It's has snowed everyday or every other since Dec 20th......there are generations that have not witness this much snow in 30+ years. At first I was oh! I love it....feels like Utah! Now I'm all are your effing kidding me!!
My German teacher told me she will not shop in certain stores because they address everyone in the du form...which is informal instead of the polite form of Sie. I don't really think like that switching how you talk to a grocery clerk verse a friend or a doctor etc...... but here they do. You always speak in the Sie form until you are good friends. I think my teacher is uptight or a snob. But I ask my next door neighbor that is from Canada , he is a really laid back kinda of guy. He said oh no I had a store person du me and I was like no way dude we are not friends you can not du me. And he went on and on about it. And in the next breath he said I'm going to ask the neighbor next to us if I can du them now but first I must have them over for cake and coffee.
First of all I was snickering inside my head every time he said du (sounds like do) he was du me do them.... instantly my mind went to the gutter! It's all so la dee da for me! I'm just happy when someone talks to me!
Happy Friday!!!
Stop by Mrs. 4444
for more Friday Fun.
31 comments:
In some ways I like the Du versus Sie differential. The hard part is to know what to do. There's also the "Hamburg" Sie, which is when one calls the hairdresser by first name (it's the only one you know) but still use Sie. We have this in the US, when a Dr. calls one by frst name but expects to be called by title: I prefer the reciprocity of respect here (and my mom in the US corrects people to her last name). Last week, I was muttering to myself when some one du-d me when I didn't give permission. I carefully Sie'd them back.
Haa- you 'du' know how to get a laugh out of us early in the morning. The legal drinking age surprises me-how does that work for them? Maybe it's no big deal so there are fewer problems. That poses an interesting question- really, is there much trouble? It can't be called under-aged drinking. Oh I need more coffee.
I guess the du vs. sie form could relate to calling your parents friends Mr. & Mrs. vs. Fred & Ethel until they tell you it's OK to call them by their first name.
Snow is only fun when you get a snow day out of it.
I didn't know that about the drinking age in Germany. Interesting. It's 18 here in Australia for all alcohol.
Happy FF!
Even the fact that you know there is a Sie and a Du tells me you are miles ahead of me. I will keep this in mind when I learn German words with which to address someone here in Germany. I can't keep going around saying, "Hey, You!"
They have the polite form here and the regular one aswell when adressing people. I get confused by it all. You hardly hear it though wich is why they started making commericals about being polite and not antisocial..lol
Germans I notice have this thing where they never smile..like ever. We stopped at a rest stop one time and they all stared at us and it felt like we were driving into the village of the damned. One german told me they never smile at strangers and save it for only friends and family? Is that true? Everytime I go into a german store noone is smiling..LOL
The dutch have an odd thing like that too. It's so hard to get into a dutch circle of friends. They keep their friends from school and never make new ones. The drinking age is the same here aswell as the driving age..Im so not ready for my oldest son to drink in 5 short years.
That is funny! I hope your teacher doesn't read your blog!!
Your daughter is a good girl, most kids her age want to drink! I can't believe how young the drinking age is, wow.
Speaking of snow, we are expecting a blizzard this weekend. They are calling is names like snowzilla, and crippling....I'm like you--so over it at this point! I hope Patty is all set.
Have a wondeful weekend.
XOXO
OMG Frau my husband and I are laughing our heads off in Anchorage!! He had lived in France for a time and he recalled the same formality. xoxo
Oh my,the du vs. sie issue always gives me so much stress! I pretty much sie everybody unless it is a same-age parent that I've seen at my kids' gymnastics class or kindergarten. But still, major stress. I'm always asking my german husband what to do!
My kids went to wannabe proms too : ) Still lots of fun and I do love to see everyone all dressed up.
As much as I talk I'm sure I"d be exhausted living in Germany...have a great weekend!
My friend lived in Bremen for three years and felt that she unintentionally insulted most of the population in a regular basis. Your brain must be growing exponentially from all the new info :)
My mind went right along with yours! Ha!
Have a wonderful weekend!
OMG... so not ready for 16!
We're getting big snow here too. xoh
Hope you get some better weather soon! And I enjoyed the little language lesson!
yeah my mind is totally in the gutter to I had a comment but Ill save it for our next coffee talk! have you downloaded skype yet?
If a kid doesn't call somebody "Miss First Name," as in "Miss Jen" or "Miss Nancy," it is SERIOUSLY frowned upon here in the South.
So, "du" I get it? Kinda.
The customs and laws in Germany are very interesting. You can't drive until 18, but you can liquor up at 16. Wow.
And don't fret, my mind was right there in the gutter with you. How strange that they take that kind of social stuff so seriously.
i have to repeat a comment i wrote for sonya, because i had the most awesomest day today at the grocery store. and you both have to know about this:
***
if you can, go to LIDL and get yourself some cheddar cheese. i cannot find cheddar anywhere in this land, and this week is "great britain week" at LIDL and omgosh, that cheese.
it's sharp aged white tillamook cheddar. at least, it tastes exactly like tillamook. it is only 2 euros per package, and they're BIG!
i went out to the car, and for want of a knife, i just tore into it with my teeth. shameful. but i miss cheddar cheese so much.
it was so awesome, i went back into the store and bought every single last one of them.
(sorry other expats in wuppertal...)
and then i saw the same company had meat pies in stock. i bought three of those (haven't tried yet). i LOVE pot pies!
and then i found the same brand had shortbread. it tastes just like the stuff from home.
i don't know if there is a LIDL near you, but if so, go now!
~lytha
The drinking age is 16?? Crazy!!!
Ha ha ha, you are so funny! I would bust out laughing if a neighbor was saying "Du me!"
Good luck to your daughter on her prom! How exciting!
It's always nice to see you over at my blog! Sorry I don't get here as much as I would like. You really are a delight, my friend!
Plus, it's so cool you live in GERMANY! My DH has been to Berlin and several small towns..Cologne? He traveled by train and backpacked Europe for a month when he was in his mid 20s (before we ever met.) Whoa, way tangent! :-)
Anywhoo...have a great weekend!
Spanish has the formal Usted vs the informal tu as well. Now I know what it is in German! I want to learn that language someday... :)
LOL why do our mind ended in the gutter lately huh?!
Great weekend dear~
Legally drinking at Prom...huh.
You made me laugh before I toddled off to bed!
I almost always stick with Sie because it keeps the verbs easier to conjugate!
I love the snow AT FIRST but then after a few months, I CRAVE SUN!
I love how I am going to learn about German cultures reading your blog!
Hi Kathy - I finally found your blog. How funny. When we lived in Germany everyone but my friends (I was a kid) was a "Sie". I guess I do remember drinking wine at dinner when I was 12. It was never much. Casey started calling me "Sue" for fun and now some of his friends call me that. I don't really care because I know they respect me. Say hi to the family.
You sure made me laugh...really hard. I love funny people! I am your newest follower. I found you when SamiJ gave us an award. I am now following and hope you will follow back as well! Juliana form A Blonde Walks Into A Blog
Your stories about German culture and your German teacher are so interesting to me. Thanks.
Hang in there; it'll melt eventually, right?!
I wonder if I would mind if English had a formal way of addressing people. I kind of like it!
Pearl
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