THIS GIVES IT AWAY! 😱 German Accent in INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

[@Jifty]

I lived in Germany when I was a teenager. Years later I saw this and as soon as he held up those three fingers...well, the whole theater heard me moan in despair. LOL

[@MonstrousViLLain]

187 Strassenbande

[@RandomStuff-he7lu]

Michael Fassbender a German born, Irish raised actor playing an Englishman pretending to be German. He did grow up speaking both German and English but admits that due to growing up in Ireland he didn't obtain a German accent. For the movie he had to have coaching to get a better German accent but it's not supposed to be perfect as he is playing someone pretending to be German.

[@procrastinator99]

What's really cool is, the slightly off accent was actually commented on, consistently, throughout the previous scene. Telling the audience that, he may be "passing" as native, but only *JUST*, making his later mistake an established potential outcome. Brilliant writing.

[@jeroenmeuleman8110]

This is one of my favourite movies ever and this scene is a big part of it. I'm an L2 speaker of German. I recall watching it with my best friend, and as the actual SS officer joins the spies' table and they begin talking, I said to my friend: "You know, Fassbender's German is really, really good but any native would find something slightly off with his accent. But to most audiences world-wide, that doesn't matter." And a SECOND later, the SS officer begins interrogating Hicox about his odd accent. This attention to detail and making it plot-relevant as well alone puts Tarantino into the stratosphere of all time great movie directors.

[@obenohnebohne]

This scene is a masterclass in writing (and acting). So satisfying to watch.

[@dernvader6876]

and yet... The SS-Sturmbannführer is wearing a black uniform with an armband that was not used after 1938... After 1938 this ceased to be a working dress and was replaced by a grey version with a sleeve eagle badge instead of the armband. The black uniform was only worn in Germany up until 1938... so shame on QT... shame...

[@obenohnebohne]

@@dernvader6876 Well, I guess the movie is ruined then.

[@Standgedicht]

It was particularly good for Till Schweiger. He was able to observe up close how real actors, like August Diehl, work. But here you can also see Tarantino's genius. He cast Till Schweiger in such a way that he didn't have to talk much. Or acting...

[@bm-br3go]

@@dernvader6876 If that historical inaccuracy bothers you, just wait until you get to the end of the movie.

[@dernvader6876]

@@obenohnebohne yes, it is.

[@Activated_Complex]

I love that Hellstrom's choice of Scotch implies that he already had Archie figured for a Britsh agent, and perhaps specifically a Scotsman. While Fassbender is of Irish and German ancestry, the character he portrays here evokes a young James Bond as played by Sean Connery. Even down to carrying 007's preferred armament of a Walther PPK. My take on his response to Archie's gaffe counting without using his thumb is, this told Hellstrom nothing new about the man sitting across from him, but rather confirmed his suspicions that the others at the table were his co-conspirators. At that moment, he realizes that he is badly ounumbered at the table, if not in the bar, but decides to force a confrontation all the same.

[@bassplayer2011ify]

Connery was 32 when they were filming Doctor No so the 30 year old scotch fits as well. There are 32 year old scotches out there but they aren't as common as 30. Normally I would call this a coincidence but Tarantino doesn't do coincidences. Another example of this is Landa’s pipe being the exact same Meerschaum Pipe that Shurlock Holmes used. Not only is it a reference but it also tells the audience that Landa is very intelligent and very good at reading people.

[@zbennalley]

I'm from Dallas and I knew the moment he blew his cover based on our German born NBA player Dirk Nowitzki always signing his three pointers with the same thumb first finger counting!! I felt so smart watching this on opening night in a theater. Knowing the crowd is going to catch up later. This film is so much more important about languages, and knowledge about others might save or end your life.

[@captaindestruction9332]

I love how you throw in the German words for things like smiling or body language etc. Its extra knowledge and the ability be exposed to more German. German is definitely on the list of languages to learn and videos like this make me want to learn it more.

