Just Visiting: Munich & Amsterdam

Didn't look at the YouTube page -- have to check it out.

 

I have a feeling that you know this, but I'll mention it anyway; there are apps out there that do a bang up job listening/translating, or reading/translating. They were a good back-up crutch for us when we couldn't communicate with our own resources.

 

In all honesty, you can get away with pretty much no German in town. I've run into people at the Hofbrauhaus that don't know yes/no and have been having the time of their lives. English goes a long way in the cities, just speak clearly and be nice.
Ordering beers isn't too rough if you know the basic styles on BA. At most places it'll be helles, weiss, and maybe a dunkel or export. If they have a bock strength beer, it might simply be called a "starkbier" (strong beer) since most places only have one.
With food, I suggest hitting up a place with English menus and compare/contrast it with thye German menu. That's how I learned what most things were named.

 

My basics....

1. Ein (Hell/Weiß/Dunkel etc ) Bier, bitte!
2. Noch ein Bier, bitte!
3. Wo ist die Toilette?
4. Zahlen, bitte!




Prosit!

 

C'mon man -- most important? Danke schön?

Of course, entschuldigen Sie soothes a myriad of indiscretions.

 

Natürlich!! Entschuldigen Sie! Es tut mir leid!
;-)

 

If you space "Entschuldigen Sie" (it's a mouthful), "Pardon" from French is universally understood and used. Ditto with Ciao. Both of those seem to get tossed around in Europe regardless of the native language.

 

As we have been going farther and farther off the beaten path, speaking basic (well, more the basic) German is much more valuable. We have been to places in Niederbayern where the brewer/owner only speaks English. We were surprised at young people who didn't speak English, which is the norm in Hesse.

 

I discovered this anywhere rural. Before my first trip to Germany I was told that everyone spoke English -- well, just ain't so (maybe more now than then, but still ain't so), so before subsequent trips I took some German classes and they helped a lot.

 

I've generally stayed on the beaten path in Germany, but definitely noticed that English becomes less and less "automatic" as you get further from the cities. In Belgium we had a car and I definitely ended up in a few places where they barely spoke French let alone English. I know zero Dutch, so that was interesting. I'd assume Germany (especially in the east) would be similar.
In any of the metro areas I've been I'd say English is very commonly spoken and understood. Not by everyone, but by more than I initially figured. I can count the major language barriers I've run into in Munich, Bamberg, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, etc. on one hand, which isn't too bad.
I wish I knew more German and I am trying to learn a bit thanks to Duolingo, but I wouldn't let that keep anyone from heading over.