How to meet other young people in Berlin

Swear it is so hard to meet younger people here. Germans are anti social.
Get back if you've been having trouble.

Well, it´s always easier to get in touch with foreigners. Sign up to a language course with young people, and you´ll probably meet some. Find the student organizations on internet, and check out when and where they arrange parties (it´s usually on bars/clubs and open for everyone). It should be easy to get in touch with anyone when the beer is floating. Just exchange numbers, and you have got something going.

If you want to hang out with the locals (as you should to learn the language and culture) find yourself a sprachtandem...if you´r lucky that could be your ticket into a new world of german partying. Because they are not really anti social once you get to know them, the Germans...so don´t give up yet:)

Yeah I wouldn't say Germans are anti social at all, they may be a lot of things, but antisocial aint one of them. Some Berliners (especially the ex Ossies/easterners) don't like to hear or speak English), so you do need to try and learn the language. My advice: join a course at the VHS (Volkshochschule), it's the government funded school where foreigners can get cheap Deutsch lessons.
Good luck!

Oh thank god i thought it was just me!
I joined a language school but it was hard to hang to people you met there if you are here for the long term because they were only visiting for a few weeks.
Its also not particulary easy if you dont have the confidence to go to a place where you know no one at all on your own. In fact its pretty terrifying!
I have 2 tandems who are lovely, the TU website is good for finding people to practise your language with (always lots wanting to practise english ) http://www2.tu-berlin.de/fak1/skb/deutsch/gerindex.html in the search box go to german this brings up a list of people offering german then have a read through the list and pick out the ones looking for english in return.

That´s so true, I made it sound so easy but probably wouldn´t dare myself:)

It's true about Ossis, you can't generalize but I have found west Germans to be more friendly and outgoing towards English speakers. If you live alone, getting into a WG for a few months instead can be a good way of getting to know Germans and learning the language.

Raving and ecstasy. The club scene in berlin is currently the best in Europe and meeting people this way is very easy. Of course you'll need to like techno and taking little pills that make you feel nice!

That's 6 responses and some constructive ideas.- No offence or anything, but how about a 'thankyou' domnique? if you're finding people aren't warming to you - you you know good manners can sometimes help.

I am German and I was born in East Germany but i don't have trouble to speak or listen to English speaking people. The thing is, that people didn't have to learn English in East Germany for a long time.
What is meant by young people? I mean I was the first one in my family to have English at school instead of Russian.

But I have to admit that it can be hard to get to know some German. When I was in the US I got to know so many people, bevause everybody came up to me and talkes to me. But Germans are usually not that way. Except for when we're drunk.

But the Tandem thing at university is really a good thing if you want to get to know other people.

Back home, how many non-english speaking expats do you hang out with?? supposing you know a second language..

surprisingly it was the same with me. In the west coast just walking the streets in the morning people would stop and go "good morning"... I was speechless I mean even in my hometown if go around greeting complete strangers you will most likely get insulted.

As far as germans go I've had a bunch come up at me and start saying something but when I reply sprechte spanische englische? they just fuck off
so yeah I suppose you need to know german fluently to get along with people here but then again if you chose berlin to come and live and expect to go by without learning german it's kinda retarded

I find it hard to meet and socialize with people as well. Im from New York. People are friendly out here, but it seems they just keep the friendliness at work. I would love to meet people for the night life out here. I have been living in Berlin for a year and have yet to go to some clubs or experience some fun things. I wold love to see a new side to Berlin I havent experienced, so far all I been able to do is go to parks, German/American fair and things like that. I even took one Deutsch class, and my new one starts may 1st. Any ideas anyone?

it not just you young ones that find it hard as I've been here 2 years now and still have these problems maybe its me i don't know
as i tried a Toytown meet up but found the people a bit odd due to them having work and can afford to go out and where not really intouch with the problems that out of work and not speaking German problems i and others have
plus they aways seem to meet up in some posh bar in princelovieburg which i find strange for me

You know, I went to one of the Toytown meetings and first I really dind't know what to say. Because I didn't know anyone. So what to talk about.?! I found it really hard, to tell the truth.
I mean usually you meet someone at work or maybe at college. Then you have a situation to talk about or maybe just ask someone about something you dind't understand. And you get to know this person and after some time, you can talk about everything.

