r/AskAGerman

My language school canteen served Milchreis with cinnamon and fruit as the main lunch last week. I assumed dessert was arriving early, then everyone around me treated it like the most ordinary plate in the room.

Since then, people have mentioned Grießbrei, sweet Dampfnudeln and pancakes as meals, not something after a meal. I’m not judging. I ate the Milchreis and liked it, although my stomach expected a second chapter involving potatoes.

I’m curious about the unwritten rules:

1. Are these dishes considered complete lunches for adults, or mainly comfort food from childhood?

2. Is this strongly regional?

3. Do people usually add something savoury before or after, or is the sweetness the whole point?

The answers I get locally depend on wich person I ask. One teacher says “perfectly normal,” another says she would only eat it on a cold Sunday at home. Where does ordinary tradition end and personal nostalgia begin here?

During a German-language work session, I started noticing how often everyone said genau. Then I couldnt stop hearing it.

It appeared after:

- a correct answer

- a correction

- a long explanation

- somebody admitting they did not know

- a silence where nobody had said anything precise at all

At one point a colleague said “Genau, nein” and my brain briefly gave up.

I understand the dictonary meaning. What I do not understand is the social meaning in everyday speech. Does it sometimes mean “yes, I follow,” “right, moving on,” or simply “I need a word while I prepare the next sentence”? Is there a tone where genau becomes skeptical rather than agreeing?

I am not asking how to memorize it. I want to know what native speakers hear when the same word is doing all these little conversational jobs.

I have noticed that my German colleagues (some friends) really slam my car door shut- both after entering and exiting. Is this simply a German thing?
I always feel a bit of my heart breaking when they slam the door shut and I am contemplating stating that my car ain’t a Panzer to them.
Funnily enough, the one colleague who slams my doors shut also slams their own car doors shut too.

Edit: i have a BMW 1 series, built in 2022. The doors close with nominal force too, doesn’t require slamming ;)

Hi! I have arrived and started my study in Germany about 1 year before. Here's an example situation that I'm still feeling a bit weird and uncertain whether I did something improperly:

I leave my seat every 2 hours or so during a day in the library, each time about 15 minutes, to go to the toilet or just take a walk in the building, because I want to avoid sitting for too long which I understand as unhealthy. Every time I return to my seat, I notice that there are a few people suddenly raising their heads and taking a glance at me.

Internally, I feel bad every time I notice someone looks at me like that. I was born and raised in Asia, and in my culture, people do that only when they are irritated by the person they look at, and that glance works as a somewhat fierce warning ("you do that again and I will do something to you"). Since no one has ever complained to me after such a glance, I have always assumed that this is just a cultural difference, that the people glancing me when I take my seat do not mean anything with that. Today I came across this channel and finally have the chance to ask this question: why do some people look at me like this?

I do follow the rules in the library seriously, use the break-time sign properly, and free my seat for lunch if it takes more than 30 minutes (our rules allow max. 1 hour break time), no food, no coffee, not typing loudly and not too much. I don't think my movements bother anyone, I'm a quite small person that fits in the smallest gap of seats and bags during exam rush period, and I'm not talking about rush hours, e.g. it happened today as well, when most students have finished their exams and only less than 30% of the seats are taken... Am I overthinking this, or am I actually behaving improperly?

Thank you for reading this.

EDIT: thank you so much for your friendly answers! I now know that this is what people call "The German Stare", and that people do this not only out of instinct, but also to help guarding each other's belongings. It's amazing. One little concern less for me, and a bit more about the culture learned. Thank you and have a nice day :D

All my favorite moments on vacations have been centered around these wholesome, community driven, quiet, but still interesting and fun events. Like signing up for a board game club for one day, poetry open mic at a cafe, going to a random student’s art show, an original play in the park, a museum all about buttons, and getting invited to join a family’s picnic, journaling at a rooftop bar with live music and skyline views.

I have a full weekend to go anywhere in Germany plus 10 work days after 6pm in Lubeck to have some fun.

I’m looking for candid moments I guess, nothing too flashy or touristy, but still get a good experience of Germany.

It will be my first time ever out of the States, oh and I sadly don’t speak German. Yet.

I’ll be there staring next week!

(Tourism tag but I don’t necessarily want touristy things. I’m open to it tho!)

Pls tell a hack to get better at using the articles

I’m a brazillian going for an exchange program in Germany (Bavaria). Where I come from, we stick to the following social rules regarding greeting:

Social setting (parties, friends house, dinner)
man + man = handshake (sometimes a hug)
man + woman = one kiss on one cheek
woman + woman = same

Professional setting (mostly meetings)
Handshake for everyone

Do germans follow the french way of kissing 3 times or they just dont kiss at all? If i accidentally do it, is it weird, flirty, or just unusual?

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I had this exchange with a neigbour:

“Na?”

“Pretty good. Work was tiring, but I finally finished a difficult project and now I’m trying to decide what to cook.”

He nodded once and said, “Okay.”

That “okay” contained enough silence for me to review my whole personality.

