Interesting thread. Having now lived in Germany for almost 2 years, DH and I can speak passable German and sometimes speak it when we go out with German friends (although usually their English is far better than our German). For the most part we speak English when we are alone.

But here's a little twist. On a recent trip to Rome we were a bit annoyed by the two Italians sitting next to us at dinner - they were talking very loudly, making multiple cell phone calls, etc. It was pretty obvious that they assumed we couldn't understand them (and they were right). Just for fun we decided to switch to German. There was a moment of absolute silence from the next table, and the Italian couple was much quieter for the rest of the meal! I guess they figured that if a couple of Americans could speak German, they might understand other languages as well!

"And I am sure Robespierre you have commented on someones mode of dress or their strange pooch or at least thought goodness don't they have a mirror?"

I don't judge people by the way they look or dress.