A few times when I've been gaming in an fps game I play, I spoke out giving comms but on 2 occasions separate people who are German said "G.I.G" they said this in a passive aggressive way and when I asked what it means they said its a German thing and hard to understand, something about restaurants? But it clearly has a different meaning also if it does mean something about food service xD so here i am asking, please help me lol

Ich frage mich in letzter Zeit immer häufiger, ob es nur mir so geht oder ob viele von euch inzwischen ein ähnliches Gefühl bei den Lebensmittelpreisen haben.

Ich bin glücklicherweise in der Position, ziemlich gut zu verdienen. Einer meiner kleinen persönlichen „Luxusmomente“ war deshalb eigentlich immer, beim Einkaufen nicht großartig auf die Preise schauen zu müssen. Damit meine ich nicht, dass ich ständig irgendwelche Luxuslebensmittel kaufe. Ich bin einfach in den Supermarkt gegangen und habe das gekauft, worauf ich gerade Hunger hatte, ohne groß darüber nachzudenken, ob etwas jetzt 2, 3 oder 4 Euro kostet.

Mittlerweile merke ich aber, dass sich das verändert. Obwohl ich gut verdiene, schaue ich immer häufiger auf Preise und denke mir: Moment mal, das kostet mittlerweile wie viel?

Ein eigentlich total banales Beispiel geht mir seit einiger Zeit nicht mehr aus dem Kopf.

Ich vertrage Weizen nicht besonders gut und kaufe deshalb häufig Dinkelbrötchen. Vor einiger Zeit war ich beim Bäcker und habe für ein einzelnes, relativ kleines Dinkelbrötchen 1,20 € bezahlt.

Kein belegtes Brötchen. Nichts drauf. Einfach nur das Brötchen.

1,20 €.

Natürlich hat ein Bäcker andere Kosten als ein Supermarkt und ich möchte damit auch gar nicht speziell gegen Bäckereien schießen. Trotzdem musste ich in dem Moment kurz schlucken. Ein Dinkelkrusti kostet bei mir im Supermarkt etwa 55 Cent.

Und eigentlich geht es mir gar nicht um diese 1,20 € an sich. Das Brötchen ist für mich eher so ein Sinnbild dafür geworden, wie sehr sich mein Gefühl dafür verändert hat, was normale Lebensmittel mittlerweile kosten.

Ich merke einfach, dass ich inzwischen selbst bei ganz alltäglichen Lebensmitteln viel häufiger auf den Preis schaue als noch vor ein paar Jahren. Und wenn ich das schon als jemand merke, der finanziell glücklicherweise relativ gut dasteht und beim Lebensmitteleinkauf eigentlich nie groß rechnen musste, frage ich mich umso mehr, wie es Menschen damit geht, die jeden Monat sehr genau auf ihr Geld achten müssen.

Geht euch das ähnlich?

Gibt es bestimmte Lebensmittel oder andere alltägliche Dinge, bei denen ihr mittlerweile regelmäßig auf den Preis schaut und euch denkt: Das kann doch nicht mehr normal sein?

Und habt ihr das Gefühl, dass die Preise immer noch spürbar steigen, oder haben wir mittlerweile einfach ein neues Preisniveau erreicht, an das man sich erst noch gewöhnen muss?

Mich würden vor allem konkrete Beispiele interessieren. Was ist euch in letzter Zeit besonders aufgefallen?

Hey everyone, I really need to vent and ask for advice on my current living situation. I’m an international Master’s student (F, 26) living in a small town in Bavaria, renting a room in a shared unit where all of us are female students. I’ve been here for almost a year. Housing is extremely scarce here, which is why I’ve tolerated this for so long, but things reached a boiling point and my anxiety is through the roof.

My landlord (not German) is known among current and former tenants for being overcontrolling and stepping way out of line. Some context:

1. Creepy & Controlling Behavior: He constantly checks on all our rooms under the pretext that "we aren't always home." We pay our rent on time and in full—what we do with our schedules is none of his business. It feels extremely invasive, especially since all tenants in the unit are young women.

