"Culture" is a tricky word. It often comes up when talking about a foreign country, and all the different rituals and handicrafts immediately spring to mind. Woven baskets! Wooden shoes! Pretzels! The truth is, you have just as much culture as anybody else in the world. Culture is all about what you perceive as normal and what your society expects as a baseline—and that can be surprisingly different from place to place. We’ve created this guide to get you up to speed on the German culture basics and to give you a better understanding of life in German-speaking countries. Let’s dive in. Table of Contents Values and Beliefs Religions in Germany Family and Work Art Food German Beer Traditional Holidays ... Show more

Did you know that Germans aren't that punctual? They have a reputation for always being on time, sure. But the Deutsche Bahn, the German train system, has more delayed trains than you might imagine. Given that fact, and all the other pressures of modern life, you'll need to be quite aware of the time in Germany. Do you know how to ask for it? Or, perhaps, how to talk about time in general?  This article is more than just a phrasebook for telling time in German. Time touches a lot of facets of everyday life and language, and the phrases you learn here are things that you can carry over into the rest of your German studies. Table of Contents Asking Others for the Time Hours in German Minutes and Seconds ... Show more

You leave your hotel and bundle yourself up against the winter cold in Kiel, northern Germany. It’s your first night and you’re not too sure where you are in town, so you glance at a street sign to make sure you know where to get back to. The directions in German read Einbahnstraße. Perfect. After a while of walking it gets later and later and you can’t seem to remember any of the landmarks you thought you remembered. Not to worry, you speak German! You stop a passerby, and in your best accent ask, Wo ist Einbahnstraße? The person you stop smirks, having marked you as a foreigner right away. "Einbahnstraße," comes the reply, "means ‘one-way street.’" A pretty spooky story, and it could happen to you! Unless, that is, you learn... Show more

What is the most defining moment you will face this year? From memories that you immortalize in a million photographs, to days you never wish to remember, one thing's for certain: big life events change you. The great poet, Bukowski, said, "We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well, that death will tremble to take us." The older I get, the more I agree with him! Talking about significant events in our lives is part of every person's journey, regardless of creed or culture. If you're planning to stay in for more than a quick visit, you're sure to need at least a few 'life events' phrases that you can use. After all, many of these are shared experiences, and it's generally expected that we will show up with good manners... Show more

Did you know that every minute of the day, one billion tons of rain falls on the earth? Hard to believe, considering the climate crisis! Of course, all that rain is not equally shared across the planet. So, would you mention this fascinating fact to your new acquaintance? Well, small talk about local weather is actually a great conversation-starter. Everyone cares about the weather and you’re sure to hear a few interesting opinions! Seasons can be quite unpredictable these days and nobody knows the peculiarities of a region better than the locals. GermanPod101 will equip you with all the weather vocabulary you need to plan your next adventure. The weather can even be an important discussion that influences your adventure plans. After... Show more

Do you want to speak good German? You’ve got to live it. As long as you stick to your self-study books and your classes, you’ll make consistent progress—at a snail’s pace. You need to really fuel your German learning with something else. You need immersion. Basically, the more German you see and hear throughout the day, the more your mind is going to stay in German-acquisition mode and keep making new connections. And when you’re constantly seeing new German around you, you have limitless opportunities to review what you covered during your actual study time. One of the best ways to keep the German faucet flowing is by getting really sucked into a great movie or TV show. And since we’re writing this article in 2019, the biggest... Show more

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about German people? You’ve probably heard things like "German people are always on time," and "They’re direct and have good manners." Well, I would say this is almost always the case. But now the question is: What are these so-called good manners and what does German etiquette look like? Almost every nation defines this a little bit different. Let’s just take some Asian countries, such as China, for example. While in most European countries, you can’t burp, smack, or slurp at the table, in most Asian cultures this is called good etiquette. This means that the food was tasty and that you’re satisfied. But when doing this at the table of a German family, this would be... Show more

So you’re ready to move to Germany with the Germany job seeker visa? You’re ready to finally work in Germany? This is a country that has so many different sides to show, and so many different accents, cultures, and landscapes. It reaches from the Baltic Sea and flatlands in the north to the Alps with Bavarian culture, to the forests and lakes in the south. In between, you have many big cities such as the capital Berlin, the finance and logistics centre of Europe Frankfurt, one of the biggest city complexes named Ruhrpott in the west, and the fastest growing city in Germany: Leipzig. When moving to a new country, you’ll have an explosion of feelings. On the one hand, you’re excited to meet new people, get to know the culture,... Show more

Carnival is deeply rooted in history and is observed in numerous countries before Lent fasting. German Carnival, in particular, is a time of fun and seeming madness, and no two parts of Germany celebrate this holiday exactly the same way. In this article, we’ll mostly be focusing on the celebrations in Rhineland, since German Carnival traditions vary so much. But keep in mind that wherever you find yourself in Germany, some common aspects are likely to show through. Take, for instance, German Carnival masks, German Carnival songs, and maybe even some German Carnival games! Here at GermanPod101.com, it’s our goal to help you learn the language in context of the country’s culture—and have fun while doing so! That said, let’s go ahead... Show more

Soccer is the most important sport in Germany. More than six million members are organized in the German Football Association (DFB). In addition there are about four million people who play soccer in hobby teams on a regular basis.   In 2006 the soccer fever in the country reached a new dimension. The FIFA World Cup put Germany into a state of emergency. Houses and cars were decorated with flags. Even in companies television sets were installed, so that the employees did not miss a match of the national soccer team. Emotional higlights during that period were the fan parties. Thousands of people watched the matches together on huge screens and partied with the visitors from all over the world. The atmosphere was wild and peaceful. Also... Show more