6 Lies America Taught Me About Germany 🇩🇪

[@PassportTwo]

What is it like for Americans seeing Germany for the FIRST TIME? Watch my friend's first ever impression of Germany here 👉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqG8q6GQnspmhrs Be sure to check out our video where my sister and her family came to Germany and we talked about their take on Germany as well 👉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4nbfJqYm85lbK8 Also, here’s the video where my brother and his wife came and visited us for the first time 👉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJrEf3ekh62badU\ Enjoy 😊

[@Gutenberg1977]

Ihr wohnt doch in Enkenbach-Alsenborn, oder? Da fahr ich regelmäßig durch :-D Dann müsstest du ja eigentlich auch ab und an mal die Flexx nehmen anstatt die DB

[@HH-hd7nd]

Fact about Hitler's way of speaking: He practiced that for his public speeches in particular. It drew attention because it was so different from normal german people heared all day that if kind of stuck for that fact alone....which is indeed the reasony why he did this. People who interacted with him outside of the public speeches - like his secretary Traudl Junge for example - mentioned that even Hitler did not use this harsh pronounciation in his every day life.

[@Commander-Es-Scheppert]

hey wehen u search for beautiful looking citys check out Hann.Münden in Niedersachsen, a little, beautiful, old historic town :)

[@PassportTwo]

Tatsächlich nicht 😊@@Gutenberg1977

[@user-lu9il2qv5s]

Dude man, you really are hilarious

[@Psoewish]

I’ve spent a lot of time in the US and I’m afraid to say that the whole water beer thing doesn’t refer to the alcohol content, but rather the flavor.

[@L0mb4x]

As in Germany, you just have to choose the right beer. I always find it kinda funny when fellow Germans, proud of the Reinheitsgebot (totally overhyped btw), talk bad about American beers because they only tried Millers but then try to convince you that Bitburger or so is the best beer ever :D

[@p3chv0gel22]

​​@@L0mb4xthere are actually people, who like Bitburger?! I only know people, who buy that, when it's discounted

[@passio-735]

@@L0mb4x Let's be real here, all of the best selling beers in Germany taste basically the same. You can make the test for yourself. If you ever have a friend who says they only buy Bitburger or Becks or whatever because they think that one tastes the best, sit them down with three glasses of beer and ask them which one is the one they like most. I've done this 4 times now, no one ever got their "favorite" right and they still had a 33% chance XD If you want good German beer, try craft beers and buy from the breweries themselves. So many unique flavors it's insane. And I suppose that's the same for American beer because why wouldn't it? [btw. when it comes to those brands that everyone drinks, Czech beer is superior ;)]

[@L0mb4x]

@@passio-735 I totally agree with you. Maybe my comment was a bit misleading. I am a german craft beer nerd and home brewer 😉. I tried to make the point that it is unfair to judge the US beer culture by its best selling beers and even if you choose to do so, it will not be a high level contest if you compare it with Germanys best selling ones. Doing this test with all the TV advertised beers with my friends is on my list for years 😀 . It gets even funnier if you include beers they "hate" or with a bad reputation, like Oettinger.

[@NeurosenkavalierEmilSinclair]

But I guess it's because we think of bud light when we think about american beer. I'm a casual Pils drinker but even I have to honor the incredible and fast growing diversity of craft beer and smaller breweries in the US, while our local breweries die out.

[@fr89k]

Actually, Germany used to have a train station in pretty much every second village. It just has been either removed throughout the last decades or it was destroyed in WW2 and never rebuilt afterwards. The biggest removal probably happened since the 1990s, because the German train system was privatized and therefore the unprofitable tracks had to be removed. (Which was insanely stupid, as we know today)

[@oldfrittenfett1276]

And what we could have known just by taking a look at Great Britains Railroad going to the shitters once Thatcher implemented the naive "the market always knows best".

[@fr89k]

@@oldfrittenfett1276 The market totally fails on pretty much every infrastructure.

[@oldfrittenfett1276]

@@fr89k Yes. Postal, Busses, Trains, Police sometimes...

[@matthiassimon1739]

That information is wrong. The railway system in Germany is still state owned.

[@oldfrittenfett1276]

@@matthiassimon1739 The rails, like the streets. the other parts are a stock corporation. The stocks are still held in part by the state, but as a stock corporation, it must make profit above serving the citicens.

[@ZachSeineVideos]

No, no, we definitively curse Uppsala - they know what they did.

[@4Astaroth]

We just decided not to talk about that incident.

[@andyt8216]

Obviously not the same linguistic language, but seems a coincidence with the French “oop la / opla”

[@ropeburn6684]

​@@andyt8216It isn't the same "linguistic language" the same way my water isn't as wet as yours.😂

[@MichaelBurggraf-gm8vl]

Ups + hoppla = Uppsala uppsala (deutsch) = uppsele (schwäbisch/swabian) = hoppala (österreichisch/austrian) We certainly need a dictionary German - Austrian / Austrian - German.

[@andyt8216]

My point is French is a Romance language. Most of the replies to me have no bearing on this.

[@Acampestre]

Another myth that exists (even worldwide), is that the evil person with the harsh pronunciation you mentioned is a German. In fact he missed being a German by about 500 metres and is Austrian instead.