[@dernvader6876]

Chidren from age 3-11 can learn up to 7 languages - just from being exposed to the language... so trying to teach teenagers in high school is pointless and ,,, just stupid...

[@douglasiles2024]

Hellstrom also noticing Hicox's accent being peculiar fits with him being a Major in the Gestapo, as counterintelligence would be part of his job.

[@jaycee330]

10:13 Actually, Americans (and Brits) would start counting with the forefinger, then middle, ring, pinky and then thumb. But your point is correct, we wouldn't start with the thumb.

[@FERALxIMP]

Yea I always count with the index finger too

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Okay... I see myself corrected then! I read that while preparing for the video, that's why I mentioned it. 🤔

[@khancrow7015]

It bothers me greatly when people start counting using their thumb first. With that said it is VERY common. Just because you are ignorant of an occurrence doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Dude said it was even how search results said we counted lol

[@jaycee330]

@@khancrow7015 I have NEVER seen an American count starting with their thumb (one that was born in America). I'm sure that there are special rare Americans that do count starting on the thumb, but this is not the norm.

[@khancrow7015]

@jaycee330 I didnt relieaze you experienced how 350 million people count on their hands and published data. Can I get a copy of your experiment results? Because duckduckgos results and my experience are the total opposite of what you claim... Kinda weird huh??

[@michaelvandeginste3497]

If you look at Hicox's face, even he knows that he screwed up. Also, some viewers theorize that Hellstrom was never fooled from the start. After hearing your detailed explanations on how is spoken German is consistently a little off, I'd have to agree. Hellstrom gets upset, however, because he realizes that everybody saw him notice the mistake and now he has to act.

[@SpaghettiYOLOKing]

I agree with your observation. Their entire conversation before the botched hand gesture, I viewed it as Hellstrom picking up on the little derails in Hicox's speech and focuses on him. Engages him in casual talk, poking him verbally to try and get him speak more. He notices the little details every single time, so just gradually turns the pressure up on him until his 'joke', which he deadpans for a few moments just to make Hicox sweat. Basically kept turning up the heat on him until he did or said something that confirmed what he was suspecting. I just absolutely love this scene. In terms of building tension, this scene and the opening scene are my favorites from this film.

[@SaniSensei]

I'm German, and when I watch that movie and saw that scene, I noticed it the incorrect three fingers, but didn't even take into consideration that it was intentional (intentionally put in the script), but simply chucked up on Americans getting stuff wrong. I was surprised that it wasn't a mistake after all when it was revealed later.

[@renshiwu305]

Americans get a lot of foreign cultural conventions wrong in films and TV programs, but, occasionally, the errors go the other way. For example, there was an Icelandic crime drama that features an American "aluminium" plant onsite in Iceland. However, Americans spell the element as a-lu-mi-num, with one less letter/syllable than presented. Also, there was a British crime drama with a US Air Force serviceman who mentioned a "Denver Omelette" and the scriptwriters seemed confused about what a Denver Omelette actually constitutes, thinking it was a type of omelette-sandwich concoction. No, a Denver Omelette is simply a type of omelette distinguished by the inclusion of green peppers. Tolstoy himself got the English idiom "skeletons in the closet" wrong, in _Anna Karenina._

[@MonstrousViLLain]

187 Strassenbande

[@Anthony-dy5cq]

Yeah, your assessment was just usual European arrogance.

[@garycollins7750]

Why? It was obviously scripted, the shot even lingers emphasizing the fingers when the other officer stares.

[@janjanl1812]

Quentin is no typical hollywood

[@ethanc7659]

As someone learning German, I find these videos really entertaining! Thank you for the content

[@jollygoodfellow3957]

You will save your balls by doing so.

[@macgonzo]

In the subtitles, they use the word "whiskey" to describe Scotland's national drink, we use the word "whisky" instead.

[@foodank_atr817]

This shows Tarantino's skill as a writer and director, you don't even have to know the difference between German and US 3 hand gestures to know something is wrong in that moment.