I know na can mean something like “well?” or simply act as a greeting. What I cannot work out is how much information the other person is actually requesting. My current possibilities are:

- answer “Na?” back

- say “Alles gut”

- provide one normal sentence

- deliver the accidental autobiography I apparently chose

Does the expected answer depend mostly on how well you know the person, or is a full update nearly always too much? And does “Na, du?” geniunely invite an answer, or is it mostly a friendly sound Germans throw across a hallway?

Hi everyone, I’m in a really stressful situation and could use a reality check on my legal standing.

I am relocating out of Germany at the end of August for a new job, which means I am running out of time to finalize my apartment handover (Wohnungsübergabe). My property management company is completely ignoring my emails, and I can't get through to anyone on the phone to schedule the final walkthrough.

I want to make sure I am fully protected legally so I don't get screwed out of my Kaution (deposit) or charged for extra rent because I "didn't return the apartment."

Has anyone dealt with an unresponsive Hausverwaltung like this? Is this documentation bulletproof enough under German tenancy law to protect me once I leave the country? Any hidden traps I should watch out for?

Thanks in advance for the help!

I'm planning a trip that incorporates East Germany - especially some rural areas - into my trip to Germany in the Fall.

Is it safe for a black man to travel there?

I’ve noticed that many cars are parked under trees where sap and bird droppings are common, yet car covers seem rarely used. Is this mainly due to convenience, weather, concerns about scratching the paint, or something else? Genuinely curious about the norm here.

Edit: I washed my car 2 days ago and now it’s covered in bird droppings already.

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I joined a small amateur choir in Germany. The first rehearsal was listed for 18:00, so I arrived at 17:56. By then, coats were hung up, folders were open, chairs had been adjusted and everyone inhaled for the first warm-up at six. Nobody complained, but I felt as if I had walked into a film after the opening scene.

The next week I arrived at 17:45. One member laughed and said I was becoming ‘properly German.’ I can’t tell whether that was aproval, teasing, or both. Where I grew up, 18:00 means people begin entering the room around then.

Is the normal German interpretation that the named time is when the activity itself begins, with setup happening earlier? Does the invisible arrival margin change for a casual hobby, a private invitation, and an appointment? I’m not building a punctuality spreadsheet, I just want to stop entering rooms at the socially strangest minute possible.

I had a friend come over this past weekend and brought a 6pack of 1664 Blanc. It’s a beer with blue glass.
I tried to return it at the grocery store but the machine wouldn’t accept it. I’m not too worried getting the €1 in pfand back anyway. So I’ll recycle it.
So my question is… what color bin do I throw blue glass away in? Green I assume??

Ich muss einen Vertrag mit dem Stromanbieter abschließen, und dieser besteht darauf, dass ich ihm die MaLo-ID mitteile. Ich habe den Vormieter und meinen Vermieter gefragt, und beide haben mir jeweils eine unterschiedliche MaLo-ID genannt. Gibt es eine eindeutige Möglichkeit, festzustellen, welche der beiden die richtige ist?

It's been a year since I moved to Germany for a job. I come from a country with a weak currency. Relocating here literally took away my 5 years life savings.

Currently I'm at a stage where I'm fighting tooth and nail to save every Euro I can.

- To save for emergencies.

- To send money to my family back home. I help take care of 3 family members.

- To upskill and learn technical skills as well as German.

A € 10 to € 50 spend on birthday contribution may not seem like much to most people but to me that makes all the difference. Ever since I joined my company every month I'm expected to contribute € 10 to € 50 depending on how many people have their birthdays.

Initially, I used to contribute to be part of the culture and celebration. But every month contribution almost feels like a subscription I never signed up for and get nothing out of. I am totally okay not receiving a gift in exchange. Recently I stopped contributing because I fell short of funds and more than one colleague made me realise this. I feel low and terrible.

How do Germans and non- Germans handle this? Sorry if I sound cheap but I really don't have much to go by. Plus the constant anxiety of losing my job and relying on my emergency fund. Hope you can understand and not judge.

Hi everyone,

I recently ordered Vodafone cable internet through CHECK24. My main intention was only to get the internet connection.

Later I realized that I had also confirmed a separate GigaTV Home Cable contract. I honestly did not understand at the time that this was a separate paid TV subscription. I do remember confirming/signing something, so I am not claiming Vodafone added it without my consent.

The GigaTV costs around €14.99 per month, plus there was a €49.99 activation fee. I do not even own a TV and have never used the GigaTV service.

I contacted Vodafone and explained the situation. I also asked for a Kulanzkündigung, but they told me that because the 14-day withdrawal period is already over, they cannot cancel it early.

I am a student, so paying for a TV service I will never use is frustrating.

Has anyone had a similar situation with Vodafone? Is there any realistic way to get out of the GigaTV contract early, or am I basically stuck with it until the end of the minimum contract period?

I definitely want to keep my Vodafone cable internet. I only want to cancel GigaTV.

Thanks for any advice or experiences.