[@user-vk1pz7ry1l]

Well, but he had the German citizenship and also fought for Germany in WWII. So it's kinda negligible that he was born in Braunau

[@Hans_Holt]

In that time, an austrian was like a prussian or bavarian. Just one type of german. That we devide between germans and austrians is a thing coming from post ww2.

[@denniskrenz2080]

​@@Hans_Holtnot really, different Emperors. 😉 Alone the fact that Hitler had to cheat for getting German citizenship is pretty revealing.

[@Eysenbeiss]

@@Hans_Holt Bullshit. Österreicher brauchten zur Zeit von Preußen sogar eine Genehmigung, um das Staatsgebiet zu betreten, geschweige davon was nötig war, wenn sie sich dort niederlassen wollten.

[@GilbMLRS]

​@@user-vk1pz7ry1lFought? :-D What did he fight in WW2, gastritis?

[@steffent.6477]

Nie sieht man Reetdachhäuser :( Man findet sie an der gesammten Küste.

[@dieSchreckschraube]

Irgendwie denken Amis bei Deutschland immer nur an den Süden und Berlin, der Rest des Landes existiert für die irgendwie nicht.

[@Custer0706]

I like your 1954 vintage jersey. On a side note, a lot of the characterless looking inner cities and towns in Germany are by courtesy of the 8th US Air Force.

[@misottovoce]

Exactly. Nachkriegs Nachbau. Or to be more fair...'are by courtesy of WW2'.

[@wolfganghager8321]

Don't forget the Lancasters and the infamous (Desden) Bomber Harris - who has a statue unveiled by the then Quenn Mother.

[@noobschrauber4293]

Those were mainly very true observations :D I want to add two things of my own. The train system really can be troubling, however on average it is actually doing "Okay" looking at statistics in comparison to the landmass its covering. Furthermore I would suggest to differ between real trains from DB for example and those in cities or connecting close cities (Tram, S-Bahn, U-Bahn (Subway)), because those are very reliable most of the time. The point about the homes is true, naturally you cannot have beautiful and colorful houses everywhere :D There are various building styles across the country but also it depends on the age of the houses. Most beautiful looking homes are very old and have been restored or renewed over the years. Also WWII matters a lot, because many german cities got bombed to a degree that nearly all buildings were destroyed. After that, it was more practical to build in the way they did. Some old houses or landmarks got rebuilt and some were lucky enough to not get destroyed, but in general that is one of the main reasons, that some areas may look more gray or plain. Your videos are very accurate though and the quality is increasing every time :D

[@HJPhilippi]

I love the sense of humor you bring to this "Germany vs. US" topic! I know there are a lot of stereotypes being fostered on both sides of the ocean, and it's people like you who shed some light to understand each other better. That's important and great!

[@vemo916]

I am from Frankfurt. You don’t need a car. Actually trying to park anywhere is a hassle. It’s cheaper and more convenient to use public transportation. Also it’s a bonus to walk everywhere.

[@sharonsteedly1950]

Oh! I miss Germany!!! The people, the food, the villages!

[@Vylika]

Me too!

[@missvi1619]

Hitler was not german but austrian…….

[@Andre.felipe84]

Austrians are ethnic germans.

[@SatyreIkon]

US education.

[@cubixxvpro]

The more I watch videos about America vs other country’s the more I feel like they are actually disconnected from the world and instead live in their own one

[@nairbvel]

Having lived in Europe back in the 1980s, I recognized a couple of the places you had pics of for housing examples... and they're so noticeable *because* they're not the modern standard housing. :-) Your "vroom vroom" segment brought back memories of a late-night tram ride during which the tram driver, a *much* older gentleman, was coughing & hacking so much that we were afraid he'd keel over dead before we got to the end of the line... where we had parked our car, because the only public transportation that reached our house was a once-per-hour bus that only ran during daylight hours. (BTW, I traveled around France, Germany, and the Benelux by train a *lot* and wish we had a system like that here in the US.) As far as fashion goes, we lived just outside Brussels in the 1980s and I would often go downtown and divert myself by picking out the American tourists... with the knowledge that there was about a 15% chance that I had mistakenly picked out German tourists. (On the other hand, if I ignored clothing, the American tourists were far too easy to pick out by their behavior & loudness.)

[@lucientruth]

Hello 🙂 regarding german sounding harsh: J. W. von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller or Theodor Fontane ! They have shown how soft and melodious the german language can sound ;-)

[@sirstamfordraffles6557]

Die haben aber auch gezeigt wie schwülstig, veraltet, und grausig Deutsch (vor allem das Deutsch aus ihrer Zeit) klingen kann. 😅

[@christophstahl8169]

On many beerfests the beer has about 6% alcohol and comes in big glasses, so it is easy to get very drunk. Nutella is italian and the word uses the female diminutive -ella so that implies a female article. Ferrero however doesn't specify any genus, so whatever is used the most is the correct way. That is either "das" or "die" at the moment.

[@ChRW123]

Look closely at the jar. nutella is not spelled with a capital "N". Hence nutella is not a noun and it therefore has no article.