[@AkiraUema]

I love how you also put the German transcription of the lines! I speak a little Dutch and it's so interesting to see the similarities.

[@GenX1964]

10:20 I love that scene too. The Gestapo looks and then the no-look is so cold 🥶.

[@edwardshalash2607]

I was hoping you would talk a little bit about the fact that the Major was able to nail where each of the soldiers were from down to the city.

[@Chris.4345]

I was hoping for that too.

[@candmcramer]

me too! Maybe another video breaking down which parts of their words give away where they are from?

[@bioniccorndog]

Wow this is a really cool breakdown! This movie is in my top 5 of all time and it gives another layer of appreciation to know how particular they were with these little nuances. Great content!

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Thank you! 😊

[@oldmanpence4803]

Bro, I’m 100% here for this discussion, loved the video! Took 5 years of Deutsch in high school about 100 years ago and this just made me feel at home! Vielen dank!

[@99bimmer]

To be fair to Fassbender, I believe the whole point was for his German to be mostly correct, yet flawed. Also, I'm pretty sure the Gestapo agent had strong suspicions about that whole table from the beginning. The sigh he gave seemed to me to be a "Shit, I have to do something, but I am greatly outnumbered and I am not gonna make it out of this alive"

[@lamlam-bw7ev]

If this happened in real life, he would have excused himself and called in reinforcements.

[@99bimmer]

@@lamlam-bw7ev Yeah, true. Tactically, his decision is pretty stupid. But, he needed to do it for the plot to happen

[@halfrightface]

This scene is a masterclass of screenwriting, directing, and acting.

[@sologamer3122]

The only thing I can say for certain that is wrong in this video is that I have NEVER seen someone in 27 years of living in the USA is someone starting to count with their pinky. It's either the Thumb or forefinger. ALWAYS. Other than that this video is great! Typically the thumb has only been used to start when listing examples of something and not counting per se but that example is also only occasional.

[@MLNeidig]

I'm American and my father was in the Army. Before he was retired, he was stationed in Germany for a while. When those three fingers went up, he said he'd just blown his cover. Super cool to see him get more out of the scene than I could have because of how familiar he became with the culture.

[@jamestiburon443]

That is a cool story. Kudos for your Dad for picking up on that. As a language teacher in the U.S. I showed this scene, but first asked everyone to show how they would hand signal 3 hot dogs at a baseball game. Lol.

[@spawncampe]

I like how you put the more literal translations, I notice that when watching movies of my second language, if I have the subtitles on, it's usually kinda off and distracting

[@Relgov]

Very fun German lesson as usual. Danke Dave!

[@MonstrousViLLain]

187 Strassenbande

[@callanhulett503]

I know nothing about the German language or dialects, but your superb videos have piqued my interest and made this channel my new subscription. Excellent content!

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Wow, thanks for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed the video. 😁

[@rugaothegreat]

Dude you have made me interested in learning German again, i really hope i dont stop this time, this is such a great language, cheers from Brazil!

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Awesome! I'm not planning to stop, don't worry. :) You can find over 700 videos about the German language and culture here, enjoy! 😊

[@freddelgado]

I'm not even a german speaker but I'd always want to know the subtleties of the accents in that scene. That's why I've watched this and the preview one video. Thanks for that.

[@luketlighthart]

I agree with all the points of the accent that he makes here except I didn't hear that extreme of a difference to the normal pronunciation with "wird" maybe in the first he used the british r but it sounds right to me

[@jan_raynor_sereda]

Nice Video, I've been Taught German waaaay too long ago back in Elementary school (so almost 15 years ago) but we have been taught that "Frau" has been more often used specifically to describe a Wife rather than a Miss or a Lady which would be in this scene. But hey I have never been taught by German speaker ... only by Czech Teacher who has learnt German sooo yeah :D ... once again nice video :D

[@wickets]

Normalerweise sehe ich YT Videos dieser Art über Englisch an, aber es ist schön zu sehen, das es sowas auch für Fremdsprachler gibt. Man vergisst zu oft wie komplex Deutsch doch ist.

