Sprechen Sie Englisch?

“Mein Deutsch ist nicht sehr gut. Sprechen Sie Englisch?”

“My German is not very good. Do you speak English?” This has become my main catchphrase in the last month.

For several years when I was at Pitt, I volunteered with ESL students who came to the USA to study English. We would have a casual conversation group where they could talk about life in America and the challenges of learning and living in a new language. Funny enough, I am now in their shoes.

Moving to Germany without knowing any German has certainly been interesting at times. Many people (even some Germans) have tried to reassure me that “everyone speaks English.” While many people I have come into contact with do know some English, it’s often not enough to communicate the full message of the conversation. My extremely limited German and their limited English, a conversation does not make.

On the bright side, German classes will begin in August at the Volkshochschule (similar to community college) and in the meantime, I will keep plugging away at my Duolingo program. We have also labeled the entire apartment with flashcards and I’m getting really good at the phrases that are repeated ad nauseum on public transportation.

Tschüss!

The apartment has been flashcarded.