropes and long poles by the firefighters and then the whole village has a celebration with lots of food and drinks and a brass band playing. While the signs get reused, the pole and crown is made new every year and the older boys try to steal it the night before and then demand a ransom from the mayor the next morning. One year in our village they hid the tree in some idiot's backyard who then cut it to pieces and used it as firewood. So that year we had only a way smaller unpainted pole to put up and we had to wait until it was ready. It was the talk of the town for weeks. The younger kids have another tradition that night called Hexennacht (witches night) where they go around the neighborhood playing Pranks to the adults like toilet papering cars, hoisting garden gates up on lamp posts and so on. When the grown-ups see the mess the next morning the witches - who traditionally fly to their yearly Walpurgisnacht meeting at the Blocksberg that night - get the blame. A kind of German springtime Halloween. But with all tricks, no treats. One year they even managed to put our teacher's car (an old Fiat 500) on the roof of a garage two streets away. I don't know how they did it, but he needed to rent a crane to get it down again. I also only heard of "Tanz in den Mai" when I moved to Hamburg. I didn't knew it was a thing before. Just like Easter Bonfires. But many traditions are so different between each regions. While I as a Catholic grew up with Saint Martin's day as a very ritualized lantern procession (going way back to the burial procession of Martin of Tours), my girlfriend from Lower Saxony (mostly Lutheran) was going from house to house singing and begging for candy. While she came home with a bag full of snacks like on Halloween, I got a small brioche bun after the procession and had to break it in half and share it with someone near me. Just like Saint Martin gave one half of his cloak to a beggar.

[@simplegermany]

Wow, thanks for sharing. Yes, it is indeed so interesting how the seemingly same thing holds such different traditions just in one single country 😇

[@maraboo72]

Eine besonders gut gemeinte und freundliche Einladung: "Wenn du uns besuchen willst, kommst du am besten nach dem Kaffee. Dann bist du zum Abendbrot wieder zu Hause."

[@h2okopf415]

Ein besonderes Zeichen von Sparsamkeit, hat mir ein Schwabe erklärt!

[@hubertxxx5564]

Typisch schwäbisch 😂 Höchste Lob der Schwaben: Nicht schlecht!

[@Oberbaumbruecke]

In Sachsen ist das anders: Die lieben das und überhäufen gern andere damit. ☺️👍 Kommst irgendwohin und gleich liegt Stück Stollen vor Dir. 😁

[@summersun6536]

@@Oberbaumbruecke aber nur zu Weihnachten. Ansonsten gibt es Eierschecke oder anderen Kuchen. Gerne auch "kalten Hund" (dabei werden Butterkekse abwechselnd mit eine Creme aus Kakao und Kokosfett in einer Kastenform geschichtet und mit Kuvertüre überzogen). Für mein Gefühl leider etwas aus der Mode gekommen ist die klassische Bäbe, ein Hefenapfkuchen, oft mit Apfelstückchen verfeinert oder als Marmorkuchen gebacken. Und ganz wichtig: trockener Kuchen wird geditscht, also in Kaffee, Kakao oder Tee getunkt vor dem Essen. Das ist zwar nicht besonders fein, aber lecker. ;-)

[@Oberbaumbruecke]

@@summersun6536 Ja eben. Die Schwaben sind da schon sehr anders, in Berlin z. B. auch nicht so gern gesehen. ^^

[@deotio2768]

Funny alot of foreigners notice the lip thing with Germans. My husband does it as well and only after i started making fun of him about it, did he realise that he and Germans in general do the lip thing😍

[@LythaWausW]

A lot of Germans do something else that seems specific to Germany - while speaking they take a breath but they do it very ...."wetly" - they kind of suck in air in a way to spread their saliva around before continuing speaking. It is so prevalent, and my German husband is now just as annoyed by it as I am. If you want a good example of it, listen to Cornelia Poletto on ZDF's Kuechenschlacht. She is nearly impossible to listen to when she is serving as moderator. I've made it into a drinking game - whenever she sucks air wetly, I drink a sip.

[@rhysodunloe2463]

Raising your glass and give someone the permission to call them by their first name even has a name. "Auf Brüderschaft trinken" (to drink on brothership). I often see it with older people who meet for the first time at an event or in old movies (mostly Heimatfilme). It's getting late, you had a nice chat and then one of you decides to "offer the Du" (das Du anbieten). You then raise your glass and tell each other your first name. Some people, often men fancying the woman their talking to, even hook their arms in each other while doing so. So you take your glass and move it around the other person's arm towards your mouth. So when you drink you are "close like brothers".

