Hello

I am planning to attend the World Cup Football tournament in June 2006. I am an american that has never been to Germany, and speak no German at the moment. I have been to Spain, speak a little Spanish and Italian, but not a word of German.

I was planning to fly into Frankfurt and rent a car, drive to Worms for a few day stay, drive to game in Kaiserslautern, and maybe tour the surrounding area by car.

My question is this: Will it be very difficult to get by speaking no German? I pick up new languages fairly quickly, and of course I will try to learn some phrases, but it won't be much. I will attempt to speak simple German phrases where I can.

Should I anticipate much difficulty with this plan?

Many thanks for any advice.
Jim

Let us start with few words:
der Finger
die Hand
der Arm
gut - besser - am besten
die Butter
die Milch
der Wein ((pronounced: wine)
das Bier (pronounced: beer)
now go and learn german

Germans, especially those in the tourist industry, speak very good English. You shouldn't have a problem. But, by all means, learn a little German.

But make your decision very quick. Expect hotels to be full very quickly, hotelprices will also be much higher.
During this event many english speaking will be around.

It has been my experience that a great many, if not most, Germans speak English--some of them better than we do. This is especially true in the travel industry and also among younger people. You shouldn't have any difficulty. I think it's always a good idea to learn as much German as you can before you go. I'd suggest getting a tape or C.D. so that you can hear how the words are pronounced, even words like "Butter" are pronounced differently.

The letter W is pronounced V, so that "der Wein" is "der Vine." The V, on the other hand, is pronounced F, so that "verboten" is pronounced "ferboten."

Most Germans I've encountered, except in very remote areas, speak a fair bit of English. Also, you have time to build up at least minimal vocabulary and necessary phrases. It won't be a problem.

Oh, and Wein is pronounced like "vine," not like "wine." In German, the W sound is pronounced like our V, and the V is pronounced like our F.

Gute Reise!

You are unlikely to have much trouble in the World Cup venue city, as people likely to have direct dealing with fans are likely to speak English (or direct to someone wjo can).
It's when you are touring off the beaten track and staying in private accommodation (Zimmer) and eating in local Gasthof when a knowledge of German will be handy. I'm sure you can get by, but being able to decifer a German-only menu and book yourself into a room will make your trip more enjoyable. Kaiserslautern and its surroundings have major US military bases so people are used to English speakers. And in the Rhine and Moselle valleys, English will be very well understood.

Just don't get off the beaten track, and you'll almost always find someone who speaks English well enough to help you out.

Get off the beaten track, and some German will be extremely helpful.

Also, many musuems/gallerys/etc. do not have information cards and such translated into other languages. There might or might not be a brochure or guide tape in languages other than German. Try to get an English-language tour (and sharpen your listening skills as some of the guides' English might be somewhat creative both in structure and pronunciation).

Ein bier, bitte. is a very important phrase! Danke... is also important in any language. Germans are friendly and most speak more english that I spoke German!

When ordering that bier, it is important to know if you want a gross bier (large) or a klein bier (small).

Almost all Germans speak some English (I believe it is required for all students) - esp those you will come into contact with in tourist-oriented activities.

It's always polite to learn a few words - but you won;t need them. (But a little menu reader is still a good idea.)

Thank you for the great responses. This board is a treasure - helpful, and funny!

You have all made my day, and added to my excitement over this trip if that is possible.

You'll find many Germans speak English but are grateful when you try to communicate in German (even if it's not that great!). They are lovely people and very gracious.

You'll feel better if, like all the posters here say, you learn a little German. Get a Beginners' or Travelers' German CD and download it to your iPod or other MP3 player. Put it on whenever you get a chance. I did that with both my German and French. Great fun!

Hi, Jim!

If you've studied a couple of Romance languages, you may find that German is even easier to learn--English is a Germanic language, after all.

That said, you will also likely encounter many Germans who are fluent in English. But it is nice to start a conversation in the local language, however haltingly.

On my recent Munich trip, I would ask someone a question in my most careful German, and they would usually hear me out with a weary expression before answering me in flawless English. Those who truly had the patience of Job would continue the conversation in German.

Everyone likes for a visitor to their country to make some effort to speak their language.

Have a wonderful trip!

I lived in Germany in the army. I did study the German language. But, I traveled to other countries in Europe without that benefit. I would always learn a couple stock phrases, how to count to 10 and how to be polite. If you can say please (bitte) and thank you (danke) things just seem to fall into place easier, even if you have to use sign language and pointing for the rest.

Regards, Gary

My experience has been that in all Europe, more Germans speak and understand english than in anyother country. Never had a problem in small or large cities throughout the entire country.

It would be wise to take along a small German dictionary and phrase book not so much for speaking German as for reading German. The only trouble we had was trying to buy train tickets via automatic machines in a small village. Luckily enough a German lady waiting for the train could help us buy the tickets.

Hi Jim,

I agree with MK above. You can do it! This Fodors site has some basic language phrases (see the bottom of the home page.) I printed them off when we went to Germany. I'm thinking of getting one of those hand held computer translaters. My cousin from Poland visited us and brought one because his English isn't very good. We used it alot, just type in the word or phrase, and you get a pretty good translation. Could be very helpful for menus or if looking for an item in a store.

Have fun, I would love to go to Worms (I'll bet you even can guess how to pronounce it now!)

It is amazing how many Germans speak English. So don't go around making comments! You never know who understands most of what you say.

I speak some German, and often it has come in handy. On the other hand, one never knows when a surprise is going to be in store. One night in a Munich restaurant, well off of the normal tourist track, my wife and I were enjoying a good dinner. I started by ordering in German, but then I had to ask my wife something in English. The waitress heard me while serving our food, and she switched instantly to very fluent English. I would not have been surprised by a little English in that situation, but her extreme fluency was not expected.

We had a very nice chat before we left.

In another situation, a lady dressed in a Bavarian style outfit turned out not only to be the person in charge of the whole restaurant, but she was very good in English - with an American accent.
Seems like she had lived in the USA for several years.

If a German has qualified for the Abitur, the certificate of graduation from a gymnasium, it is not uncommon for that person to have taken 9 years of English in school. They start English at age 9 and continue until age 18, and they must pass stiff exams in the language to earn the Abitur.

Just under half of German children qualify to attend the Gymnasium (the college-prep schools covering grades 5-13). Generally, this group will leave the 13th grade having 9 years or more of foreign languages.

The rest are placed in vocational schools that track a child to learn a trade (grades 5-9), or an intermediate type of school that goes from 5th through 10th grade and offers business classes as well as general education. Their foreign language education will not be as intense as that of the Gymnasium students.

Some states now have a composite school that goes through grade 9 or 10 and combines some of the elements of the other schools.