[@Zeylo89]

What its supposed to then?​@@ChRW123

[@nikitatarsov5172]

The article for Nutella depends. As Nutella has no own 'gernder', it is neutral a.k.a. das Nutella, because it is 'das' (undefined object). As an item, you can refer to it as the Nutella-Aufstrich(everything you spread of bread= Aufstrich. Maybe a bit like creme), and as that, it would be 'der' Aufstrich, so 'der' Nutella (Aufstrich). You can refer to it as the Nutella-glas, whit glas also having the neutral article 'das'. But you can go wild and refer to it as 'die' Nutella-Creme (yeah we also have that) - which is a bit wild, as the german word for creme also refers to lotions and such and isen't exactly correct for food, but wiedly adopted from internation products - like with cheese cream etc. Creme in german is female, so 'die' would be correct. If you want, you can also simplify it as chocklate, which also would be female. So in some way everything can be correct, and there might only be a "order of correctness" by the order of more logically definitions of what that brown sludge actually is. In the weird realm of GER, you might find different articles more logical in different cultural or social bubbles. Still we're a patchwork of tribes and immigration, shaping a wonderfull fabric of colorfull disagrement^^

[@Freundinnen100]

About the houses: The building style is called "Fachwerkhaus". This is a building style you only find in parts of Germany (mostly southern Germany as far as I know, I wasnt that often in northern Germany as Swabian Girl). This are relicts from earlier times and many city centers kept them an renovated them. But newer houses didnt look like this and especially big cities doesnt look anymore like this. If you aber want to visit Germany and want to see this kind of houses especially: Tübingen, Speyer and Rothenburg ob der Tauber are my personal Fachwerkhäuser-Hottips.

[@sini234]

As a person from the north-east I can tell you this is not true. I need to assume about the the north-west, thought I believe the same holds true for them. The old fisherman houses in my small village could be called Fachwerkhäuser, and if you google „Bäderarchitektur“ you‘ll even see that your traditional „Fachwerkhäuser“ aren’t the only cute old-style buildings in germany ;) (even though some of them might even categorize as Fachwerk, never spent any time felling all of them up :)) And if that doesn’t convince you, at least accept Thuringia as having some of the most beautiful Fachwerkhäuser, since one topped with slate roof tiles must be one of the most idyllic views of my life. I hope I do not come off as rude, just wanted to add my knowledge on the topic of historical architecture:)

[@Freundinnen100]

@@sini234 Thanks for clarification! The only northern or western cities in Germany I visit, didnt had Fachwerkhäuser, so I assumed that. But its nice to know, that I am wrong and everybody I Germany can enjoy this beautiful style of buildings 🤣 But I also love inner cities with this bride, colorful houses, as mentioned in this video.

[@TheSylfaein]

@@sini234Ja, auch im Nordwesten haben wir Fachwerkhäuser. Ein Beispiel vor Ort wäre das 'Hus Blomendal'. Würde aber behaupten, dass die Backstein+Holzbalken-Variante häufiger ist als die "Nur Holz"-Variante mit weißen Wänden. - Siehe dazu Niedersächsisches Fachwerk/Hallenhaus, die sich häufig bei Bauernhöfen finden.

[@cumuluscloud3854]

There are different half-timbered house styles in different regions of Germany. Wernigerode and Quedlinburg, for example, are two beautiful examples in Saxony-Anhalt.

[@elena3941]

I’m from NRW (Rhineland) and there’s a lot of them here :)

[@elkevera]

I can pick out an American just by the way you walk 😁I always tell my hubby: You push yourself through the world.. He is like a tank!

[@sirstamfordraffles6557]

Also, the volume level of when Americans talk is waaay different (way higher). That is how you can recognise them most of the time.

[@CARambolagen]

I live in Detmold which has 75.000 inhabitants and I live happily without a car, just with a bike and public transport. There are many towns like that in Germany!

[@evas.7121]

For lie 3, It heavily depends on where you live. In my area, for example, there a BUNCH of houses like the ones you see in pictures, but I do live in more of a rural area.

[@RainbowYak]

Fun fact: Hitler didn't scream his speeches because he was constantly angry and aggressive. The problem was that, especially during the 1920s when he began his political career, decent loudspeakers simply didn't yet exist. If you wanted to talk to a large crowd, you basically had no other choice but to scream at the top of your lungs. In fact, during the 1928 election campaign, Hitler held so many rallies that he completely lost the ability to speak for a few days. When he visited his doctor, the doctor urged him to quit the campaign because there was a big risk of Hitler's vocal chords being irreparably damaged or destroyed. Hitler was very shook when he heard this. He didn't quit his campaign but he hired a professional opera singer who gave him regular speaking lessons for several years to come. This is also a big reason why his pronunciation sounds "aggressive". In professional German stage acting or singing, you use techniques such as rolling the 'r'. Many sounds are overpronounced specifically because you don't have a microphone and you need to make sure that viewers 30-40m away from you can still hear everything you say. I used to be a stage actor and this is exactly how we talked. Most people in our time are not familiar with this technique anymore because they only watch TV. However, TV acting is VERY different from stage acting. Leonardo diCaprio gets to mumble and swallow half of his sounds because the camera is right in his face. If you're on a large stage, you can't do that. This also means, however, that stage-speaking is to some degree unnatural. If I talked like that in everyday life, people would stare at me. And guess what: Hitler didn't talk like this in his everyday life, either. A few years ago, a recording was recovered which was made of Hitler without his knowledge or consent. In the recording, he's talking to the Finnish Prime Minister in a private setting. You can actually listen to it on KZbin. You will find that Hitler doesn't sound angry or aggressive at all. He sounds just like any regular dude. If you're still not convinced, listen to a German poem on KZbin. You will notice that it doesn't sound aggressive at all.