But I love getting to know people!

If you were American, I would have said to get in touch with the Berlin group of Young Democrats Abroad. Actually, I would say do that anyway as they are young, they are Democratically minded and it is not verboten to do so!

Out of interest,why did u move to berlin, assuming u are not from there? i find it absolutly mystifying why people with a bad attitude to a country/people would choose to live there. You say Germans are anti social... in what sense? What effort have you made to socialise? I've spend a good deal of time in both Austria and Germany and always found mixiing with either locals or other expats/students etc was quite easy. I would hazard a wild guess that your cr*p attitude towards the locals is more than half the problem.

Um, I think you've just described about 95% of TT

I lived in London for 5 years and the only people I met who wanted to hang out or chat weren't from London, they were all newcomers to the city looking for friends. I've found it similar in Germany. Most of the Germans I've met hang out with their school or uni friends or their boyfriends or girlfriends and it can be very difficult to break into social circles. IMHO, I don't think the trendy parts of central Berlin are the best place to meet down to earth friendly people either - the Germans who live there are either very working class or very trendy and up themselves, with neither group being well disposed to foreigners.

Go to Hairy Marys if it's still open.

Otherwise just head down to Oranienberger Strasse and meet some English/Irish chicks with loose morals.

Yes, Hairy Mary's is still open, and is still the best place in Berlin to speak English til all hours of the night (and morning). But don't try to go this week -- the bar is on vacation at the moment, as Mark and Laura (the owners) are in Greece right now. They'll be back behind the bar on 16 May.

They selling up still? Weren't they supposed to be in San Fran by now?

PS- Shit on the Chelsea ;-)

True that it´s always very easy to get in toucht with newcomers, expats and erasmus-students and so on.
But I do not agree that it´s very difficult to break into social circles over here. I feel that the germans love getting to know foreigners, and are more than happy to bring them to parties and so on. But they will not find you, it will have to be the other way around.

... and therein lies the difficulties. Berlin may be teeming with Germans (as you would expect!) but you can't randomly go up to someone on the street and strike up a conversation.

This meeting germans in germany malarky sounds easy but its really quite difficult in practise.

I don't think the problem is with Germans...I have a friend who will strike up a conversation with just about anyone in any situation, and can get them talking for hours. Even if you're naturally a socially-awkward dork like me, play an extrovert for a while. It's fun and harmless.

Rick Steves has some specifics (many good, some silly), for how people traveling in Europe can "meet locals":
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/breakingice.htm

I think it's just that whenever you go somewhere new, the locals are engaged in their everyday life and aren't really making an effort to meet people like you are. Canadians are seen as very friendly, but it's a huge complaint in the west coast (Vancouver, Victoria), even from other Canadians, that it's difficult to make friends when you move there. Everyone kind of sticks to their circle.

If you want to meet people Do what Neil Strauss says, be Irish.

Hey, everyone likes the Irish

good beer, even better women.

i totally agree with this comment, people have to hone their social skills to work up confidence to meet strangers, so i imagine the issue is more wiht the individual than wiht germans as a race. I spend a summer in munich and got chatting to loads of people in techno clubs!
Then again I am Irish (and a woman)

Hey ppl - yeah all of You...

If You seem to have problems building social contacts why don't You mix up with Your folks? You will meet their friends and learn to know quite a group of people... Can find folks on a party, Toytown, StudiVZ and so on...
And if you meeting native speakers and germans you will most likely have no language problems...

grz

I find the premise that Germans are antisocial kind of an odd one. Coming from Canada, i've found Germans more open to conversing about just about anything for no purpose other than good conversation than I've ever found in Canada. I've met some great people and had great times.

I imagine it depends where you feel comfortable and like to hang out though. I'm always at parties and involved with the club / techno thing a fair bit. At least at those things you have a smidgen of an idea that the people you are there with at least have a similar interest in music, so you have something in common from the get-go.

The prostitutes on Oranienburger Strasse are proof that Germans can be outgoing and friendly.