[@GholamFareed]

Ja wohl mein Herr.

[@Error_404_Account_Deleted]

These are immensely helpful and enjoyable videos. Thanks! I had hit a wall with my German and this is refreshing.

[@imthetube44]

I was curious about your interpretation of the initial interrogation when Hellstrom gets out of his chair to talk to Hilcox. Hilcox justifies the accent by saying that he is from the mountain, Piz Palu. Looking it up, it's an area near Switzerland. As a native speaker would that give credence to his accent or lack thereof?

[@gabrieledupres]

Even if you didn't know about how swiss german ( Schwizerdütsch ) sounded, it would be more than a coincidence if it sounded so much like a british accent.

[@imthetube44]

@@gabrieledupres good point.

[@Leapyearproject]

I regret only subscribing to your channel recently. I am a fan of the German language and I particularly enjoy this video. Could you provide more video analyses of movies that feature the German language?

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Thank you and welcome! :) Highly appreciate that. There will be more to come. Stay tuned! :)

[@HOME-rl9gi]

Do I speak German? Nope. Do I want to learn German? Nope. But here I am, enjoying this nice video about the great German language. Thank you, KZbin algorithm.

[@graniteman62]

Dave, as a cdn who understands no German great to see ur vlog on this great movie and break down German accents, when I watched this movie I could notice the German spoken from Fassbender compared to the other German speakers as different, I'm no expert so I thought natural German speakers would find his accent different if not foreign, kinda like if u watched a movie with British English then cdn English, can understand but totally different, I've read in history that allied spies had to have native accents so not to be detected, this movie shows that they would have gotten away with their scheme of not for the unforseen German nco celebration there and the ss major, maybe the other allied speaking officers should have taken on the speaking instead of the UK German speaker leader, but didn't happen eh, makes great cinema, great job

[@keenanlarsen1639]

I've lived in the States my entire life and I've never counted starting with my pinky. And I don't recall ever seeing that from anyone else. I guess my personal habit is to go 1-4 on the fingers, starting with the first finger, and 5 is on the thumb. Maybe that's strange but it's how I've always done it.

[@jollygoodfellow3957]

He must have gotten the idea by mistake as I always count from the index finger as an American.

[@Gr13fM4ch1n3]

Yeah Americans count starting with the index. Not sure which country starts with the pinky.

[@briancrawford8751]

I think you missed the point. He was saying that Germans start counting with the thumb, not the pinky.

[@thefabfabs]

Not just in Germany but I believe in Europe in general they start to count with the thumbs. I'm South American so for me it's with the index finger but an Italian friend once told me that in Italy they also start to count with the thumbs

[@davidladjani108]

French here, I can confirm

[@DAviation179]

Best bit was missing when he goes from German to English. "Well if this is it old boy, I hope you don't mind me going out speaking the Kings".

[@TechieTexan]

I studied German for a few years. My teacher was from Southern Germany. Even in this scene, I could hear his British accent, lol. When my teacher taught me, I also obtained her accent, even though I grew up in a Hispanic household. I've had actual Germans tell me my accent is perfect!!!

[@scp170190]

I find these kind of videos very interesting. I could also tell if someone was speaking with a native Scottish accent or not because it's all about the tiny idiosyncrasies we use.

[@MadlyParrot5345]

I’m confused about why he counted with his fingers that way because even in the UK people start with their thumb to count.

[@Pete_Finch]

It's fascinating how attuned our ears are to our native tongues - I'm from just outside of New York City, and though I don't have a thick "traditional" NY accent myself, I can almost always tell when an actor isn't from here and has learned the accent. I can even tell the difference between a Brooklyn and Queens accent even though I'm not from either area, it's wild. Also, I've always started counting on my fingers with the thumb despite having pretty significant English heritage so I instantly found that odd

[@coachgman]

I lived in Rheinland-Pfalz for eight years. Although I took German all four years of high school, I still struggled with their dialect. They even said that when they go elsewhere in Germany, the other Germans think they're French haha. Anyway, I have a friend that lived in Berlin and speaks fluent German, and for "goodbye" he will use "wir sehen uns" or sometimes, "machts gut!" See you soon or take care.