[@anna-elisabethbender3123]

Thank you very much for pointing this out. Yes, he was speaking "stage German". I hope that many people read your post!

[@einreaktionskanal]

"Fun Facts" with Hitler is a bit of a hard played ball 😂

[@ChrisCooper312]

One of my favourite German "cute" words is "Fledermaus" for Bat. I mean "Fledermausmann" hardly sounds like they would put terror into Gotham's criminals. One big issue though is that English is a Germanic language, but also takes a lot from French and Latin. Due to the influence of the Norman Conquest, the Catholic Church, and Renaissance art and culture, French and Latin tended to be used for higher purposes, the arts and sciences, whereas old English was used more for everyday things and by the common people. Over time as the languages integrated into modern English, the softer French and Latin words have been used for softer things, wheras the harsher Germanic words have been used for harsher things. There is a reason we eat a nice juicy bit of Beef or Pork (both from French origins) not dirty, smelly, rolling in filth Cow or Pig (from Germanic origins). We even deliberately choose our words to sound harsh, for example a lot of swear words. Take "Merde" or "Putain" which to our ears sound much more pleasant than the English equivalents. Other languages don't have the same distinction between harsh and soft words.

[@missharry5727]

Compare the old English "flittermouse."

[@Salzui]

it all depends on how you pronounce it. German can be spoken softly with some nearly unnoticable r's when they are not a main part of the word. Or you can speak with a different "meldoy" of sorts and stress the consonants and it will sound a lot harsher.

[@sawanna508]

@@Salzui Some German diaclects also have this nice roling R-sound almost like the italian language.

[@RainerLP]

I think the joke about the beer is manly due to light beer. In the region where I am, we do not have light beer at all. Edit: Correction: Not anymore. I remember that 20 years ago there was a beer that was called 2.8 (zwo-acht) but it was discontinued because noone bought it.

[@analholes77]

My father bought it. Many brands had a light version with around 2,5 percent in the late 90s early 2000s. When they discontinued because not many liked it, he mixed his beer with water when he had to drive or wanted to daydrink. After a couple of years he just decided to just drink only one or none bottles of proper beer instead of watered down beer.

[@lauramarschmallow2922]

I dunno, our local Kaufland carries the extremely budget-friendly 5,0 and 2,5, I think it was a radler. it's been a while since I drank it

[@McGhinch]

Brick houses/plastered houses: That really depends on the area. I grew up in Stuttgart, back then -- a long time ago -- brick houses showed a lack of finances of the owner. Houses were build with bricks and then plastered. It was just to make them look beautiful and to show you have the money for that. When I went to North-Germany, the houses were often covered with what they call "Riemchen" (Clinker brick slips) to have them appear to be made of bricks...a head-scratching experience

[@manub.3847]

"Riemchen-Klinker" was used more in the 1960s/1970s because it was cheaper and real clinker stone was difficult to obtain. When our friends built their semi-detached house in the 1990s, the desired clinker brick was pre-ordered for over six months. Clinker also helps as a “seal”, since real clinker brick houses can often be backed with "sealant material" in order to a) preserve the façade, b) maintain the required values for reducing energy consumption.

[@LythaWausW]

Those fake bricks are a trip! I guess I should have known they would have a name. Some of the loveliest regional housing styles, IMO, is Niedersachsen's red brick and black Fachwerk buildings. They express such pride, in my eyes. And beauty and practicality. I'm lucky enough to live in the land of Schiefer houses with white trim, bright green shutters and doors. Gorgeous!

[@svetlanashorse]

The vintage football (soccer) shirt looks amazing on you!

[@pfalzgraf7527]

Great summary! (says a German) I hope your US viewers who are going to come here will take most of it in! Especially the fashion thing: yes, wear what you want to wear. There's no German dress code. In my Southt-Western neck of the German woods, it's mostly die Nutella, sometimes das, never der. I kind of have the feeling that Nutella is (even just grammatically speaking) gender-less.

[@Piggelgesicht]

When I grew up in Bavaria it was still common for butter being referred to as "der". And my ancient great aunt also put Nutella in that bracket - she was the only one, though. But then we weren't allowed Nutella at anyone else's so it kind of stuck with me.

[@KaiHenningsen]

Actually, I'd say there is a German dress code. Don't leave the house in your pajamas. That one is strictly a no. I hear Americans do that all the time.

[@Custer0706]

Agree with the “das” (in my neck of the woods) or “die” (have heard that in some parts of the country) Nutella theory. Never (!) “der”.