2. Privacy Violations: Rings the doorbell or calls past 10 PM, comes by completely unannounced, and expects us to let him in.

3. Absurd House Rules: Micromanaging how we clean and insisting we leave windows wide open—even when we leave or when it's freezing outside.

4. Ground Floor Security Concerns: My unit is on the ground floor facing a main road with no insect screens—just blinds. Leaving windows wide open means passersby looking straight in and insects getting in, but he constantly lectures me if I close them.

What happened yesterday (Sunday): The adjacent room in our unit is vacant. Since he doesn't live here and only comes on weekends, I gave him permission to do some repainting over the weekend.
He told me he’d start at 8:00 AM on Sunday, making me wait 2 hours before unilaterally shifting it to 1:00 PM.

Unannounced Entry: Knowing I was inside, he opened the main unit door twice without my consent or warning.

Disturbance on a Quiet Day (Ruhetag): I repeatedly asked him what time he’d finish because I needed rest and wanted him done by 6:00 PM. He just gave me a creepy smile and asked "Why?" while continuing to make noise past 6:30 PM.

I felt so cold (he kept leaving windows/doors wide open), anxious, and uncomfortable that I couldn't even use the bathroom.

I called family friends (an aunt and her German husband) for help. When they arrived and asked why he was doing loud work late on a Sunday and why he is so controlling, he lost his temper. He shouted that as the landlord he can do whatever he wants, told them they are "just guests who shouldn't interfere," and explicitly said if I don't like it, I should just move out. My aunt insisted I spend the night at her place for my safety.

I am actively looking for a new room now because living with this anxiety is completely unsustainable.

Questions:

1. What immediate legal steps or formal notices should I send regarding his unlawful entries and Sunday noise?
2. How can I protect myself and my security deposit (Kaution) if he retaliates while I look for a new place?
3. Has anyone dealt with a landlord who acts like this toward female international students, and how did you safely handle it?

My aunt and her husband are helping me with this, at the same time, asking for your advice. I’ve been dealing with constant anxiety whenever he’s around. I’ve checked our town’s group chat for students seeking a place and whenever one of his rooms are available previous tenants will warn new tenants to avoid him as a landlord if they can which I totally understand. I am usually wary of the financial burden it would cost me moving out but right now I am most worried about my situation especially I am all alone in the unit. I am not saying something will happen to me but I cannot live like this.

Thank you for taking the time to read. I appreciate it.

I will be traveling to Bavaria next week and had a question about privacy. I realize it is not acceptable to record people in public intentionally. We will be attending a couple of cultural performances (music and dance) in a bar setting, Almfests, etc. I would like to record video occasionally for personal use only (no social media posting, no close-ups on faces). Is this okay to do or will I start angering people?

Hello, I live in Germany and have got a beautiful balcony. I really love the traditional German balcony style where the balcony boxes are full of beautiful blooming flowers that spill and trail over the railing. I am total beginner and have never had a plant in my house but i want my house balcony blooming with flowers. I am looking for guidance so that i also can have a blooming balcony all year round. My questions are very silly so please bear with me.

• When should I start? When is the right time of year to start planting balcony flowers in Germany? Should I buy seeds and grow them myself, or is it better for a beginner to buy ready-grown/flowering plants from a Gartencenter and put them into my balcony boxes?
• Which varieties flowers last for longest time?
• What happens when the flowers stop blooming in autumn/winter? Do you cut the plants back? Do you leave them in the balcony boxes?
• Do people bring the plants inside for winter?
• Do the same plants survive winter and go back outside in spring and flower again? Or is it more normal in Germany to replace the plants every spring and buy new ones?
• If I want my balcony to look nice throughout the whole year, what would you plant for spring, summer, autumn and winter?
• Are there flowers/plants that can stay outside over winter and come back again the following year?

