You know you're turning German when...

You know you are turning German when:

you are on holiday back in your home country and you invite someone for lunch or dinner at a restaurant and expect them to pay their share.

When you find yourself complaining about tourists form your own and every other country...

...turning German when you get invited and don't think it's rude when you get asked you to bring dessert/wine etc.

...or when you're asked to take your shoes off at the door so you don't wear out the carpet...

When you are in this kind of position and shout "ohh Scheiße...!", instead of "ohh shit..!"

When you walk past the restaurant advertising the "Tageshit" and you don't mis-read it...

Same with 'Preishit'.

I think you have to be born in Germany to do that. Nobody can ever turn that German, surel?

You know you are turning German when you stop noticing how few people say 'please' and 'thank you' in everyday situations, shops, restaurants bars etc.
You know you have gone completely native when you also stop saying please and thank you.

When you start clearing snow at 5.30 in the morning .
When you eat ketchup and Mayo with everything.
When you stay in on a Saturday night to watch the Hansi Hinterseer Musikschau.
When you shout your surname down the phone when answering a call.
When you don't switch on the lights even when its dark.
When you worry about hanging out your washing on a Sunday.
When you decorate your entire house with woodchip or anaglypta wallpaper and paint it white.
When you can park your car in your immaculately tidy garage.

When you're so afraid someone might look into your house windows you drop the window covers before dark so you can turn on a light.

My exes mum used to turn the light out at the end of every meal, so the neighbours couldn't see the dad licking our plates clean. Anyways...

Staring at people in the U-Bahn.

In the fitness changing room you push someone else's gym bag that is placed on the bench in front of the lockers sideways and you then place your bag there.
I can imagine a scenario where my bag gets continually pushed sideways by successive people and the bag ends up 12 feet away at the other end of the bench.

You know it's Germany if there's a bakery or pharmacy on almost every other street in the town center.

When you find yourself always saying "Wie bitte" when you simply don't understand or hear the question or statement?

Shouting at children and telling them to play somewhere else.

I am regularly suprised how many people (albeit relatively few in number and they are both German and non-German) who think that naturalized Germans are "guests".

Could someone send me a email of what a "red man" is?

You get a sinking feeling when someone invites themselves over for Sunday afternoon, because it means you have to bake something. This of course replaces the normal reaction, which should be outrage that 1) someone invited themselves over for a Sunday afternoon and 2) they expect you to bake for them.

Stop light for pedestrians, "red" indicates stop. Hehe. My boyfriend is guilty of traffic obedience. I find it cute that he's turning me German.

What the hell has this got to do with being German?

... you own a pair of haus schuhe.

Won't somebody shoot me? Please?

Proud to say I wear boots indoors. Pisses some people off nicely.

You know you're turning German when you keep an umbrella in your car, your house, your office, and your briefcase.

You know you're all German when you carry an umbrella around on a bright and sunny day when there's no prediction of rain, just in case.

When you find it normal to want bretzen or salami and cheese with rolls for breakfast instead of cereal or marmite on toast!

NEVER!

The road traffic signal lights in the former GDR had this man throughout the country. After unification, this has still been retained in parts which were formerly in the GDR. The Ampelmann seems to have a historical significance. You can see the pictures and read about the Ampelmann here in English:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ampelm%C3%A4nnchen

I saw in Lidl a big bag of Haus Schuhe for guests, and actually thought, "What a good idea".
Im a bit embarrassed to admit that, and no I salvaged enough sense not to buy them.

When you're sitting at a restaurant eating with your significant other and it appears that you two don't really know or even like each other as there's mostly silence at your table.

I think this comment works here as well!

Just one of my observations of the Germans, particularly the older Germans who are dining out.

The comment works on a lot of posts in this topic.

Hausschuhe are not that German, sure my family and I all got some, but then so do my French and Catalan roommates here. I am also prety certain my Japanese roommate in the US did as well.

When you would rather stand while on the bus than sit next to another passenger.

This made me laugh out loud! I noticed that there were 2 people sitting at a table next to us in a cafe and they didnt say a word to each other, they both just were reading and the guy was smoking one ciggie after another.. hahaha
Is this common?

The smoking part certainly is.

KiwiSez, it is possible that they didn't even know each other... sometimes when a place is crowded, I ask people if I can sit at their table, but not to talk to them, just to sit somewhere. Maybe they just shared the table like that too and both wanted to read their newspaper or book.
I also sometimes meet up with a friend to study together at a café (though most of the time we end up talking more than studying), but hey, maybe some people are more disciplined than me.

...you can barge your way to the front of the queue without the slightest hint of any guilt.

:lol: I usually stare back and then promptly stick out my tongue and smile


Genau!


guilty!


No kidding...shopping has now turned into a "sport to make" for me and since H-milch is the only milk my partner has ever had, I thought that´s all there was here...I have since seen the light and proudly buy my little bottle (as I´m used to 2 gallon jugs :lol:) of frische milch.


I can´t say I´ve seen the Musikschau, however, the surname thing throws my Mom off every time she calls. I can say that living here has trained me for being blind (toi toi toi) as after several toe/finger stubbing accidents, I can walk through the house in the dark virtually pain free.

You know you become more German when you start sprouting off old rhymes or speak in idioms z.b :lol: i.e. : "mit jemandem unter vier Augen sprechen" to speak under four eyes with someone instead of the direct translation to speak privately

ahhh... soon...
i'm heading back to seattle for christmas and i can't wait to go to Safeway and buy a jug o milk, have my groceries bagged, and get a friendly 'happy holidays' from the checkout lady!

That's not true!

I always watch my neighbours

When you keep your foot on the footbrake instead of using the handbrake at traffic lights...

When you say "tttzzak" when you click on the mouse.

God, that infuriates me.

That you don't need to plug your nose at the grocery store cheese section.
You start the meeting directly on the dot but overrun it by 30-90 minutes still without a decision made.
That you carry cash because nobody takes debit cards.
You save up money for anything over 200 euros because nobody takes credit cards, even when you're moving and will be re-imbursed.
You actually like the taste of sauerkraut.
You can actually ignore people with all of those piercings.
Smart cars don't turn your heads.
You think all taxis should be Mercedes and spotless.
You check the level of your beer according to the markings on the glass.
Automatically say bitte or danke even when you are in a non-german speaking country.

The punctuality might be German, but the non-decision making is global. Most meetings I've ever had the joy of being in could have probably be done in half the time and half the chat.

AHHH SEATTLE!!

when you automatically say "bitte sehr" when handing somebody something...btw I still giggle when I see the smart car (reminds me of the movie " Just Married")

You start thinking its easier to answer questions in the direct way rather than adding the usual English friendly stuff.

When you keep a 1 Euro coin in your car ashtray or wallet for the trolly at the store...

You find yourself humming "Vom Selben Stern" by Ich + Ich because you listen to Bayern 3 all the time.

Does a 1 DM coin count?

When you are shocked to find yourself absent-mindedly and openly staring at other passengers on the train. Never thought that day would come.