Discussion on Twitter: These sentences explain Germany

There are things that you hear again and again in Germany – foreigners in particular notice that. On Twitter, users thought about which sayings are typical of German culture and mentality.

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Native speakers often don’t even notice it anymore, but every language has it – these sentences that you hear and say over and over again. They also give an insight into a country’s culture and mentality, especially for foreigners. The American journalist Charles Hawley, who has lived and worked in Germany for many years, asked his followers on Twitter what the most German sentences are.

Hawley himself immediately had a suggestion: From his point of view, the sentence “That doesn’t work” stands for Germany. Many other Twitter users were able to understand this, who also noticed that Germans often focus on the limits rather than the possibilities. The sentence “How do you imagine that?” The sentences “We have always done it this way” or “This is how we do it here” were nominated more often. Germans like to stick to what they know – and it takes a long time to get used to changes.

Typical German phrases: from “Das ist nicht” to “Tja”

Suggestions for the most German sentence came from many foreigners, but also from Germans. Many a cliché was served by it – which suggests that there may be something to these prejudices after all. If a foreigner regards “I’ll call the police” as representative of Germany, that should possibly give us pause.

Everyone should have had their own experiences with the German bureaucracy, so a saying was often tweeted that is heard over and over in offices: “We are not responsible for that.” Also in the variation: “I would like to help, but my hands are tied.” That everything has to be in order in this country is what the sentence: “That is not correct.” Germans like to be right.

Sometimes just one word is enough

Enthusiasm, on the other hand, is not what most Germans like – although that can vary depending on the region. In general, however, many tend to underestimate rather than exaggerate. “You can’t complain about that” or “I can’t complain” are typical expressions that some foreigners have noticed. And it doesn’t have to be more words than necessary: ​​”You can’t say anything.”

It’s good that the German language offers wonderful opportunities to say a lot with little effort. Sometimes even a single word is enough, as some users find with a certain enthusiasm. Typical German one-word sentences would be, for example, “Exactly”, “Na?”, “Soooo …” or “Achsooo”. But the word “Well” is unmatched – it can mean everything and nothing and can be used in almost every situation. Germans use it, writes a user, when there is no more bread in the house, something breaks or the end of the world is imminent.

Those: Charles Hawley on Twitter

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