[@thomasblohm3073]

Public transport: as long as you are close to very frequented routes or cities as well, it might be well available. But as soon as you are in more rural regions, having a driving license is a must (and it's sometimes even more important as a passport)

[@martinbruhn5274]

Uppsala is not a regional thing. We in Baden-Württemberg say it too and it's the same in other parts of Germany as well.

[@jaysigma]

Als Schwabe reicht ein einfaches: Ha nô!

[@fairphoneuser9009]

We use it in Vienna as well. So it's not even just a German thing... 😁

[@quatschgans]

Even If I know Uppsala, I don't use it... it's more Hoppala 😂

[@fairphoneuser9009]

@@quatschgans Those are two different words, even though they sound similar.

[@dnocturn84]

It's not used at all where I live. I knew it and heard it before, but nobody ever uses it. Have to visit other parts of the country or have to have some phone calls to ever encounter it. So that makes it regional.

[@MrJoeDone]

You should learn when DB has to pay for a cab if the trains don't show up or are very late

[@MightyGodMaster]

I really appreciate your perception about us. You give me hope to our society. In general I think we are "distant" to foreigners, but still we try to be humble. I didn't watch a lot of your content, but did you make some bad experiences (Nazis, or also migrant violence, yes that seriously exists) Best from the Mighty

[@nurclaudi5615]

As a german I totally agree with your opinion about the german houses. "Boxes".

[@auroraborrealis4852]

It is very sweet of you to wear a football T-shirt of the DFB. I believe American Football is more popular in the US - logically - and while I'm not much of a football fan it still warmed my heart. So thank you.

[@coreyv8150]

The first cliche German thing you showed with weisswurst and lederhosen is just Bavaria.

[@MirriorBanana73]

Go to a school in the morning. We kids sing "Guten Morgen Herr/Frau ..." All our schools do that right?

[@Auvas_Damask]

And if you're traveling to a city like Dortmund, I recommend looking somewhere outside of the city center, as the city center isn't exactly the most beautiful place. If you don't have a car, you might need 10 to 20 minutes by train and to get to the train you might have to walk 10 minutes or a 3 minute bus ride for which you would have to wait for the bus but it's worth it

[@Peterrogger]

Ich bin Deutsch und es ist die Nutella For Americans because translator is Bad: Im German and it is die Nutella

[@DerSolinski]

"Every town in Germany has a train" believe it or not, that's actually past tense. Because our Government decided 1994 it would be a good idea to privatize the rail system the deterioration of connections accelerated dramatically. In the last seven decades we lost over 15k km (9.3k miles) of rail network, and that's not counting what was lost in WWII. So yeah we eff-ed that up big time.

[@agn855]

In rural towns of Germany a vast amount of old houses (probably a hundred years of age) have been remodeled after WWII so you can’t see its historic core. Keyword: *Eternit* , and once such a building has been identified as of historical value it’ll be labeled as "Denkmalgeschützt", something that will restrict its owner to make changes that will change its historic appearance. So people aren’t that keen getting that status back. In bigger cities (ie Frankfurt/Main) you can hardly find "gingerbread houses" bc Americans have done a good job wiping out parts (if not the whole) of ancient cities with bombing raids. Therefore Frankfurt decided to rebuild its historic "Altstadt" as "Neue Altstadt" (mainly for touristy reasons). HTH

[@alexanderstahl9936]

Hey, the 16% lager Beer is made by a brewery in my hometown, the brewer is my dearest friends little brother. He also produces the worlds strongest beer without adding other alcohol. It has barely 60% vol. (Btw, it tastes awful, you close your eyes and drink it like a shot)

[@alcapone9550]

Please notice that nearly nobody in Bavaria would drink beer like Krombacher, Veltins or Becks. There are about 1500 breweries in Germany, over 600 of them in Bavaria. "Micro plastic breweries" are not really popular in the south of Germany.

[@dhtran681]

3:44 my version: "Hau ab!!! " *angry*

[@winny4765]

Nutella:“das“ N., if you mean bottle of N. and it is „die“ when you think of cream or paste .

[@corvuscorone7735]

As for the harshness, as a German currently learning Dutch, I think all of the Netherlands laugh in Dutch that they managed to lie low so the rest of the world would point the finger at German. Seriously. Dutch is giving me a sore throat! It is that much harsher!

[@klarasee806]

In my ears, Dutch is a freakin’ cute language! Even swear words sound cute to me in the Netherlands.

[@sirstamfordraffles6557]

@@klarasee806 Then you might be confusing it with Swiss. Swiss swear words sound cute.

[@klarasee806]

@@sirstamfordraffles6557 Haha, I can tell the difference between Swiss and Dutch quite well. But I'm not very familiar with Swiss swear words. The Netherlands are (is? 🤔) just closer to me.

[@sirstamfordraffles6557]

@@klarasee806 Oh ok; sorry, Austria and Switzerland are closer to me; but so far I have only heard about Swiss swear words sounding cute; I do not know of any Dutch ones, sorry.

[@klarasee806]

@@sirstamfordraffles6557 Sigh. The original comment that I was referring to said that Dutch is harsher than German. I answered that Durch sounds very cute to me. Even swear words sound cute with their pronunciation. It may be that Switzerland has particularly cute swear words, but firstly, I don't know anything about them and secondly, it doesn't fit in here. It was about Dutch vs. German in terms of harshness.

