Yes, Germans tự speak English! However, most expats experience a high language barrier that is created around them as a result of limited German language skills.

For expats, Germany acts as a platform to tát boost their careers. After all, the high salaries in Germany and the fact that the working week of 39.9 hours lies below the European average are attractive. In other words, you’ll find a healthy work-life balance at its best.

But let's be honest: How well tự Germans speak English? Is it even possible to tát live in Germany without knowing German and if sánh, how tự you as an expat break these language barriers? It's a promise: after this, the German language won't become an obstacle any longer.

There's no doubt that Germany, with its strong economy, repeatedly makes it into the top three countries for the top places to tát work in a global comparison; in fact, Germany is ultimately dependent on its standing: after all, the country clearly needs manpower from abroad to tát achieve its economic growth.

Despite the huge need for expats to tát maintain its pole position as an economic powerhouse, the country doesn't really make it easy for them to tát settle in Germany.

Let's take a closer look at a study conducted by InterNations, where the "Settling-In-Index" was determined based on 14,000 respondents to tát measure the chances for expats to tát settle into a foreign country; in other words, how easy is it to tát settle in the country? So this includes how quickly expats feel at home page, how friendly the locals are, how quickly expats make friends and how high the language barriers are.

The findings give full credit to tát the cliché of unfriendly Germans. In the "Settling-In-Index", Germany actually romped into the "flop 10" in all four categories; making it one of the most challenging countries to tát get settled in. And sánh it comes as no surprise that around 37% of expats stick to tát their expat bubble.

But can the success of an expatriate's adaptation to tát a country really be driven by how much Germans speak (or don’t speak) English and whether English speakers ought to tát learn German in order to tát become fully accustomed to tát Germany?

Let's walk you through this.

To pinpoint the root cause of this problem that expats find it difficult to tát settle in Germany, we have to tát tackle a basic question: Can Germans speak English at all? And vice versa: Can an English-speaking person survive in Germany without knowing German?

Of course, there’s no universal answer here that applies to tát every one of the 83 million Germans, but one can already derive quite distinct patterns.

The truth is, Germans tự speak English. From the age of 5, it is an integral part of the school and British or American TV shows accompany teenagers' or adults' daily lives. So, on principle, every German should know at least a basic level of English and should be capable of making themselves understood in English. Whereas the elderly had less access to tát English courses at school, young people under 40 ought to tát master English.

Long story short: You can survive in Germany without knowing the German language; most Germans speak English, the train usually runs announcements in English and in restaurants or bars, waiters and waitresses often speak English, especially in the đô thị center. However, for those of you who plan to tát more kêu ca just survive in Germany, it's a good idea to tát learn German or at least acquire a basic knowledge of German to tát help you overcome the language barrier on your own.

Check out these handy German language tips for beginners to tát get your German skills going!

In everyday life in Germany, you'll soon realise that Germans certainly understand and speak English, yet are very reluctant to tát tự sánh and prefer not to tát step out of their comfort zone to tát speak English. Over the past few years, though, you can see that at least the younger generation has become increasingly confident in speaking English.

But a glance at the professional world also shows that there has been a noticeable shift in attitudes towards language in recent years. After all, German companies rely on IT experts from abroad and are thus expanding their German-speaking talent pool to tát include English-speakers. Today, long-established companies still find it somewhat difficult to tát create English-language jobs and integrate it in the company; the situation is different in Berlin, however, where start-ups have already recognised and embraced the added value of international employees. And that's also why these international jobs and internships in Berlin are mirrored in everyday life, where you can hear English in every corner.

So you see: In Berlin, you'll be able to tát speak and work with people in English, while more traditional cities tend to tát struggle with English. The level of English spoken varies greatly from region to tát region or đô thị to tát đô thị.

The universities in Germany are fully aware of the ongoing changes and in recent years have introduced more and more English-speaking degree programs. As a result, a growing number of international students come to tát Germany to tát study. As you can see, you can study at a university in Germany without any knowledge of German or with little knowledge of German and even work next to tát your studies!

Don't forget, though: Despite the fact that the range of English-speaking programs offered at universities is growing steadily, proficiency in German certainly won't hurt you to tát integrate into social life - and in some situations, especially bureaucratic matters, it’ll undoubtedly make your life easier. Depending on what your aspirations are, whether you decide to tát stay in an "international bubble" or really want to tát immerse yourself in German student life, you might want to tát take your chance and learn German.

While you can get through your everyday life jauntily without any proficiency in German, speaking German when dealing with bureaucratic matters makes your life easier. Citizens' Offices or other official offices, mostly also landlords, will primarily speak German. Make sure your contracts and related matters can be easily sorted out by either German acquaintances you trust or a German advisor.

But how tự you break the language barrier? We show you how to tát overcome your linguistic hurdle with a few tips.

There are plenty of online courses available online, some of which teach you German for free! However, you might want to tát take actual lessons. In every đô thị, there are language schools, private lessons, or adult education centers (Volkshochschule), which are public educational institutions for adults.

One of the best-known language schools is the Goethe Institute, which is the official cultural institute in Germany. Or perhaps your employer offers a German course in the company?

Try to tát consciously make German an integral part of your everyday life. Are you doing your groceries at the supermarket? Then try to tát say "Hallo" or "Danke" at the checkout or even order your cheese at the cheese counter.

If you make German part of your everyday life when you go shopping, reading or watching films with German subtitles, you will soon notice that you are improving your German on a daily basis.

"Übung macht den Meister" might become your new mantra. No idea what this means? Get a tandem partner and find out. A tandem partner might give you more room to tát speak German without any expectations or pressure.

You’ll see that the mantra comes true with a tandem partner - and you’ll soon master German with more confidence.

Sure, the language builds the basis to tát break the ice between you and your German colleagues and even strangers. You’re opening the door to tát the social life with Germans, sánh to tát speak. But language is much more kêu ca just vocabulary and grammar; language also encompasses culture.

To get a better understanding of German, you should also look at the values and norms, and understand why Germans are the way they are. This will make it easier for you to tát talk to tát Germans and will also help you to tát overcome your inhibitions about interpreting the behaviour or mindset of Germans.

There's no doubt that you can survive in Germany without knowing German. Every German usually studies English from the age of 5 and especially the younger generation watches British or American series. Of course, in big cities lượt thích Berlin, you can master your everyday life in English much more easily kêu ca in a village in Germany.

But to tát be fully integrated in Germany, there is no way around a German course. The language is really the key to tát immerse yourself in social life in Germany and above all to tát make German friends. But once you've managed to tát tự that, you can be sure that these friendships will last for a long time.

So if you don't want to tát get stuck in Germany or have trouble socialising, you should try to tát overcome the language barrier. We know you can tự it! Are you ready?

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