Hello everyone
I really need to know how can I adopt (one cat) or a dog here in Germany.
I’ve tried contacting shelters and organizations and they apparently only give cats in pairs (and I can’t jump from having no cats to having two) (this will be my first pet ever)
And when it comes to dogs there are no small dogs in the shelter in my city, and I wanna meet the pet before adopting it cuz I feel like it’s important.
But shelters in nearby cities wouldn’t give pets to someone living in a city that’s an hour away for some reason.
Long story short I wanna know how adoption works here in this country cuz for some reason it seems ridiculously complicated to give a cat or a dog a loving home 😔

I’m at a loss. I am in late 20s and have been recently diagnosed with a hearing loss of 39 dB in my left ear and 44 dB in my right ear. Unfortunately it is mid frequency hearing loss which is also the range of frequencies for human conversations and speech. The ENT doctor I visited wrote me a prescription for a hearing aid and said that it’s most likely genetic. But she didn’t take further interest in my questions and I had to leave.

I am at a loss because putting my results on online GdB calculators suggest a GdB of 30 since my hearing loss is mostly in the mid frequencies which are required for human communication. I think my brain has adapted to it and I wouldn’t say that I feel “disabled” in my daily life but sure there are moments where I have to ask people to repeat themselves. Especially when speaking in German. I used to think it’s maybe because I don’t understand German but now it looks like a combination of both factors.

I am working full time and I wanted to ask for support from people who can share their experiences with me. Since it’s hard to find a specialist doctor (with public insurance) who would listen to me with patience, I am feeling really anxious and need some support… thank you!🙏

I moved into an apartment last month as a subtenant. The apartment has 5 rooms and a living room. The main tenants are a couple. They use the living room and two bedrooms. There is also one other sub-tenant. I use two rooms.

Some days ago, we got the shocking news that the main tenants were terminating their own rental contract with the landlord by end of November (less than 3 months from when we were informed. The official contract says ‘3 months' notice’). This meant that we would also have to move out.

I felt betrayed cos I only just moved in and in fact last month still had to pay rent at my former apartment. In addition, I spent a lot of money on the move, even repainted the walls. Clearly, they were already searching for a new apartment even before renting out to us.

Anyway, I then informed them that I will start looking for a place immediately and hope to find one soon as possible, and that if things go well I will leave before their contract ends. I cannot risk being homeless in winter.

Their reply: we have to reach some sort of ‘compromise’ because they cannot afford to pay the full rent by themselves.

I am not willing to lose a single penny. I already lost a lot of money and think they’ve been selfish.

Anyway, I just want to know what my rights are. I still haven’t received an official termination of
contract.

1. What happens if I move out much earlier? ( i already paid rent for the current month. And they hold my caution fee, which is slightly more than a month’s rent).
2. What happens if i don’t find a place by the end of their contract termination date?

I’ve noticed something wierdly specific since living here. 19°C in May seems to mean T-shirts, ice cream and people sitting outside like they've just survived six months underground. But 19°C in September apparently means jackets, closed windows and someone saying “jetzt wird’s herbstlich.”

Yesterday afternoon it was sunny and around the same temperatur we had plenty of times in spring, yet half the people around me looked mentally finished with summer already.

Do Germans tend to dress and behave according to the season as much as the actual weather? What personally makes you think “okay, summer is done now”? The first cold morning, darker evenings, a certain month, or something completely different?

When Michael Fassbender holds up three fingers (pinky, ring, middle) to order at the tavern scene, he reveals his British to the Nazis. In reality, would Germans actually find that unusual that he didn't use his thumb, pointer and middle or would most just think nothing of it as just normal variation?

I recently moved back to Germany and this is still a logic I don’t understand.

My family wanted to send me some pretty nice gifts since my birthday is coming up. I rushed home from the gym to be there when it arrived, only to get a notification that my packages were delivered 5 minutes ago to a neighbor. Of course, the website only lists a name of who it was given to which matches none of the names on the call box. So now I have to go one-by-one to every door in my building to find out who it was delivered to and hope they’re nice enough to give it to me. Why is this a thing?

If the logic is ‘your neighbors must be trustworthy people’ then why not leave it at my door?

