r/AskGermany

Hi everybody! I’m doing some research on humour for college. We were each given a country and asked to do some research on its humour, and my topic is German humour. Our proffessor gave us the assignment today and I have less than 24 hours to find answers 😭😭

I know it can differ from person to person, but I was hoping you could help me!

Here are the topics:

1. What are the common themes in German humour? (I did a little research and found that dark humour and anti-jokes are used quite a lot. I was wondering if that’s actually true.)

2. Where is the limit when it comes to joking? What are some topics that you generally don’t joke about, and where would you personally draw the line?

3.What do you think of German humour while comparing it to other cultures' humour?

As I said, I know humour can be quite personal, so I’d also love to hear your own point of view, rather than just a general answer.

Thanks a lot! :)

Hello,
I have a German friend. We got to know each other several months ago. Our friendship is online; we haven’t met yet.

We met by chance, talked about a topic, and then started talking regularly.

Month after month, we feel more comfortable with our friendship, we share personal things about our lives and discuss them.

He told me once: Trust takes time.

Sometimes I went through difficult moments he supported me and always asked me about my situation.

I care about him and I like him.

Does he consider me a friend now? And how do I know if I'm a real friend to him?

Thanks

EDIT.- SOLVED! THANK YOU!

Hi everyone,

I’m currently in Spain and recently stayed at a hotel in Germany. Unfortunately, I left a small personal item (bracelet)  in my hotel room, and the hotel has confirmed that they still have it.

The item weighs only around 50 grams, so it should be very easy and inexpensive to send.

The problem is that I’m already back in Spain, and I’m trying to find the cheapest and easiest way to arrange the return without making the hotel go through too much hassle (as they don't seem to want to anyway).

One option I was thinking about is using Deutsche Post. For example, could I:

• Buy the postage/stamps or a prepaid shipping label online from Spain.
• Send the postage/label and an envelope to the hotel.
• Ask the hotel simply to put the item in the envelope, attach the postage/label, and drop it into a Deutsche Post mailbox.

Would something like this work in Germany?

Alternatively, is there another (inexpensive) service or method used for a similar situation?

I’m happy to pay the postage in advance. I’m mainly looking for a solution where the hotel doesn't have to pay anything or arrange complicated shipping.

Any advice from people familiar with Deutsche Post, DHL, or sending small items internationally from Germany would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

I’m just curious bc every country wears their rings when married. I’ve just noticed a lot of germans who are married but don’t wear rings.

Hey everyone. I have possibly a dumb question but I’m from New Zealand and spent so much money coming here and getting vaccinated to do this hike. Apparently it’s forecasted thunderstorms on Friday (21st) and google is saying it’s far too dangerous to do. I’m not a frequent hiker. Just really wanted to experience a beautiful hike that’s highly recommended.

Please, any advice is really appreciated on whether I should exercise caution and cancel. Thanks in advance.

Hi there! I will be visiting for the first time since I was a teenager and plan to be there for a couple weeks. I was trying to price out my stay but I haven't done anything for hobbies yet. I know the city used to be the capital of the Frankish Empire but I really don't know where to start. What are the tourists traps, places to avoid, but also the "must see" attractions?

My wife is 16 weeks pregnant with our first child, and we had a really upsetting experience at her regular gynecology practice today. I’d appreciate advice from other people who have experienced the German healthcare system, especially expats or people who struggled with confrontation or the language barrier.

My wife had some pain around her lower abdomen/groin area, so I took her to her regular Praxis just to make sure everything was okay. Since this is our first pregnancy, we honestly don’t always know which symptoms are normal and which could indicate something serious. I used the word “Notfall” when we arrived because I was worried, although I wasn’t trying to demand emergency treatment.

The medical assistant who initially examined her was actually very kind and professional. The problem started when we saw the doctor.

The doctor immediately became irritated and said, “Das war kein Notfall,” because I had described it as an emergency. I understand that it wasn’t medically an emergency, and I’m completely fine with being corrected. But the way it was communicated felt unnecessarily harsh, especially toward a pregnant woman who was already worried and in pain.

The doctor is also listed as speaking English on Arzt-Auskunft, but she refused to speak English with us. My German isn’t good enough to confidently discuss medical issues, so I had to translate everything for my wife (her German is not the strongest either). She mostly ignored my wife while speaking to me instead. We managed to understand what she was saying, but the whole interaction was extremely uncomfortable.

She eventually told my wife that she needs to do more physical/muscle movement and that there was no reason to panic. Again, I understand the medical advice may be completely reasonable. What upset us was the lack of empathy and the way it was delivered.
My wife came out of the room and cried. She later told me that she felt pathetic and humiliated, even though all she had done was seek reassurance during her first pregnancy.

Now we’re wondering whether we should continue going to this Praxis or look for another gynecologist.
For those of you who have lived in Germany for a while:

Is this kind of communication from doctors/reception staff common, or did we simply have a particularly bad experience?

How do you handle situations where a doctor or receptionist is rude or dismissive?

What do you do when your German isn’t strong enough to confidently argue or explain a medical situation?

Is it reasonable to change gynecologists because of this kind of experience?

And for people who also tend to freeze during confrontational situations: how do you learn to stand up for yourself without making the situation worse?

I’m not looking to attack German people or the German healthcare system as a whole. I’m genuinely trying to understand the culture and learn how to protect my wife and family while navigating situations like this.