[@flothchtronk2068]

Never noticed the "jo!" thing! This is hilarious! I realised I do it too. 😂

[@sinisternightmare]

Hey Yvonne from Bonn! This is Arne from Marne. :-D

[@simplegermany]

Komm lass uns einen drauf trinken 😅🍻

[@blubbflubbl2729]

So I just came from the weird things Germans do video where Jen mentioned how Germans tend to repeat the same word but slower when the other person doesn't understand them and I love how she started this video out doing exactly the same thing with the Schultüte 😂 Had a good laugh and subscribed ❤️ I know this is an older video but I hope you keep making such fun and informative videos!

[@mylena3086]

Very cute vid! I got some comments on the Schultüte which would be that sometimes you would get a tinier version for secondary school or college/apprenticeship also the Maibaum-Tradition goes back to the roots of local rituals that were held way before Christianisation There were so called 'wedding tryouts' which would last a month and are -as far as my interpretation goes- kind of an embrace of Love and Fertility aswell as Compatability There are tons of heathen roots to the recent festivities like Karneval and such and it's very interesting and varies around all the party of Germany

[@YukiMoonlight]

I'm from Wesseling (actually a village that belonged to that town) which is very close to Bonn so most things are exactly the same way you mentioned it. I was always so jealous of my neighbours who got a Maibaum. As a young gay boy I dreamed of having a secret admirer who would put up a Maibaum for me. Obviously never happened in this little christian village where I was the only outed homosexual at the time. Haven't thaught about this tradition in forever. I moved to another village with mostly old people in rhineland pfalz. Haven't seen a single Maibaum here yet.

[@lotharschepers2240]

Sorry but as the following remark is only addressed towards my fellow citizens I wrote it in German. Gude Ivonne zum Thema Duzen und Siezen eine kleine Anmerkung bis zum Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts war es oft umgekehrt, Mitarbeiter (Knechte oder Mägde in der Landwirtschaft, Gesellen in Handwerksbetrieben, bei einfachen Bürojobs usw.) wurden geduzt und erst wenn man gezeigt hatte das man ein guter vertrauenswürdiger Mitarbeiter war begannen die Vorgesetzten denjenigen zu siezen. Als kleines Anschauungsbeispiel: In der zweiten Staffel der Fernsehserie "Charite" macht es der Professor Sauerbruch noch genauso. What? You are still curious about? Okay, I have explained to Ivonne that addressing employees in the formal or informal way has turned around in the last century. A bit more than 100years ago it was common to address new employees (especially if they had a job that did not require an academic education) in the informal way, but if they had achieved a certain level of trust or respect they were addressed in the formal way. So just the other way around as it is today.

[@arnekrug939]

The du/Sie and first name/last name dichotomy is really interesting when you compare different social circles. When I got into 11th or 12th grade our physics teacher started to adress us with "Sie" but still called us by our first names. It was a bit weird but also a sign of respect and like a rite of passage that we now belonged to the adult world. In the military however the other soldiers that share your rank will often call you with your last name but still use "du" because the superiors will only use the last name so everyone mostly knows each other by that last name. So that are some fun exception from the first name basis = du, last name basis = Sie rule.

[@Skyl3t0n]

I graduated 2020 and the first thing the teachers did when i got into 11th grade was ask us what we want to be called. Obviously there was one guy who actually insisted on being called by his last name because he thought it was funny and one teacher who refused to duz us anymore.

[@SomethingStupide]

Southwestern Lower Saxony/OWL here - we do maypoles/May trees and Dance into May here! However, we don't steal them. We do that with our "Erntekronen" over the summer, which are attached to an entirely different and really quite peculiar local tradition.

[@franziskaibes6265]

"Schnute ziehen "... Jo. Well explaint... This. oment of thinking about... 😂😂😂

[@jhessicalmoreira]

I just had so much fun watching this video 😁 nice to know those things.

[@Skytrapez]

In some parts the house is decorated by neighbors or clubs the parents are a part off. It's held like a small get together with beer and other beverages, usually a couple of days after the child is born and it is confirmed that mother and child are doing well. Funny enough it's called "Babypinkeln"!