EDIT: In my home country, mail cannot be delivered to another address then on the label and are usually left at the door or in the mailbox. For those saying to order to a packstation - had I ordered it myself I would’ve definitely done this. They were supposed to be surprise gifts for my birthday so I didn’t know it was coming until my parents texted asking if I’d received them. I’ve knocked on nearby doors and so far no answer. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions though

Hi all,

I am just returning from a streetfest. I have just noticed , I have no idea about all time popular songs in German. I wanna learn. What are those super popular timeless german songs ?

Example: like sweet caroline or 99 luftballoon etc

Hallo! Also, kann man "Guten Tag" so verwenden? Haben sie schon mal das tun? Wie "have a nice day" auf Englisch. Ich habe das mich gefragt, als ich früher gelernt habe.

Hi, ok, is "guten tag" ever used like that? And did I make any mistakes with my German? Could I have used sagen instead of verwenden? Or just plain Abscheid and not Abscheidsgruß?

Edit: wow, thank you all for taking the time and responding, wasn't expecting this many comments

Moin!

Is it common to sent a postcard to a couple that got a baby? They are not my direct neighbours, like 8 houses further, which is a couple hundred metres in the countryside. Reason that I am asking is because the choice of this cards seemed quite limited. In the Netherlands you usually have like 10 different cards for both genders.

For a little context and background, my wife, children and I are looking to move near Regensberg for a fresh start. We've had a very trying last 5 years and are looking for somewhere where the pace is slower and life is quieter. Im a combat vet after 10 years in the navy and my wife is a vet as well. We have 2 children under 5 and are looking to give them a better, higher quality of life than we can here. I am a qualified aircraft technician, electrician and fiber optics tech. My wife is in business school. Our plan is to move within the next 2 years or less.

The question: for native Germans, what's you position on Americans moving, living and seeking citizenship in Germany?

Edit 1: thanks to all who commented and gave information about integrating, learning the language and geographic info. I appriciate the time you all took!

This is getting ridiculous, and my search for the elusive mayonnaise I am seeking has consumed me.

Whenever I need something at OBI, I reward myself with a bratwurst from the little food cart and it has created such a positive association that my husband has grown suspicious of my willingness to buy household items.

Traditionally, I have been okay with mayonnaise as long as it makes itself scarce and that is why I was shocked when I was served French fries with mayonnaise (a communication error on my part) and absolutely loved it. The mayonnaise was creamy, sweeter than normal, almost had a cheesy quality, with little to no sharpness or vinegary-ness.

My attempts to ascertain the type or brand or any information about the mayo used there was fruitless - my limited German led to the brat-cart-man gesturing at the pump of mayonnaise as if the metal box and spout gave me all the information I could ever need.

Since then I have tried:
1. Heinz Pommes Frites Sauce (tastes like US mayo, which is to say, bad)

1. Thomy Delicatessen in the tube (wonderful and my go-to for sandwiches, but not suitable for my French fry purposes)

2. Popps Delicatessen in the big bottle with the red lid (similar to Thomy but runnier and not as rich, worlds better than any US mayo but still not hitting the mark.)

I am assuming food carts and restaurants get their ingredients and condiments from places like Metro and that man gets a big tub of heavenly white ambrosia and pours it in there and maybe some things are meant to be a mystery.

However, if you have an idea of something I could try, I would be most grateful. Or if not, just encourage me to visit the Baumarkt bi-weekly in pursuit of my dreams.

I’ve noticed this in three different German towns now: a single glove balanced on a fence, a hat pulled over a bollard, a child’s scarf tied loosely around a signpost.

Yesterday I dropped one of my own gloves during a walk. Twenty minutes later it was standing upright on a low wall like a tiny exhibition, and I found it immediately.

Is this an understood German habit, or just the obvious practical thing people do everywhere? How long would you normally leave an item there before assuming nobody is coming back for it? Im oddly charmed by the little displays.

I've noticed something living in Germany that really surprises me: German drivers seem extremely good at stopping for pedestrians.

Even when a car is coming pretty fast, if you're clearly about to cross at a pedestrian crossing, they'll always slow down and stop immediately. Sometimes it feels like they're already prepared for you to step out.