[@Teilzeitotaku]

"Die Nutella". "Das Nutella" kann man auch noch gelten lassen, aber "der Nutella" macht garkeinen Sinn.

[@Noxpolaris]

Sinn machen ergibt ebensowenig Sinn

[@lightsideofsin8969]

Germany is very much a Jeans and T-shirt country. Of course we also like to dress up and be fancy when the occasion calls for it but everyday wear is very casual and comfortable. Our clothes very much depend on what the weather is like and what we're doing that day. On top of that is of course personal style which is as varied and diverse as it is in every country around the world.

[@Whatever_itmeans]

DER/DIE/DAS Nutella? Thats easy when you transfer the italian Name to german grammar. Nutella is a mix out of nut (Nuss) and -ella ( the italian female trivialization word) . So because -ella is "female" the german "Artikel" has to be DIE 🤓 But I nevertheless often say DAS 😅 Somestimes you just need to be a little rebel 😂

[@stefanhubner5878]

Das Nutella

[@PassportTwo]

That’s one vote for die and one vote for das in the comments so far! 😅

[@empty_akuma6577]

Imo it's really sad that most houses in Germany are these ugly boxes. We lost most of the beautiful architecture and old buildings during both world wars and the houses you see now are mostly build in the post-war era after 1945. I come from a small village that is roughly 1500 years old, but apart from a few houses and the church most of the old traditional houses were destroyed during WW2. Those places that are most popular on social media that show "typical German houses" are more of a fantasy of what Germany could have looked like if it wouldn't have been bombed during the wars.

[@labrynna87]

I think the believe that German beer has much more alcohol compared to American beer (also) comes from the Oktoberfest. It's very popular and lots of (American) tourists are visiting it every year. However, the beer served there isn't comparable to regular beer in Germany as they serve Festbier (festival beer) there. Festbier has ~6% alcohol and is served in a Maßkrug (= 1 liter).

[@axemanracing6222]

Public transportation is for huge cities only. Whatever country it is.

[@SeriesNerd]

I "sing^ bye bye" - never noticed until now😂 Das Nutella... oder als Schwäbin s'Nutella.

[@LythaWausW]

Hopefully not the glass-shattering tone my doctor's secretary (and veternarian secretary) uses with her "ALLES KLAR TSCHUEUEUEUESSS!" If only she knew how ridiculous she sounds. It's not just on the phone - it's IRL too!

[@pesthizid]

Its easy to explain the boring architecture from the 1950s. After the war many cities were destroyed and the people wanted to rebuild the country as quick as they could. They didnt pay too much attention to the architecture though. The Teufelsberg (Devils Hill) in Berlin is actually the reimains of the houses from Berlin or with different words a rubble mountain.

[@jurgendr.vieten7775]

wow..im flashed by your entertaining curiosity…fully informed, open-minded…I have written two books about my experiences in 18 other countries, included USA, cause I’m pissed off by prejudices about other countries included my country Deutschland..but I’m far from your entertaining and varied ( and even more lovingly) kind of watching ..respect !

[@asmodon]

That was delightful video.

[@MaxRoth-mc6nb]

Yes, a lot of things are related to the region you live in. Rheinland-Pfalz is special anyway, as it had been overrun by French soldiers frequently over the centuries. Additionally, and quite surprising, it belonged to Bavaria until 1945. So mentality is biased by French occupation periods and additionally "more Southern" than you would expect.

[@keiraferrari7764]

As an American, I have never believed the lies you talked about.

[@lolglolblol]

It's honestly so aggravating to see how messed up Germany's public transit has become. There is a channel called "Jet Lag - The Game" where they basically play tag but by using public transit. It's really cool to see how well they're able to plan out their routes and how many close calls they had... until they went to Germany and every train was either cancelled or severely delayed

[@martingerlitz1162]

You are so right!!

[@tomhart3368]

Nutella is derived from the English word “nut” and the Italian word extension “ella” for something cute and feminine. So “die” would be grammatically appropriate. Nutella is a cute litte nut girl...i guess :-D

[@GerritADHS]

9:33 Well, Talking about the beauty of German architecture, thanks to some crazy Austrian in the 1930s and 1940s, big parts of Germany had been bombed down and had to be rebuilt in the 1940s/50s for cheap. Additionally we take care of the environment and our bank accounts at high energy cost, which led to many beautiful homes being covered in insulation like the one we bought a few years ago. It is a timber-frame house from 1742 but you can only see that from the inside as timber-frame houses ain’t insulated that well.

[@Lexduden]

​ @PassportTwo Tgere are a few things I think need clarification. At the Oktoberfest¹ (and Bavaria in general except maybe the part towards the Czech Republic) you'll not find a lot of Pils². In general a Mass³ (one liter) is "helles Bier" often just shortened to "Helles". Next would would "Weizen" wheat beer. But, oder ordering "(ei)ne halbe" will always get you "Helles". At least in Oberbayern (upper Bavaria). I can't really speak for other parts of Bavaria. ¹Also the Oktoberfest beers are often stronger than the regular beers that the breweries produce. ²Not to be confused with PilZ which means mushroom in English. ³Not to confused with Maß which means measurement. There is also a difference in pronunciation Maß has a long A. Whereas Mass has a short A.