I’d especially appreciate practical advice about what to say in the moment when something like this happens.

Edit : I will be stationed at Ramstein Air Base

I fall down this morning in shower cabinet. I heard snap sound from my hips and hurt so bad(no visible injuries). In the panic i called 112 instead of 116 117.
They come and said nearest hospital is full, and advice me to go to the hausarzt. Now it’s better, panic make me worst

Will they charge me for empty transport/missuse 112. if yes, how long to take to get me a invoice

Hi zusammen,

Stimmt es wirklich, dass fehlende Unterlagen, die man nachträglich einreicht, den Prozess um Monate verlängern können? Wie lange hat es bei euch (ohne Agentur!) gedauert?
Danke

Sorry if this is not the right subreddit for this.

Met a German guy off of dating app couple months ago in North America and we are still in talking phase. First of, he told me he thought he was asexual until 2 years ago, doesn’t flirt, if I flirt he wouldn’t notice it until I tell him directly that I’m flirting, rarely compliments me, idk how to approach this because I’m not sure if it’s our cultural difference that I’m not catching or it’s him? He’s also shying away from having any serious talk about what this is, I feel like I’m wanting this to be slightly faster because it’s been 5 months since we started talking. But he would routinely text me everyday, plan dates and show up more in person. We also started a long distance thing a month after we started talking because he found a job somewhere else but he’s visiting me like twice every month. I’m getting so many mixed signals, is it usually this slow at the beginning of dating in Germany as well?

Mir geht es vorallem um das Kontakte knüpfen, Alltag kennenlernen, ohne den jetzigen Status zu werten.

Danke!

Hi everyone,

I’m from Denmark, where our system for appealing social welfare decisions is apperantly quite different from the German one. Among other things, appeals are almost exclusively focused on legal and procedural issues without actually assessing whether you are getting the help you need. Appeals are not processed by judges (but caseworkers) and can often take years. There is more to it, but by all accounts, it’s not the best legal framework in the world.

There is currently some political momentum in Denmark to change this, and Germany is being looked at quite closely as an example. We keep hearing that the German system has a high degree of legal specialisation, relatively short waiting times (sometimes quoted as around two weeks), and generally strong legal protection in social welfare appeals.

To be honest, that sounds almost too good to be true to me — although I know very little about the German system myself.

So I’d be really interested to hear from Germans who know about the Sozialgericht/Landessozialgericht (I think it’s called)? What is your experience with it in practice? How long do appeals actually take? Do you feel that the system provides good legal protection?

Thanks!

Hello, recently my daughter discovered that money does not grow on trees. I grew up in the U.S. and at that age there were plenty of options for a part-time job just to earn a couple of dollars (in my case to spend in the video arcade). What are some reasonable options at this age in Germany?

Ps. Before you write babysitting, for some strange reason my daughter is terrified of babies.

Edit: thanks for all the answers coming in! Do the options become broader at 15? 16?

I'm planning on visiting friends for the first time in germany, They told me about the deutschland ticket for an easy way of moving around the country while there, But there's limited information on it, It says it is a monthly subscription, but if I buy it lets say on the 20th of september, will it be vaild through the 20th of october? or do I have to pay for a second month as soon as October hits? Also i've read that buying it from Mopla is the best, is that true?

Ich suche nach ein wenig Inspiration für Dinge, die man mit seinem Partner unternehmen könnte, die auch nicht unbedingt (viel) Geld kosten.

Mein Partner (29) und ich (22) gehen allgemein sehr gerne spazieren oder wandern und wir kochen - und essen daher - auch sehr gerne. Was Geld betrifft - ich bin Studentin und habe nur einen Minijob, mein Freund arbeitet ganz normal, aber ist ziemlich ziemlich sparsam. Also Geld für Kino oder teure Restaurants gibt es in der Regel nicht, da teuer und "unnötig".

Was unternimmt ihr gerne mit euren Partnern? Oder habt ihr Vorschläge, was man machen könnte z.B. auch als Wochenendtrip (P.s.: wir kommen vom Bodensee und hier in der Umgebung kann man allgemein sehr schön wandern - habt ihr vielleicht dafür konkrete Empfehlungen?)

Würde mich wirklich sehr freuen, da wir im Moment vermehrt nur auf der Couch rumliegen und nicht so wirklich wissen, was wir machen könnten. Im September würden wir vielleicht auch gerne wohin fahren (z.B. Straßburg oder so). Irgendwelche Ideen oder Empfehlungen?

Chatgpt schlägt leider auch nicht die besten Sachen vor haha.

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 am thinking of retiring in Germany, but I have never worked there.

I'm thinking about switching up my look and wanted to get a read on the general sentiment here. It feels like standalone moustaches have made a massive comeback over the last couple of years, but the classic clean-shaven look is still the timeless standard.
Curious to hear from both sides—whether it’s what you rock yourself or what you find attractive on a partner

I’m trying to get a little deeper into German culture, and I realised I know almost nothing about German movies.

I’m not necessarily looking for the objectively best German films or award-winning cinema. I’m more curious about the movies that are part of the cultural vocabulary here. The classics, cult movies, comedies people still quote, films you grew up watching, or the ones where Germans are surprised if you say you’ve never seen them.

Basically, if someone moved to Germany and wanted a German movie watchlist to understand the culture a little better, what would you put on it?

Would love to know your must-watch picks, and especially why you think they belong on the list.