[@westywest4480]

The amount of accents and pronunciation with in the English language is staggering. I'm from northern New England but don't have the typical New England accents from Massachusetts. People have asked if I'm from Canada.

[@RemyCT63]

Question: Is the SS officer in the black uniform speaking Hoch Deutsch (High German)? Because the clarity or pronunciation of every word sounds so perfect and without any regional accent.

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Yes. August Diehl was born in West-Berlin, so maybe he speaks a Berlin Dialekt in real life. But for this movie, he basically speaks very clear Standard German.

[@RemyCT63]

@@DefinitelyGerman When someone speaks very clear standard German with no accent. Is this for Germans similar to what the British would call a Posh accent?

[@anbs2476]

@@RemyCT63 Interesting question 🤔 I think we don't have that recognizable sort of "posh" accent. We tend to distinguish a persons language and standing in society rather by their usage of correct grammar and a diversity of vocabulary than their accent I would say.

[@fluffydunlop5739]

​@@RemyCT63yes

[@NorkelFjols]

When I saw this movie (as a non-German) I remember wondering if Tarantino was making too big of a deal about the "three" for dramatic effect. That it wouldn't be that big of a give-away in real life. But I guess not.

[@Sheeit]

I can totally related to specific slang words wether they be related to a class of person, a region, or an ethnicity sounding super cool in English too.

[@jonpaulevans31]

I noticed something for the first time during a recent rewatch, which contrasts well with this scene; When Shosanna ends up at lunch with Landa, among others, he asks for 2 strudels and casually gestures. As a native German, his inclination should've been thumb/index finger, but he does index/middle finger. Given how meticulous the entire flick is, it can't be coincidental.

[@sweengeppetto1915]

Yes, I also wondered about this.

[@lamda101]

Great video, I look forward to watching more 👍🏽

[@Nickel138]

This was amazing. Very impressive. Subscribed.

[@AlexMartinez-vc5rl]

Wow your analysis shows how genius Tarantino really is!

[@g.w.7893]

In NA culture, at least to my knowledge as a native, the counting usually starts with the pointing finger or index finger as it's referred to.

[@eflows]

Curious: I know "Tschuss" would be way too casual in the scene but were people using the term back then at all or is it more modern?

[@francobenevento7598]

This shows why Tarantino is the GOAT of directors. The subtle little points of inflection makes this scene so amazing. Fassbender did an amazing job in this role too.

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Oh yeah!

[@ellie-ollie-lv7]

Ich bin beeindruckt über die Analyse und kann viel mitnehmen, und ja in Deutsch gibt es Nuancen, und manche Wörter haben eine andere Bedeutung oder eine andere Schwere des Begriffes. Zb Affentheater, oder er hätte auch Zirkus sagen können, aber das hätte wieder eine andere "schwere" des Geschen's ausgedrückt. Auf jeden Fall echt gutes Video

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Vielen Dank! Guter Punkt übrigens. :)

[@meeeka]

Fassbender was born in Heidelberg and South-west Ireland & grew up there.

[@kenanacampora]

August Deihl is awesome. Drei glase 🤟🏻 bitte Herr Frankfurt. 😬

[@najtrows]

As a Swede, I have no idea if we count in a certain way with our hands lol. Good video!

[@larswachs9661]

I have to slightly disagree on one point: Many Germans (including me) also indicate the four with their four fingers. Of course, this doesn't change the fact that the three with the thumb plus two fingers would be shown.

[@Sarrge1]

I want to speak German like you. I will be pleased if you make videos in which you teach German speaking.

[@ichbinich8738]

Fassbender’s german accent here was intentional.

