Timeline for When should you use "du" instead of "Sie"?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
4 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2, 2018 at 16:45 | comment | added | Janka | If you address the wife of a relative with Sie, she will complain to her husband not being welcome in his family. Prepare for drama. | |
| Nov 2, 2018 at 13:56 | comment | added | Henry | Very helpful, Janka. It is now clear that I made some social errors on my past visits to Germany. Fortunately, I didn't seem to upset anyone too much; I suppose they could tell from my poor German that I didn't know the rules. One follow up question, if I may: would one use "du" as well with people who are related by marriage, like the wife of a relative? Would I use "Du" with the girlfriend or boyfriend of a relative? I don't know if I will get back to Germany again but I should know the rules if I do. | |
| Nov 2, 2018 at 8:48 | comment | added | Volker Landgraf | Especially for a foreigner - obvious by your limited German - who is not familiar with German habits, it would also be acceptable to ask whether you should use "Du" or "Sie" in cases where the rules of thumb given by Janka don't apply (like young adults that are close friends of your family). I'm not sure if the French rules are exactly the same as German rules, but they should be similar at least. | |
| Nov 2, 2018 at 2:59 | history | answered | Janka | CC BY-SA 4.0 |