Behavioural customs
In English, how you say something is often more important than what you actually say. This is not the case in Germany. Here, you must state exactly what you mean in a straightforward manner: all the rest is verbal fluff. While this can seem a bit cold or even rude at first, over time it can actually become quite a refreshing mode of interaction. Directness and honesty are great antidotes to the brainless small-talk that is customary in the Anglosphere.
On the topic of coldness, you’ll soon notice that Germans’ friendliness is directly related to the weather. If you walk into a cafe in summer, you’ll most likely be greeted with a cheerful hello. In February though you’ll probably just have a menu angrily shoved in your general direction.
One good thing about meeting people in this country is that Germans aren’t into making false friends. For them, friendship is not a PR stunt and they don’t feign friendship just for the sake of lubricating interactions. When you make a German friend, you can count on them as a real friend.
The well-known international cliché that Germans have no sense of humour is, in fact, a fallacy. Germans do have an immense capacity for humour but it is dark, very dry, and easily missed by foreigners. Likewise, English speakers’ favourite mode of making fun, sarcasm, often fails to translate in Germany. Germans answer the phone by saying their name, rather than by asking who is speaking. “Hallo, hier ist die/der [your name]” is considered best telephone practice, but it is also common to drop the “hallo” and get straight to the point: a German motto.