What's interesting is that pedestrian priority exists in other European countries too, but drivers often seem to interpret it more as a philosophical suggestion.

So I am wondering why Germany is different?

And please don't just say "Germans follow the rules," because Berlin has convinced me that's definitely not universally true. Never have I ever seen that many people cross on red, jaywalk, cycle wherever they want, etc.

So why does the pedestrian/car thing seem different? Is it the driving education? The culture around liability? Are German driving instructors secretly threatening you (joking)?

Genuinely curious what Germans (and people who've lived elsewhere) think.

Is it acceptable to ask on the reception to leave my backpack there in the morning and then check in in the evening?

A German classmate and I have known each other for three years. We meet outside class, have taken day trips together, and help each other with practical things.

Last week he introduced me as “ein Bekannter aus dem Kurs.” I was surprised because the equivalent sounds like someone you barely know. Nothing in his behavior changed and I am not upset, just curious.

Does “Bekannter” cover a wider range in German? At what point would you personally call someone Freund, and would using that word too early feel presumptous? Maybe I translated the emotional weight completly wrong.

I think I accidentally discovered a cultural difference by turning down coffee that I actually wanted.

I was visiting a German friend's parents for the first time. His mother asked if I wanted coffee and, without thinking, I said, “No thanks.”

Where I grew up, that first refusal is often almost ceremonial. You say no, the host asks again, you say “well, if you're having some...” and everybody understands the little dance.

She just said “okay.”

Then she made coffee for herself and everyone else.

I sat there realizing that apparently I had successfully negotiated myself out of coffee.

About twenty minutes later she offered cake. My instincts screamed “politely refuse first,” but this time I immediately said YES like someone had finally explained the rules of the game.

Nothing about the interaction was rude. If anything, taking my answer seriously makes perfect sense.

But now I'm curious: when Germans offer you food or a drink, are you generally expected to say what you actually want the first time?

If someone says “nein danke,” would asking again feel pushy rather than hospitable?

I have discovered an extremely small German social rule that I am now thinking about far too much.

At the supermarket, I always put the little divider in front of my groceries if there isn't one already.

What I apparently wasn't doing was putting one *behind* my groceries for the next person.

Last week I finished unloading my basket and just stood there. The woman behind me waited for maybe three seconds, then reached all the way past my groceries, grabbed the divider and placed it down herself.

She didn't say anything. She didn't need to. That movement somehow contained criticism.

A few days later I deliberately put the divider behind my shopping before the next person even started unloading.

He immediately said "Danke."

So now I'm wondering whether I've been accidentally failing a basic supermarket courtesy since moving here.

Is the normal German rule basically "you close your own grocery territory behind you"?

And if the person in front doesn't do it, do you silently judge them a little, or am I inventing an entire moral system around a plastic stick?

Hi everyone, I’m 26, Ukrainian, and I’ve been doing an Ausbildung in Germany for about a year now. Of course, I also attend Berufsschule a couple of times a week.

But after a whole year, I still haven’t really managed to fit in with my German classmates.

Whenever I say something, I feel like I sound incredibly cringe or awkward. On top of that, I’ve noticed that my classmates don’t really talk to me much. Sometimes they don’t even say hello and seem to ignore me.

I’m quite shy about approaching them and starting a conversation. And even when I do manage to work up the courage, I often have no idea what to talk about. Then the conversation just turns into awkward silence.

I haven’t done anything offensive or inappropriate as far as I know. I’m generally a quiet and reserved person.

So, I’d really appreciate some advice. How can I get closer to my classmates and become more integrated into the group? Is there something specific I should do differently?

Just as more & more 'Octoberfests' are being held in other countries, the same I've noticed regarding traditional German Christmas markets. In fact, the largest one outside Germany I believe is in Birmingham UK which I stumbled upon a few years ago.

However, the Glühwein was very expensive & wasn't so nice and the same could be said for the traditional German food on offer. However, I did note that most stallholders were not of German origin & most spoke Polish.

I feel it's great that this German culture is being replicated abroad but would question the authenticity.

Have you ever visited a German Christmas market outside of Germany & did it feel authentic?