10 Cultural Differences Between UK & Germany | Easy English 76

Hello, welcome to Easy English. So today, me and  Isi are gonna discuss the cultural differences   

between Britain and Germany. - let's go. so  Isi, you've been spending some time in the UK

and over this time you've  been collecting small points

about culture differences you’ve found between  Britain and Germany. Yes I did, should we  

start? - Yeah, let’s do it. Number one. It's  actually… the first two ones are my favourites.

so number one is the friendliness.  - Oh yeah? - Oh yeah?

Of the British people. I think  it's… everyone here is so friendly

and so polite and that  doesn't mean, wanna say that,

that Germans are not friendly.  But I think it's just more...

firm in the mentality and the  culture to be always very friendly

and always very polite and always very welcoming.

And I love this here in Britain,

I think it's so great that  you can go to a supermarket

and everybody’s like ''hello,  how are you? Erm… Do you…

did you have a good day? Or,  the weather's nice and so on''.

And you could think this is kind of superficial,

a bit small talkish and why would you do that.

But isn't it in general just  nicer; to have a good feeling,

go through your day, everyone  is… not everyone by the way,

obviously this doesn't speak for everyone,

but the majority of people smile  at you, say nice things to you,

are accommodating and welcoming  

and I just love this. Point two.  - So point number two is erm… yeah,

also one of my favourites.

So, friendliness point one but  then number two is the pub culture.

Mmm…. - Mmm… and it doesn't mean  that this is only about partying

and drinking. The opposite  a little bit, because in…

pubs here are there for the community.

And it's something like, our local pub here;

people of all ages meet, there  are kids, there are grandparents,

there are um… sport clubs  meeting, associations meeting up,

doing their weekly or monthly meeting,

there are people playing board  games, um… there’re people…

obviously it's a lot connected  to alcohol but it's also not.

People also go for coffee to  a pub and this meeting point

of the community of your local:  Neighbours, friends, residents;

I… I love this. It's such an…  obviously you have so many pubs.

It's just a lot more than  we have in Germany and it's…

it's so nice that you can  always… especially in winter,

you can always go into a nice cosy little pub

where mostly friendly people, point one... sit.

Everyone is just having a  generally good time. - Yep.

Um… being together and it's  such… it brings people together

and I love that. Point  number three, Isi what is it?

Point number three is y’alright! -  Yeah, y’alright! - Yea, y’alright!

Yeah, yeah, y’alright! - So it  is that if you approach somebody,

erm… people often say, at  least down here in the south,

''y’alright!'' And… which is  coming from ''are you alright?''

and first of all, as a German, I  do think people ask me how I am,

so what do I tell them now?

Well usually in a small talk you just say like,

yeah, I’m fine, how are you?

Or do you want to tell your life storey or the…

how what a bad week you had.

But, nobody wants to know that and  especially its not even to ask,

how you are, it is, hello basically,  - yeah. - It is hi. Yeah, yeah.

And you don't… you basically  respond with the same.

Yeah, it's not a question. You actually  almost, when you would write it,

you probably wouldn't put  a question mark at the end.

Yeah, exclamation mark. - Yeah.  - Y’alright! - Y’alright! Yeah,

that's how you return; y’alright!  With another y’alright!

And do you remember, how in the  supermarket for the first time, - yeah.

I was like, Hiya! No, no.

The lady working there was like  ''hiya y‘alright!'' And I was like,

er… yeah! Bleh, bleh. And she was  already going on, doing her thing.

Yeah, she turned her head instantly.

She turned her head and I was like,  Um… yeah, yep, yes. And how are you?

And then she, she sometimes gave me  a bit of a weird look and went away.

And so I wanted to get better at this,

because I thought it's about  having a little small talk.

So erm… I really like, was like,

okay next time I go there I will do it right.

So I tried to be the first.  I was like, hi y’alright!

And she was just like, ''alright!''  And went on. - Perfect.

But yeah, but then I thought like, weird,

she doesn't want to tell me how she is.

Yeah, it kind of goes back to  your first point that everyone…

is friendly or has the intention  to be friendly right? - Yeah.

So this is a way of greeting  someone and making it seem like

you're interested in how they are,

but don't get confused and think  that you actually have to give him

your entire life story. - No, don't.

And, even if you're having  the worst day in your life.

Like say, yeah, everything's gone  completely wrong, you lost your job.

Unfortunately you can’t go into  that. You have to say y’alright back.

