Germany
Hitler and the Holocaust. Some will talk about it incessantly, some will avoid it-but let them initiate the discussion.
The Israeli situation is a frequent subject of debate here, but one they’re understandably reticent about discussing with foreign visitors.
Talking too much about shopping or bargains may not offend anyone, but it might bore them or mark you as a typical American consumerist.
Don't conflate northern and southern Germany, which are considered very different; and try to study up a bit on the geography and culture.
Excessive small talk is not appreciated; Germans can become uncomfortable if made to discuss the weather for 15 minutes.
Diversionary Topics - Demonstrating decent knowledge of the nation or language, or even global social issues, will get you far.
At a meeting German men wear the tweedy jackets you’d expect, while female professionals—who hold only 15 percent of management positions—strive to be staid in dark suits, discreet jewelry, and loaferlike shoes.
On the street Germans run the gamut from wildly fashionable to definitively frumpy—with an intellectual in-between group that pairs their sack dresses with edgy haircuts and bold jewelry. Although nothing’s verboten, the perpetual cold dictates sensible coats, which, for the stylish, are asymmetrically zippered or bat-sleeved and made of wool.
At a party “Restrained flash” is the ideal, according to Jenny White, associate professor of anthropology at Boston University, and Henrik Vibskov’s bias-cut patterns are the perfect approach for both sexes. At a hipster shindig, women add an eclectic twist with Buddy Holly glasses and colored tights.
P.S. Anything shabby will be noticed; people will cluck at a scuffed shoe and gape unrestrainedly at a hanging hem or soiled shirt.
Hello
Hallo works for most foreigners, though more appropriate for formal or business situations is guten Tag (before 6 p.m.) or guten Abend.
Good-bye
Auf Wiedersehen (owf-vee-der-zane), or, informally, tschüss or the increasingly common tschau (a Teutonized ciao). Many foreigners don’t realize that German has a formal and informal structure, much like French—and that the Germans stick to it even more rigidly than do the French. Business acquaintances can spend years calling each other Sie, even though they know each other’s families.
Thank You
Danke works on all levels of formality, but for “many thanks” you’d say vielen Dank in a formal situation and Danke schön (pronounced shern) informally.
Excuse Me
Entschuldigung covers light apologies as well as “excuse me.” In the sense of “come again?,” say wie bitte? To apologize: Es tut mir leid or Verzeihung (“forgive me”). More and more often, people under 30 just say “sorry” in a German accent (essentially a Canadian accent—“soo-ry”).
Help Me
Save Hilfe for emergencies. Otherwise, the formal version would be können Sie mir helfen? For more informal situations, use kannst du mir helfen? In both cases, you’d want to put the please (bitte) right before helfen.
Please
Bitte (bit-tuh), which also means “you’re welcome.”
