how to "grease the wheels" of human discourse
38
votes
12answers
1k views
How can a native English speaker know when it is appropriate to use the polite (Sie) or the familiar (Du)?
In a language such as English, where there are no "built-in" (so to say) polite and familiar forms, what are some simple tips or guidelines for when to use the polite or the familiar forms? Are there ...
10
votes
5answers
393 views
Why is the title “Friseuse” considered as inappropriate?
I learned that I should not entitle a female hairdresser "Friseuse" as this may be considered as rude.
Duden lists "Friseuse" as both, colloquial and antiquated, and recommends the usage of the ...
8
votes
4answers
195 views
“Ich möchte..” als Antwort auf “Willst du..”?
Jemand hat mich gerade gefragt: "Willst du 'nen Kaffee?". Ich habe ihm geantwortet: "Ja ich will". Eine Dritte hat mich korrigiert: "Du solltest nicht mit ich will antworten, sondern mit ich möchte".
...
3
votes
4answers
449 views
What should one say when someone arrives from a quite long trip?
When you see a friend who is going to travel, you'd say:
Gute Reise.
What would you say to someone who has arrived from a quite long and exhausting trip?
6
votes
4answers
405 views
How to say “Thank you for teaching me that word” in German?
Using the polite form, I expect it to be something like:
Vielen Dank für lehren mich dieses Wort.
but I can't find any example thereof. What I have seen is "Vater, lehre mich..." translated to ...
6
votes
3answers
297 views
Sie/du reciprocity?
If person A is addressing person B as 'Sie', is it always appropriate for person B to also address person 'A' as 'Sie'?
For example, a student would address a professor as 'Sie'. Would the professor ...
3
votes
5answers
1k views
How should I ask politely for a moment of someone's time?
How should I politely ask for someone's time to interrupt them, like in English:
Do you have a minute?
May I bother you for a moment even though you're quite busy?
10
votes
7answers
943 views
How are we polite without using “bitte”?
When asking someone for a favour it is considered rude to omit "please" in English. This seems not to be the case in German. In a shop or a restaurant I can frequently hear:
"Was bekommen Sie?" - ...
24
votes
10answers
4k views
Why is “Fräulein” considered offensive, as opposed to “Frau”?
Does Fräulein imply that the woman being addressed is not fully a Frau? Does it imply a lower class status?
11
votes
4answers
460 views
Do we use “Du” or “Sie” to address users in a German operation manual?
When writing or translating an operation manual for software (including game software) or hardware users are mostly addressed by the polite form "Sie". Increasingly however we can also find manuals ...
5
votes
4answers
509 views
If my professor says “du”, can I use “du”, too?
Some professors and university personal always address their students with "du". Should I as a student reply with "du"?
If not, how can I ask them if its okay?
13
votes
6answers
605 views
Polite way of asking someone not to “duz”
I'm a native German speaker, but I still would like to know your opinion about this.
What is the best and politest way to ask someone or tell someone to use "Sie" instead of "Du"?
In some cases I ...
12
votes
2answers
618 views
What does “das wäre aber nicht nötig gewesen” mean?
As a thank you for the people hosting a party I brought them a little present. They said:
"Danke schön! Das wäre aber nicht nötig gewesen."
Shouldn't I have given them anything? Did I do ...
9
votes
5answers
337 views
“Duzen” or “Siezen”, when addressing two or more people
When talking to a mother (whom you would siezen) and her child which one would you use?
Waren Sie beide in der Stadt?
or
Wart Ihr beide in der Stadt?
Or is it uncommon to address several ...
8
votes
1answer
397 views
Höfliche Anrede mit zweiter Person Plural: »Ihr solltet zugeben, dass Ihr ganz einfach Angst habt.«
Die zweite Person Plural wird ab und zu verwendet, um Höflichkeit auszudrücken. Folgendes Beispiel stammt aus dem Buch "Die unendliche Geschichte" von Michael Ende:
»Held Hynreck«, sagte Bastian ...
3
votes
1answer
267 views
Wie werden Namen von Adligen in Briefadressen korrekt angegeben?
Wie sieht die korrekte Namensangabe von Adligen in Adressfeldern und Briefanreden aus, so wie sie Geschäftsleute, Behörden und Krankenhäuser verwenden?
Edit:
Ich meine eher die Namenszusätze wie in
...
8
votes
1answer
301 views
Which words or phrases should non-native speakers avoid to prevent unintentional offense?
When I studied German in the early 90s, we were taught that an unmarried woman is a Fräulein, but I recently learned that Fräulein is offensive. We aren't all ugly Americans, and I don't want to fall ...
-1
votes
1answer
279 views
Vermeiden Deutsche mit Niederländischkenntnissen die Redewendung “Kommst du klar?” [closed]
Kommst du klar?
ist im Deutschen eine völlig harmlose Frage. „Kommst du zurecht? Schaffst du es? Brauchst du Hilfe?“
Gute Freunde haben mich gewarnt, sie gegenüber Niederländern zu verwenden, da ...