[@louisefitzgerald8918]

Nice, have never heard of the Maibaum tradition, cute 😊...I don't think it happens in Berlin or Dresden...the lip thing is funny too...I've found myself doing it now too 🙈😚

[@simplegermany]

Yeah, Jen is now a master of the 'jo-lips' 😅 as well!

[@henningbartels6245]

I'm from a rural area in East Germany - not exactly between Berlin and Dresden, but West of Berlin: at our village entrances of houses are decorated with birch branches. But I didn't know about any meaning regarding someone's crash. Instead at the centre of the village a large birch tree will be erected decorated with ribbons and a wreath. This tree will be watched by locals because guys from other villages often try to cut down this tree at night for fun.

[@ErklaerMirDieWelt]

In Bavaria, your friends will decorate your house or your lawn when you get married. The decorations will include some sort of wager (often phrased as a poem) that basically gives the couple a deadline of one year to have their first child and the price to be paid if they don't succeed (usually paid in a big barbecue with free drinks for the friends). Like with the stork and the maibaum I'm kinda torn because on the one hand it's a cute tradition if done in good spirit. On the other hand they are very heteronormative traditions that (especially in rural conservative communities) might cause problems for people not adhering to the norm.

[@dominikweber4305]

I've never seen that, the reason is probably that i live in munich

[@bluediabolo1]

@@dominikweber4305 das machen wir auch in MÜnchen lol

[@vrlord7949]

I think the "Schultüte" was actually a sugar bag meant as a consolation for having to go to school...

[@alexpond648]

Well, I don't know how long exactly this Schul-/Zuckertüten tradition is around, but I think they found references dating back 200 years. Not sure but it could be an adapted Jewish tradition, where new pupils got a small gift (pastries in letter form) from the teacher of the torah school. (Russisches Brot kommt mir da direkt in den Sinn.) A reference to a psalm verse ("Dein Wort ist in meinem Munde süßer als Honig“). This is not confirmed though and would be peculiar, because it has also a long tradition in Austria and was made realy popular in Germany during the Nazi era. It was picked up later again after Wirtschaftswunder, when Germany recovered financialy.

[@lunaarran6965]

Had great fun watching your video, thanks very much 😍. The traditions for the 1st of May seem to vary greatly depending on the region. In the Black Forest, where I‘m originally from, there is Maienstecken, which means you play tricks on people during the night before the 1st May. Like ringing their bell in the middle of the night or ‚decorating‘ trees in front of their house with toilet paper. Usually sth harmless but annoying, as these people might have annoyed you in some way during the year.

[@ElinT13]

I just ran across your videos, and you are such a sympathetic couple! I really enjoy your videos, even though I am German. Greetings from Stuttgart!

[@JakobFischer60]

If you want to do a formal change from Sie to Du, you both can raise a glas of wine, entangle your arms and both drink from their own glasses.

[@subhamskitchen]

Loved all your videos ♥ I also learned about "schultüte " last year when my son started his Grundschule. It's fun for kids as well as parents.

[@uweinhamburg]

Du and Sie... In the German linguistic we have two funny terms 'the Aldi Sie' and the 'Hamburg merchants Du' Kaufmanns Du. Companies like Aldi do want to see a certain distance between their staff and the customers so they ask their employees to use the formal Sie amongst them when customers are around. Between merchants in offices in the trading sector in harbor areas in Hamburg and Bremen there was the tradition to use the formal address of Mr. ABC combined with the less formal Du - 'Herr Schmidt, kannst Du mir mal die Akte Schneider geben?'

[@jhdix6731]

In Bavaria, you often see a variant of number 3. If the baby is a girl, the house is decorated with stringed up cans, and often a wooden signpost will indicate the way to the "Büchsenmacherei".

[@Baccatube79]

Not for the first girl, but from the 3rd girl onwards, this really might happen

[@JPFighter93]

ach ja, die Bayern xD überhaupt nicht sexistisch oder so (ich weiß alte Traditionen sind oft so, aber das hat nochmal besondere Qualität)

[@littlecousin8716]

I'm so fascinated. I come from Düsseldorf and i didn't know anything about the Maibaum Tradition. I mean i knew they existed. But wow. It's so interesting XD

[@theonijkerk3012]

In the Netherlands we have the decorations when a baby is born also. I don't know if there is a big difference between rural and City. I've live most of my life in cities and I have seen it there. Father's Day is totally different. Second Sunday in June (Mother's Day second Sunday in May) and you give you dad socks, aftershave, a tie or a more expensive present when the whole family teams up. No Meibaum, as far as I know, or maybe in rural parts close to Germany or that were German once.