[@werttershans457]

North of Germany looks different "Klinkerfassade"/"Backsteinfassade" Look At Lübeck or Hamburg

[@christophfischer2773]

How amazing that the Hitler quote in a video on "Lies about Germany" translates to "But we reject this uninterrupted oppression"

[@artisans8521]

A Dutch comedian said that the German word "Schmetterling" made it sound like German butterfies were made out of concrete. Funny but incorrect since in German it's pronouced like a little melody, using a soft "r"....

[@Iskelderon]

If you want an everyday look to fit in, just pick comfy jeans and a T-shirt that's not overly gaudy.

[@rostigerspieler]

In Germany we don't have only the DB to travel between the cities. In most big cities, such as mine (Dresden), we are so well connected that you are much faster by tram (Is like a train but it is not a train!) than by car. In my city, you can get around by bus, tram and train. But one thing is true. The Deutsche Bahn (DB) are not always on time. But in the meantime it's actually working. It's been worse before. :D And one point is also wrong. As an American, you only stand out in Germany when you speak. Americans are no different from us in terms of clothing. That has been my observation over many years.

[@JacobSprenger]

The stereotype of German being a harsh language and Germans being loud and angry is actually a bit older than Mr. H. Our last Kaiser's infamous "Hun Speech" had a huge impact on how Germans were perceived internationally - with the proliferation of radio broadcasting it was the early age of mass media, after all. This established how Germans were parodied for a long, long time, too. It seems to me like only when Kraftwerk made waves (quite literally), people discovered a vastly different set of stereotypes one could make fun of. To me, as a German living in Germany (Berlin), being surrounded by Germans, the most accurately observed parody of what being German 'must be like' that I've ever seen was with a recurring character on the old Colbert Report: Hans Beinholtz, German Ambassador to the UN (kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5iUdpeBodJjhpo - sadly the only clip I could find around here). I do actually believe that all of us have a little Kafka inside our hearts, regardless of how happy we may appear.

[@justaname999]

I've lived in Switzerland, France, and Germany for long-ish periods of time and initially I also loved the different houses. Now, I'll just admit they're mostly space-efficient (esp. in Switzerland, which has less space) and often well-made in terms of insulation but definitely NOT nice looking. Compared to some nice late 19th/early 20th century homes in the US, there's not that much to look at here when it comes to normal apartments and houses. Although, once I lived in the historical center of a city and those houses are pretty from the outside. But our walls were crooked :)

[@matt_9112]

Gonna out myself as a Bavarian here: The five brands you listed are just the most popular because they are the biggest. Most people would never buy that stuff, but rather from some smaller regional brewery (in Bavaria named after a town or lake, Kölsch, Alt etc.). Rule of thumb: If it has a TV ad, don't buy it (goes for stuff like Paulaner as well). Also the beer you get at the Oktoberfest and other events involving a Bierzelt is nearly always "Festbier" (celebration beer), which is stronger that the regular variants of the same brewery, so that's where the biggest danger might lie.

[@oscar1247]

Picture of the "Lion" 10/10. Very interesting Video also as a german.

[@elrohirshouldercheaptrick9452]

Why is it that the German r sound (I think it's a uvular trill or fricative but don't quote me on that) is called harsh but in French it's called soft and romantic?

[@peterk9971]

the public transportation in Germany IS very good, but only in areas where it makes any sense. In small Towns with a population like 5k or so, there just isn't a real demand for a train station. In this area publIc transportation manly focus on bringig People to and from work in sorrounding bigger citys. But if you life in a city with more than let's say 20 or 30k the public transportation is sufficend enough to replace a car. I life in a city with 250k for like 5 years and i doesn't even have the permission to drive a car - I just don't need it

[@whisped8145]

~6:00 We also have a "drinking culture" not a "get drunk culture." The difference is worth a topic of its own. You may only grasp it once you understand that beer is effectively treated as a holy beverage without thinking about it. "Wer Bier vergießt wird aufgespießt" - Whoever spills beer will be impailed. This leads to a reverance of the beverage that then leads to the German Quantum Beer Dance (there is no actual name for it, and it was a culture shock to realize that... nobody else does this...) When Germans get too drunk or stumble, their beers won't spill. They may even hit the ground, hit their heads, but have fallen *around* the bottle or mug or can that is still being held up in the air. It is so ingrained in us to not spill that this reflexively happens. Then either the beer is lowered slowly, or a bystanders comes and saves the beer and puts it next to the... stumbled. There a thousands of anecdotes of people falling down stairs, for example at train stations, and with everything scattered and a couple scratches, somehow, the beer was fine. When you have reverence for your food you will automatically treat it more responsibly, even in those stormier younger years. Friends are less likely to laugh at you for being drunk, like in American Frat Culture, but more likely to be supportive, as everyone's been through it at some point. The Bavarian even has a large beer for lunch and is not considered alcohol in general terms, or for driving, and bavarian doctors have to actively tell when something requires no alcohol consumption (like a certain medicine) that includes that lunch beer as well. Public drinking is something for festivals and outside restaurants. When juveniles or bums drink bottles openly in the park during the day, that might still be looked down upon by others. For that is neither the time nor the place. A grill-party in the park falls under festivity again. Thus by the time Germans get to drive, they often are already acquainted with the effects of alcohol. Instead of the other way around.