[@DefinitelyGerman]

I know :)

[@maarkaus48]

My family is Danish, but I was raised in Canada. I always count with my thumb first. But if I hold up a number of fingers its not with the thumb (unless its 5). I wonder how a Dane would do it. My parents always counted with their thumbs first. Interesting little traits we pick up.

[@MaMastoast]

I can help you with that. I'd always start with the thumb when counting.. Infact counting probably wouldnt involve putting up the rest of the fingers for most of the process, it'd go something like; 1. thumb up 2. index finger up , curved towards the thumb or meeting the thumb at the tip 3. middle finger tip to thumb 4. ring finger to thumb with the pinky floating by itself 5. pinky to thumb or displaying the whole hand In cases where I wanna make a point Id by putting up the fingers rather than resting them on the thumb end up displaying all 5 fingers fully... All of which would still involve facing the back of my hand towards to other person rather than the palm As for holding up 3 fingers. .I thiiink Id almost always use the thumb as well. There may be a few instances where the 3 center fingers would be used, if I were to hold up 3 fingers towards someone far away or something.. But just sitting here doing the gesture, it feels incredibly awkward and stiff, so I can tell I haven't been doing it a lot :P I guess north americans must have a much looser tendons connecting the ring finger and pinky for it to feel natural.

[@dungcheeseMORK999]

I'm from England, and I think (at least me) we use both the thumb and index finger when starting with one. I think when it comes to telling numbers with your hand we go straight with the index finger onwards.

[@rich8436]

Yer, I tend to do that too. I never really thought about it till waching this.

[@nimlopatlo]

The fact we are discussing such the subtulties of german, makes the whole movie, a classic. We have real german speakers wnd real french. As a south asian raised in the west, i hear a lot of accents which sucks when you can tell the min they say a word, that they are not native speakers...

[@SASMacDroid]

I thought the 3 finger part was funny because it's so true .my wife german holds up ihr Daumen,zeige Finger,und mittel finger were i hold up mein zeige finger,mittel finger,und ring finger 😂 schöne Grüße aus Paderborn

[@jand.9825]

The fun is, I as a german try to count the english way with the fingers since I have seen this scene for the first time, just because it's way easier to show a 4 (because I am not able to bow the pinky without any other fingers)

[@tommyt4259]

I dont know if its just me but if i was counting from one up then id start with my thumb. But if showing three then id use middle three fingers

[@googull4778]

English is like that with “not” too. Often the T is muted unless there is emphasis. Like the tongue it forming the sound but not fully. Maybe that’s what’s going on with “night” as well.

[@MartinBeerbom]

I was most impressed with the game players using the character of "Winnetou", which is extremely well-known in Germany, but completely unknown in the USA. So an American writing a movie and using THAT character means he really did his research.

[@Papa_Nurgle]

I am not a german expert, not even liked the language, but when i first saw the movie, and he made the bold move with the finger numbers i just slapped my face and take a deep breath. Because i saw the face of the SS Officer, and knew he knew whats that. My mom asked me, whats up, and i told her. How your count the numbers on your fingers? She started how germans do, because in hungary you count the same way. Then i told her, how british does, i lived there, i knew them. And she just. Ohhhhh... It this detail poke out my eyes, how it could poke out an SS Officer's eyes. XD

[@crispygift]

I always found that reveal- scene so odd cause I don't know what fingers people use to show numbers in my country? XD We talked about this with my friends and we all use different fingers and don't really pay attention to it.

[@1FokkerAce]

“Well, if this is it old boy, I hope you don’t mind if I go out speaking the King’s.”

[@weqe2278]

"Ja, wo kommen Sie denn her?!" "Oberlausitz, Sachsen. Wieso?" ....und Problem gelöst.

[@daved2352]

Focussing on the "sehr gute Freunde" you can actually hear some of the characteristics of the very clipped English accent Michael is using for the characters natural speaking voice.

[@richardsanchez5444]

4:26 what if or i should say are there people that choose to enunciate every word properly? That be wierd but not necessarily wrong, right?