Or, yeah, y’alright! Yeah, and  at least not in the supermarket

but maybe with a neighbour you could. - Maybe.

You could complain about  life on the… in the streets,

people love that a bit as well. Okay Isi,  point number four. - Point number four.

A very short one and quite an obvious one because

everybody knows British people love tea.

I never completely understood this,  erm… because I… I do drink tea,

I did drink tea before, not that often.

But that you can really enjoy these so much,

because coffee is also nice, why  would you do a big thing about it?

Well I… I actually cannot  explain it myself now what it is,

but I love tea now. And I drink  tea every day. - What kind of tea?

Well I do have my er… morning ginger, lemon tea.

But, for me this is not a new thing,

the new thing is that I actually now like

the four o’clock ''Yorkshire Tea''.

It is enjoyable and I don't know why that is.

I… I haven't found out yet. - There's a big thing,

a cultural thing with making… if  you're working in an office or yeah,

have like, colleagues, there’s a  big sort, of social dynamics thing

about doing a round of teas  for everyone, in the office.

And this is like a good way to have chit-chats,

small talk or just for people  to know that you're like,

a considerate person, ‘cos  you’ll be like, who wants a tea?

And this is like, quite a… you  know, - You make a tea for everyone?

Yeah, yeah. I mean you... you…  you purely hope that only like,

one person says yes, because in theory like,

twenty people could say yes  and your there with like,

having to manage how much milk, no milk what tea.

But it's… it's a… it's… - tea break.

Yeah, it’s a really big part  of our culture having like,

a fifteen minutes tea break.

Yeah, but we we do have a coffee break then,

that's… that's more like having a coffee break.

But would you make it… would you  like, take everyone’s orders;

milk, No milk, sugars, no sugars.

Definitely not. -Everyone gets  the same? - Get your coffee.

No, we don't… we don't make coffee  for others in a company or so?

Yeah, yeah. - You would go to  the, maybe if you have like,

a community team kitchen  you would go there together,

and then make your own coffee  after each other. - I see.

Or, nice colleagues would  obviously bring your coffee

and I've also done that.

But I wouldn't go to twenty people  and say do you all want a coffee?

It really happens, in England. - No  sorry, I don’t have time for that.

Yeah yeah, Honestly, it's really difficult.

Like, you need a pen and paper  because people will be like,

''oh just one sugar'', ''two  sugars please'', ''no milk''.

Yeah, and you have to remember  everything and sometimes

you're doing like ten teas in one go.   Okay, half way point, number five.

Number five, I already  mentioned it at the beginning.

Erm… Germans are more direct than Brits.

Just saying that it's very direct,  we would go around it another way;

you’re hmm… you know… Point six. - Point six  is to apologise for something you haven't done.

Which is a point that is quite nice,  but don't really understand it.

I think it's better how the  Germans. We Germans do it.

I'm sorry. - Just apologise  when you have to apologise.

it's nice like, because it is quite  nice. But it has really no point.

Like, if I run into someone,  that person will be like,

''I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry''.

And then you forget yourself  to apologise. - Yeah, yeah.

And then the other person should  also say it again but it's my fault.

I want to apologise, I wanna say,

I'm really sorry and the  person already apologised.

So it's kind of like, it's obviously

also a point of being friendly always.

But I want to apologise  when I want to apologise.   

Okay point number seven. - Number seven;

a very confusing one to me. Is  how people call other people,

especially strangers. Like, what  names they give others. - Yeah.

Because I have been called,  by people that I don't know:

darlin’, love, maybe honey. - Sweetie maybe?

Sweetie, sweetheart and I find… - Lovely?

Lovely, I find this very confusing and it's…yeah,

it's very, very dependent on the situation

but it's just a big part of  British culture I would say.

Uh huh… - and very, very normal.  In Germany, you could not do that.

Oh my God! If somebody, especially,  obviously it’s especially a thing

if like, a guy would do that  to me, if a guy would say like,

like, something like that in  Germany I'd be like What. The.

Beep! - Beep! Er… I would  probably respond in a very direct

and not nice way. - Yeah,  yeah. - Because um… yeah,

it's just not normal and in British  culture is very normal it's…

I don't know how you would say it's…

it’s a form of friendliness as well  as a form of connecting to someone.

Yep. - But it's also situation-wise.

Yep, context is really key with this one.

Because, yeah, those words are terms of endearment

and kind of pet names. - It  can be a bit patronising.