[@zeda6742]

Me screaming PENCIL CASE

[@simplegermany]

YEEESS!! 😂

[@kristinagetzin4800]

Did you ever do a piece about the most frequently used german Word so? Mostly in conection about one task done and moving on to the next. Or sooooo, done with one thing and contemplating whats next. I, german, was pointed to that habit by my american friend. She is so right. I do that all the time, every day, every hour 😂😂

[@mylena3086]

Also very interesting info on the leap year thing didn't know that ut apreciate it a lot :)

[@KK-mk6wu]

Wow! you guys are sooo cute and genuine! Keep it up!

[@rickyn1135]

I too found these traditions cute.

[@ninjaunicorn575]

Personally I got big one when starting elemantary school and small ones when starting middle school, highschool and university. My mom also makes small ones every year for her new Auszubildende

[@Rovaniemiplayer]

I learned in one my first lessons in English that this "pencil thingy" (Federmäppchen) is called just a pencil case, if I remember correctly.

[@simplegermany]

Hahaha, yes thanks! In the video we could not remember the word 😅

[@arnolsi]

They came up in the late 60th or early 70th and they called "Schlampermäppchen" (I have no idea how to translate). The teachers hated them and the older chased to ban them.

[@Stanze87]

Ja stimmt, die "Schnutte" ziehe ich auch beim "Joa" 😆

[@artgar8068]

Beide sind sehr süß. Ich hoffe, bald nach Deutschland zu reisen und nach 2 Jahren Pandemie endlich meinen Freund zu treffen. Grüße aus Mexiko.

[@vickenkodjaian5265]

Toi toi toi. Yeeyyyy. Soooo happy. You deserve more and quickly. Congrats.

[@simplegermany]

Thank you 🤗🎉

[@vickenkodjaian5265]

@@simplegermany you're most welcome.

[@unkrautking6335]

Also in Trier/Umgebung machen wir das am 1. Mai, dass ein maibaum im Dorf aufgestellt wird und eine Party mit dem halben Dorf und die feuerwehr muss den ganzen Tag auf den Baum aufpassen, dass der nicht gefällt wird

[@bettybeatrice6046]

Your smiles are contagious😍

[@ployskii]

Wow, the Sie thing is super interesting. I've only worked at 'young' companies so I don't really use 'Sie'. I also learnt German from my job so I couldn't really form sentences with 'Sie'. I hope my future employer doesn't feel that I am too casual with them and have to learn the Sie form too :D

[@richard--s]

You could make the "Sie" easier for you if you imagine that you would speak to more than one person. It's in a way a thing like making this person be worth a few persons at least - something like that. It is meant to show respect to the person - you are not disrespectful. But I can understand that it must be weird to think this way when you have never needed to think so. Well, just try to make it easier by doing it in the way I wrote above and think that you are adressing more people when you say "Sie" to one person: "Herr Müller, können Sie mir sagen, wo ich das Buch finde?" ("Mr. Müller, can you tell me where I find that book?"). Wait, that's also a formal way of sayig it - in english. You could add "bitte" (please) to make it even more formal - or "könnten Sie mir bitte sagen" ("could you please tell me")... That "könnten Sie" ("could you" or "would you") "würden Sie bitte..." That makes it even more formal. A very informal way would be "Thomas, wo ist das Buch?" ("Tom, where's that book?") Or a clever version which could be both formal and informal would be if you avoid saying the name: "Wo ist das Buch"?, a more formal way would be: "Wo ist das Buch bitte?" (Some people might insist in the word "bitte", but well, maybe avoid these people, they could be stressful and unpleasant ;-) So you can scale it up or down depending on the situation.

[@ladypurple3851]

In Dutch the word "u" is the same like "Sie"

[@noellewest4347]

The unfiltered "honesty" and German directness is the most adorable thing ever. So cute, it is blowing my mind:) Yes, I'm being facetious. In all seriousness though, I do find Germans to be more endearing on their worst day than Americans on our best day. Obviously, this is a generalisation, and I am quite biased toward my perception of German culture and behaviour.