ph

Thanks a lot in advance.

Rex

Not ONE word, huh? <BR> <BR>Go to the airport in your own town, and pretend that you not ONE word of English. See how you do. <BR> <BR>Sie sind, im voraus willkommen.

wes fowler

Recognize that Vienna is a major cosmopolitan city an an equally major tourist destination. You should have no difficulty not speaking Austrian in your dealings with the typical people you'll encounter as a tourist: hotel, restaurant retail shop staffs and Fiaker drivers. You'll find English speaking guides or recorders in English for most of the major attractions: Hofburg, Schonbrunn palaces as examples. Recognize, too, that Viennese "German" is a rather unique dialect that can give native Germans difficulty in interpreting. Don't fret!

richard j vicek

Good evening, ph <BR>I do not think you have anything to <BR>worry about, in Vienna as in all large <BR>EUR cities, you might say English is a <BR>second language. Hotels, ristorantes <BR>and shops count on the tourists and <BR>will make every effort to please you. <BR>A lot of ristorantes will have english <BR>translated menus.. Even cab drivers <BR>have enough english to get by. Common <BR>courtesy will open doors at all places. <BR>My only suggestion would be to bone up <BR>on reasding a menu, to know whether <BR>you will be getting, beef, port, chicken <BR>or fish, a small phrase book such as <BR>BERLITZ will cover your needs. <BR>Do not forget to have Sacher Torte <BR>at either the Sacher or any konditoreien <BR>Pastries are very exceptional in Wien. <BR>Food runs a very close second. <BR>Would if at all possible to pick an <BR>accomodation within the inner ring. <BR>Richard of La Grange Park, Il...

christina

Die Muehe!!!!! I didn't know hardly a word in German either when I went a couple years ago, well a few words, everybody does -- are you English or American? If so, English has a lot of German words as roots, so you should recognize some. However, I had more trouble than I had expected, the Austrians don't speak English as much as some other nationalities do, like Germans or even French, at least that was my experience. I did have some trouble getting metro and train tickets due to that problem, and I am very well traveled on those modes of transportation here and in many foreign countries. Other than that, I didn't need to do much -- the mgt at my pension spoke fluent English so that was fine. I learned a couple words, but wouldn't necessarily even need them, just to order from a menu in a restaurant (really, you can just point, I know languages well enough that I could figure out what most stuff was). I bought stuff in stores, but you don't even need to speak there, ditto museums, etc. YOu just walk around, pay your money at the cashiers, etc, you don't need to speak much. Cab driver, just showed him my hotel address on a piece of paper, no problem. Even I learned a few words, the basics, like "I don't understand you" and "I don't speak German" plus the usual please, thank you, etc. I caught the train ticket error and we sort of pantomimed or something, I think he gave me a RT instead of one way but I just knew it was way too expensive. Guy in metro ticket station AND tourism booth in main metro underground mall/station did not speak English much and didn't care. Actually, I was sort of surprised as I had this image of Austrians as being really efficient, businesslike, capable, etc, and to be honest they seemed pretty laid back and flakey. Here's an example: I needed a metro ticket in middle of day and either did not have change or couldn't find a ticket machine so I wanted to buy one from the guy in the booth, a real human being. In the middle of the day, the ONLY guy selling tickets in one of the main Vienna metro stations GOES ON BREAK for a half hour and there's no way to buy a ticket for that time as he was the only one there. Very bizarre, I've never seen anything like it anywhere--by the time he came back there was a line of about a dozen people waiting (mostly Austrian so I wasn't the only feeb). So, nothing terrible will probably happen, but you will be okay if you are resourceful and fairly literate in general, and for heaven's sake, buy one of those tourist phrase books so you learn the words for foods, ticket, train, etc. that's what I did. Actually, I am fairly good with languages and pick up some words quickly as I do remember that I was giving directions to a cab driver after I was there a couple days, I don't remember how I did that not knowing German, but I remember after a few days in Vienna for some reason I knew where some main buildings and streets were better than the cabbie (which was odd, but too true in many cities).

wes fowler

I should have added, in my prior post, that common courtesy and civility dictates that you should make the effort to learn a few basic phrases in German (not a difficult thing to do) such as "Please", "Thank you" as well as what is probably the most common American tourist's question: "Vo ist der ....." "Where is the...." Your effort to speak even minimal German will immediately identify you as a tourist and inevitably prompt a reply in English.

Jeanie

I wouldn't worry about it. I speak German, so I can't exactly answer from my own experiences, but my parents don't and they had no problems at all. There might be instances where knowing german would be helpful, but most Viennese can squeak out at least a little English. Learn some common courtesy phrases to avoid being an "ugly" tourist and you'll be set. <BR> <BR>Richard, what a coincidence, I am also from LaGrange Park. Small world.