[@beatdown4785]

Sehr gutes Video. Du könntest auch gut zur Breaking Bad Szene von Staffel 5, in der deutsche Wissenschaftler von Madrigal Electromotive ihre Produkte vorstellen, eine Sprachanalyse machen. Meines Wissens nach wurden für diese Szene ebenfalls keine Muttersprachler eingesetzt. Das gleiche gilt für den gesamten Rest des Vorspanns.

[@threeminuteshate]

I visited Austria last summer and when our guide held up a “German” three, I instantly perked up with glee.

[@vinnyc.1265]

I felt like me and like two others were the only ones in the audience in the theater that audibly gasped when he held the three up. My friend next to me was like "what?". "He did 3 instead of 3" showing my hands. I learned this in school on how they caught spies, with subtle things like that. Americans aren't bright, or don't have good schooling it seems. Another thing Americans do (which i find funny and stupid, even if I am American). When people eat Steak in America, they cut with their dominant hand, and switch the fork to their dominant to eat it. I just cut with my dominant, eat with my off hand with the fork (left). Switching was another way to catch spies.

[@jamestiburon443]

Isn't it funny how everyone is a critic? Yet, NONE can create Art? Lol. At age 60 this is 1 of my top 5 scenes of the beauty of Cinema. Let's just salute a work of art, Regardless, if all "We" Great Auteurs could have done better, lol.

[@DefinitelyGerman]

I agree. Like I said, the purpose here is mainly educational. There's always something to learn from witnessing awesome art. :)

[@ColdCutz]

I can't wait to see a breakdown of Lieutenant Aldo Raine's scene at the theater.

[@jackcoleman1784]

Bun jer no

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Thanks for watching! For clarification: Michael Fassbender was born in Heidelberg, Germany, and grew up speaking English and German. Since he grew up in Ireland, he didn't adopt a typical German pronunciation. Check out my first reaction to Archie Hicox / Michael Fassbender speaking German (linguistic analysis): kzbin.info/www/bejne/oImolmCgidWaq7c :) Also thanks a lot for supporting the channel on www.patreon.com/daveinitely, being a KZbin channel member and by using Super Thanks! It's much appreciated!

[@janetd5317]

Thanks for the info. I adore Micheal Fassbender - what an actor. He can go from being the nicest person to an absolutely scary person in seconds. I worked in Germany many years ago at a Nato garrison. Beautiful country. Unfortunately never mastered the language. Cheers !

[@Loroths]

I think Fassbender is playing 4D chess here. Check it out: not only is this an Irish man playing an Englishman from the 1940s and has to factor that accent, playing a German officer...BUT on top of that seeing as we, the audience, know of his character's true identity, he is trying to fool the other guy into thinking he is German - yes, but I posit he is DELIBERATELY leaving that "English" in his voice for our benefit. Just let that sink in. The vocal acting needed for that. The man is messing with our minds.🎉

[@stevesmith9447]

I've asked this question about this scene before. Stiglitz says something like "Und ab die Entfernung, bin ich eine richtige Frederick Zöller... hehehe." What is the suffix he's actually using on "eine richtige?" "Einer richtiger" seems more correct, since Frederick Zöller is obviously male, but since he's using "bin," doesn't that make it nominative, therefore "ein richtig" or maybe "ein richtiger" are what I would expect..? Sorry, I'm American and I gave up on German because it wasn't rewarding enough to learn all of the inflection and declension rules... but that doesn't mean i don't sometimes have questions. I would appreciate it if you could explain!

[@DefinitelyGerman]

"(...) und auf die Entfernung bin ich ein richtiger Frederick Zöller!" is what he says here. In a different word order and emphasis: "Und ich bin ein richtiger Frederick Zöller auf diese Entfernung!" ("and from this distance I'm a real Frederick Zöller") Since he is referring to Mister Frederick Zöller (a man) but refers to him sort of as a comparison "(...) bin ich *wie* ein Frederick Zöller" ("(...) I'm *like* a Frederick Zöller"), he's using the nominative masculine sgl inflection with "ein" (a). Hope this helps! :)

[@stevesmith9447]

@@DefinitelyGerman It definitely helps, I just always seem to hear an extra "e" sound after he says "ein." I think it's a natural sound when going from a vocal "n" to an "r," but it seems like native speakers tend to be more meticulous than that. Am I just hearing things?