A bit degrading. - Yeah. - But  on the other hand, it is kind of…

‘cos yeah, compared to Germany,

we are really not a very formal  nation anymore, we used to be,

like, sirs and madams and this… kind of thing.

But, this is almost like a shortcut  some people take, in in a way,

to give you something or  offer you something maybe.

Everyone has to be very careful in this,

I would really try not to do it, to be honest,

unless you really… either know  this person well or you're

very comfortable with the  person you're speaking to now.   

okay coming to the end with point number eight.

So, a point that I like and I'm not  even that sure if this is so true.

But my feeling is that in Britain,  people, especially in the educational

system give a lot more value to  arts and culture, and I love that.

Because in Germany, it’s very like,

the school education system is  very, very good I would say.

And you learn a lot of history, languages,

old languages like Latin and  it's… it’s a good school system,

but I… did miss and in my  own school upbringing the…

the value of… of arts because here if…

if somebody here is good at guitar  playing and painting or whatever or…

yeah, all of those, you get pushed to be better.

Two of our most, biggest bands  ever are all art schools kids.

Oh yeah? ''Beatles''. - Yep.  - And ''The Rolling Stones''.

Yep, all from art school. so maybe this is why…

maybe they saw that there's actually some value

to letting your kids express themselves.  - Yes. Okay, point number nine,  

Isi. - Is about forenames and surnames.

Okay. - You know, some of you might know in German

we have a formal form and inform of form.

And it's like younger people  you approach with ''Du'',

which is like you and all  the people are like people

that you don't know or people at  work you approach with another form,

which is the formal form. And you  don't have this here obviously,

that's only you in English, which is anyway great,

makes it so much easier.

but what I found a bit  confusing is that you never use…

or not never but, rarely use  the last name, or the surname.

Um… because even if you would talk to a neighbour

that you have met in a big building,  write an email around or so,

you would use their first name. - Uh huh, yes.

You just see the name,  you've never met the person,

I would always like, even here I  would probably approach this person

with Mrs. Mmm… - Yeah. - Er…  but that's a bit weird isn't it?

You would say like, hi… -  Michael. - Michael, hi Ruth.

Yeah, it's very weird. I mean, I'm sure you know,

many decades ago, everyone was  Mr. and Mrs. Blah, blah, blah.

But yeah, these… these… this  formality again is dropping,

probably for the sense of… yeah,

feeling more welcoming and you know, casual.

But erm… bizarrely there’s  still some weird leftovers,

such as, when you’re at your  primary school and secondary school,

it's Mrs. Dean or Mrs. Whatever and  then as soon as you go to college,

the whole formality is dropped and  so you know your college teachers

by their first names and your university  teachers by the first names.   

Final point. - Number ten. - Number  ten. - Is not a cultural one.

Okay. - It’s partially cultural.  But it's about living situations.

So erm… it's two points. First,  something that really annoys me.

Yeah. - At a tap cold and hot water  are usually separated. - Yeah.

So, you go there, brush your teeth, you know.

And you like, open the tap. - Yeah.  - And it’s either super hot water,

because it goes super hot,  very quickly. - Yeah, yeah.

Er… or it’s super cold water  and if you try like, oh yes,

I try to mix them, I try to  find like, also for the future,

the perfect little… - Yeah, this is  a test. - Yeah, you can’t really.

It's always… one is always ruling, so yeah you…

you have to deal with it. It’s hot or cold.

And the second thing is; carpets  everywhere. - Mmm… carpets.

Everywhere carpets and I'm  not really used to that.

I am used to that, because we  also do have it in Germany.

But, erm… I'm also used to like,

wooden floor or non-wooden floor but not carpet.

Because it's just, I think it's a lot more… like,

you have to care for it a lot  more, for carpets. - Yeah true,

there's a hygiene level inside  having a material floor as well.

An even grosser thing which  combines your two points,

is er… lots of people including…  - An even grosser… that was you,

that wasn’t me, I didn’t say that.

Something that combines this, is a lot of people,

including my grandparents, have  carpet in their bathroom area. - Oh!

Around the toilet… yeah. Thanks  for watching this week's video.

And let us know in the comments below;

have you been to the UK and maybe you agree

on some points with me or have something to add.

Let us know what other cultural  differences to your country.

Yeah, and we'll see you next week,  

bye! Curveball, well partially  culturally. maybe cultural.

partially cultural, partially cultural. Yawn,  

yawn, done. Wet eyes, blink, blink, blink.   Blink, blink, blink. Yawning completed.