[@gitarrenpost]

really funny video - love the "harshness" in your German examples - Danke

[@maxmuller7086]

DB is very often late and and the trains are often full.

[@Soul.Song_]

luckily I never had too much stress with trains in Germany even though I take them everyday. I live in a city sooo

[@xcoder1122]

All bigger German cities have very good public transportation, I grew up in one and a car was totally unnecessary, but the more rural it gets, the less public transportation you can expect. The US problem is that even major US cities often have almost no public transportation or public transportation that just sucks. Yet even that is not universally true. Not that I've ever been there but from what you see in movies, some US cities do have public transportation that is comparable to Germany, I guess. I think of cities like New York or Chicago or LA. I've been to the USA twice in my life visiting relatives and where they lived, there was no public transportation available at all but when we decided to spend a few days at the ocean in a motel, there was a bus line available that would bring you to the next mall or to tourist spots and it was cheap, reliable, the busses were clean, the drivers were friendly, so nothing fancy but also nothing to complain about. Very little people were using it, often there were only 3-5 other people on the bus, but it was all we needed to get around.

[@trillionbones89]

The throat sounds and the Stakkato common in German might be the reason it's considered to be a harsh sounding language. But we also double down on that joke.

[@DareonSky]

Trains (DB) in Germany is a very, very sad story indeed.

[@ames_virosa]

Be aware that most of the things he’s saying don’t really apply to the bigger cities of Germany

[@gamergod9182]

I always get a little bit angry when I see all those channels praising how "well planned with public transport in mind" European cities supposedly are. yes, the cities. not the smaller towns. no busses past 8 p.m., no trains past 12, the nearest train station is a 45 minute walk away, and half the country is full of step hills and mountains so even cycling becomes a chore. being a teenager in a small German village was painful. unless you live in a big city - which I did for some time and public transport was extremely convenient - , you are 100% reliant on a car to get anywhere.

[@whisped8145]

3:10 More commonly just the short form "Ups." The full word is used for major embarrassment and otherwise probably more closely around your region. "Ups" (engl. "Oops") and it's long form "Uppsala" roughly mean that "something happened." Which makes sense once you know that Uppsala is the place where big religious rituals and festivies "happened."

[@schraibfelafanzine7637]

The Problem with the german trains began with the privatisation. Bevore the where war betten.

[@am_haus]

May I ask.. What is the process of buying a car in Germany? And are they expensive? Insurance? And where would you suggest someone learn German?

[@HiopX]

Nutella has no article, Nutella needs no article

[@PaulSzkibik]

gib mir nutella 😌

[@MarcLeonbacher-lb2oe]

That "formal European clothing" looks as though he were a fan of Early Modern age or so. 😂

[@nepomukmezger5112]

You have to visit Dresden (the "Neustadt" part) and look at the Houses!

[@Auvas_Damask]

A house is actually pretty uninteresting from the outside for us Germans, it's only what's inside that counts.

[@sha99ustow71]

8:30 all these Homes don´t care about Wind like your woodhouses!! These were nearly 100 years old!!

[@randyraudi7725]

Yes we really sing the Tschüss, I don't know why, but I like it and I do it myself.

[@wantin42]

Niemals der, das ist okay und die würde ich selbst sagen. Regarding public transit I think the big issue is that we have barely invested in it in the last 30 years or so. The ministry of transportation has had some questionable people, that are either car obsessed going so far as to promote e-fuels, or just want to make their home state of bavaria happy. I think the car industry we have also plays a big part in this. And with the last point: Why would you care that someone could spot you as an American? And if that would be the goal, do you arrive speaking German or some dialect in C1 or better?

[@VillaLaRogaia]

Definitiv "die Nutella". Nutella wurde von Ferrero in Italien erfunden. Für die Ferreros war es ganz klar immer "la Nutella" also "die Nutella"

[@NickFabian-l3f]

Uppsala is a regional Dialekt in Rheinland Pfalz

[@sergiogo._]

I’ve been living in beautiful Hamburg (the best city in Germany) for 10 years, and I will never move back home. 😊

[@skaterboyle]

"Das" Nutella*Innen ;-) I hope you like Nutella.

[@DenshaOtoko2]

Those photos are from the Heidelberg.

[@miriameliud3941]

As a German, what the hell are These beer brands 🍻🇩🇪

[@itsmebatman]

Kein Nutella. Es gibt mehrere andere Haselnussaufstriche, die deutlich besser sind.

[@twinmama42]

RQOTW: All of the above. Personally, I prefer "die" Nutella, but I've also used "das" and even more rarely "der". Btw: the local dialect spoken in the village where I've lived for 33 years claims "butter" to be masculine (der Butter) as in French "le beurre". I guess that's because the village was the seat of a canton (comparable to a county) while occupied by the French under Napoleon, with many French officials residing there.