[@jeffreycarter8450]

I start counting with my middle finger, than index finger, then to my ring finger, pink and end with the thumb. People don't seem to respond well when I start counting with my hand. /s

[@Draganter1977]

in der kellerbar szene sind ausser fassbinder und die dunkelhaarige kellnerin, alle schauspieler deutsche und östereicher In the cellar bar scene, apart from fassbinder and the dark-haired waitress, all the actors are german and austrian german greetings

[@phDexterable]

My only issue with this scene is that the hand gesture feels forced. Like it doesn't feel natural for Hicox to do it, as only just saying 'three' should be sufficient, since things are pretty quite at that moment. And he's just restating a fact that they already relayed to the bartender, having started with five that was followed up by two people withdrawing. Plus the bartender can't even really see his hand from that angle.

[@zenbear4149]

NO ONE IN AMERICA STARTS COUNTING WITH THE PINKIE! That is insane, especially that you say it with such confidence. They/we start with the INDEX FINGER. You just got shot in my American bar scene.

[@g.w.7893]

He would certainly get shot in a Southern American bar if he started counting with his pinkie;)

[@janetd5317]

Great video, thank you

[@thomasvlaskampiii6850]

Us Americans don't use the pinky as 1. We use the index or pointer finger as one. That's why he did the American 3 like that. Index, middle, ring, pinky, thumb

[@BakerVS]

I agree that his 'stören' sounds French. To me, it should be pronounced without the r and the e, so more like 'stöön' (but shwa for the second ö).

[@9ito1]

It would be good to look at this through the perspective of German spoken during the 1940s, pronunciation can change a lot over time.

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Good point, but not that much in this case. These things would still have gotten noticed as such back in the day.

[@georgeo162]

Your pronunciation of “korper…” is more open than I was taught. I’m far from fluent but have not heard it pronounced that way.

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Could you tell me the timestamp please? I'm not sure what you mean exactly.

[@JMark-zk5pj]

What do you say now instead of Fraulein?

[@robowisanveithasung6022]

you just say Frau (blank name) according to Germans

[@JMark-zk5pj]

@@robowisanveithasung6022 No thanks.

[@robowisanveithasung6022]

@@JMark-zk5pj I heard fraulein is sexist to strangers anyway

[@SmartDave60]

Very British way to go out .. "Well, if this is it, old boy, I hope you don't mind if I go out speaking the King's."

[@js1817]

That "zu zweit", "zu dritt" thing is interesting. I know that the numbers are zwei and drei and in English and and Spanish the number words don't change. I wonder what the rules are in German for that idiom. You can't say something like "wir sind drei"?

[@nealandkriz]

„Wir sind drei Leute“ would work better, but „Wir sind drei“ as a shorter version of that could just be fine. Not totally common though

[@deborahchard9274]

I love these ❤!

[@greg.peepeeface]

West coast American here, andI love your videos even though this is only the second video I have watched. I just wanted to point out from my regional experience at 10:00 as a burger eating Murican, we start counting with our index or foreginger. I don't know of anyone who starts with a pinky, although I do not speak for all of Big Gulp land.

[@sologamer3122]

Nah ive traveled across the states and in 27 years I have NEVER seen someone not start with the forefinger or in rare occasions the thumb (if listing an example of something). Never seen the pinking used to start. Not once haha. Southern born here, but I have been to northern Cali to see the redwoods and lived in southern Oregon for a time.

[@martinlatour9311]

You can also see at 9:50 Bridget von Hammersmark stares at the fingers knowing right away their cover is blown