Wm Mauceri

I wouldn't worry. I'm fluent and I still get answered in English a lot - foreigners want to practice their English. Even in France, where the French have a reputation for avoiding English, many many people speak English now and they want to practice on you. But please, learn some German - the polite phrases, some food references, etc. You won't need much more than that.

Jeff

I just got back from Vienna and do not speak a word of German and had no problems at all. I don't know where your planning to stay, but I highly recommend the Hotel Regina. It's in a great area and the hotel is beautiful. Have a great trip! I sure did!

Lynn

Hi ph: <BR> <BR>I made a solo trip to Vienna last fall after just studying some German from a pocket phrase book, which I carried with me as well. Here are my tips, hope they help: <BR> <BR>1. "Gruss Gott" (Greet God) is the common greeting in Austria, rather than "hello" or "good day." <BR> <BR>2. I purchased my U-Bahn (metro) tickets at a self serve kiosk in the Westbahnhof U-Bahn station. I'm assuming these kiosks are all over the other stations as well. Very easy to understand, just inserted the AS note and out popped my 24 hour U-Bahn pass. (You may purchase other time increments as well). No lines and no need to communicate in German. <BR> <BR>3.This one really helped me: I visited the Deutsch Bahn German railroad web site before I left home, plugged in some itineraries and printed them out. When I went to the train station to purchase a ticket, I greeted the attendant and handed him the printout. All the information was on it, including train number, arrival and departure destinations, times, and so forth. I just pointed to the destination, then pointed the return to Vienna to make sure he knew I wanted a round trip ticket. No problem. I bought tickets to Melk and Budapest with this method and it worked beautifully. No miscommunication, it was all printed out. The DB site is great. <BR> <BR>4. Try to learn the German words for numbers one through twelve, plus the hours and days of the week. I was often confronted with a signed posted on a museum, church door or restaurant and I had to take out my phrase book for translation. Sometimes places close for a while and the signs will tell you all about it -- in German. <BR> <BR>One word of warning, I was sometimes short changed during transactions in Vienna. Familiarize yourself with the currency (I went to American Express and got some before I left) and try to use exact change when possible. The Viennese are not the friendliest people in the world but the city is stunning. <BR> <BR>Have a wonderful time.

David Wagner

Almost everyone who is not older than lets say 40 years will speak English.

Wei Huang

German knowledge required for getting around in Vienna? No! English and Arabic or Turkish will do. English with the Austrians and Arabic/Turkish with the taxi drivers, the maids, the night club bouncers...etc. <BR> <BR>In fact, the more I traveled through Europe, the more I think knowing how to speak Arabic and/or Turkish will get you further than having to speak English or the local language. Can't come up with the cash to pay for an expensive local/American cooking? Try the various Doneci (Turkish) or Sharwama (Arabic) deli in the big cities of Europe. Want to go to "exotic" places where even the local white drivers don't know, take a taxi with an Arab or Turk driver.

Paige

These 2 words will get you a long way:

Paige

Whoops! <BR>Bitte - please <BR>Danke - thank you

GLDPC

I have been in Paris, Prague, Budapest, and Vienna. The first three cities, English was spoken everywhere; Vienna, nowhere. I must have gone to 15-20 restaurants in Vienna, none had English on the menus. I can't figure out why this was different from the first three cities.

LM

In response to the post above, my own observation is that the Austrians feel Vienna is a city for the Viennese, not for tourists, guest workers, refugees or anyone else. They seem to go out of their way to accomodate fellow Austrians while snubbing everyone else. I got the very real impression that they are feeling invaded by immigrants and tourists and are trying hard to close ranks. By the way, we visited just before Haider was empowered, so maybe the sentiment was especially strong at the time.

Bob Brown

I just got back from Vienna. I can speak a little German, enough to make my wants known. Around the primary tourist attractions, English speakers of some description could be found. <BR>I find Viennese to be formal - something of the old Hapsburgs seems to run deep in the Austrian presentment to the world - and, perhaps somewhat stiff, but not rude. They seem to grant a person a relatively large "bubble" and do not intrude. <BR>My wife, who speaks no German, walked up to a police officer on the Ring near the Hofburg and asked him why it was closed. <BR>[Inline skate marathon that afternoon.] <BR>He was properly polite, and even though his English was not that great, he answered adequately. A woman nearby who heard the question got into the conversation with good English and told us even more. So I think the situation depends on where you are. <BR>Granted, some German helps, but I don't think the situation is desperate if you don't speak any German. It is limiting, yes.

phil

Alot of Austrians speak some english. I would heartily recommend that you at least learn a few of the most used phrases. Susc as "Do you speak english?, I'm sorry, excuse me, how much does this cost?, where is the toilet?, etc. Even if they speak english they appreciate the attemt to communicate in their language. Austria is a beautiful country and I foung the people to be mostly very friendly. Have fun.