Guide to life for immigrants in Germany

Germany has a high quality of life, moderate cost of living and a good cultural atmosphere, which make Germany an ideal place to live. So for new immigrants to Germany, what should you pay attention to in life when you first enter Germany? Let’s take a look with the Overseas Immigration Network.

Diet

(1) In terms of meat, Germans love pork most, followed by beef. Germans never tire of eating various sausages made from pork.

(2) Germans generally have a large appetite and like to eat greasy food, so there are many obese people in Germany.

(3) In terms of drinks, Germans appreciate beer the most.

(4) Germans have the following special rules when dining.

a. Knives and forks used for eating fish must not be used for eating meat or cheese.

b. If you drink beer and wine at the same time, you should drink beer first and then wine, otherwise it will be considered harmful to your health.

c. It is not advisable to accumulate too much food on the food plate.

d. Do not use napkins to fan yourself.

e. Avoid eating walnuts.

Be disciplined and on time

Germans attach great importance to rules and discipline and take everything seriously. Germans will consciously abide by anything expressly stipulated; Germans will never touch anything explicitly prohibited. In the eyes of some people, in many cases, the Germans are almost dull, inflexible, and even a little unreasonable. But if you think about it carefully, this "inflexibility" is very beneficial. Without discipline, how can we be orderly? Without rules, how can we be serious?

Generally speaking, there is not much trouble in dealing with Germans. In most cases, they are relatively straightforward. Whatever they can do, they will immediately tell you "it can be done". If they can't do it, they will tell you "no" clearly, rarely putting on airs, or giving ambiguous answers. Of course, interpersonal relationships and the level of effort are by no means unimpacted.

First meeting

It must be pointed out that Germans attach great importance to etiquette in interpersonal communication. When Germans meet for the first time, if an introduction from a third party is needed, the introducer should be careful: you cannot introduce one person to another casually, regardless of age or status. The general custom is to start with the elderly and ladies. Introduce young people to old people, men to women, and low-status people to high-status people. When shaking hands, both parties should look at each other friendly to show respect for each other. It is very impolite to look away and look around at this time.

Addressing

When two parties who have just met each other say their names, they should pay attention to hearing and remembering each other's names clearly to avoid the embarrassing situation of forgetting and calling the wrong name. When introducing many people to each other, try to be as concise as possible and avoid being sloppy. Due to the characteristics of the German language itself, when communicating with Germans, you will also encounter the problem of whether to use honorifics or friend names. Generally speaking, when interacting with strangers, elders, and people with whom we have a normal relationship, we usually use the honorific title "you"; and for people with deep personal relationships and close relationships, such as classmates and colleagues with whom we have had a good relationship for many years, we often use "you" as a friend. "To address each other. The initiative in exchanging titles usually lies with ladies and elders. The change of titles marks the distance and distance between the two. This must be mastered and used proficiently, so that you can communicate with Germans easily. Paying attention to address is a distinctive feature of Germans in interpersonal communication. Addressing a German inappropriately will usually make the other person very unhappy. Under normal circumstances, never call a German person by his or her first name. Calling them by their full name, or just their last name, is mostly possible.

Handshake etiquette

When shaking hands with Germans, it is necessary to pay special attention to the following two points. First, be sure to look at the other person calmly when shaking hands. Second, the handshake should last longer, the number of shakes should be slightly more, and the force used when shaking hands should be slightly greater. When two people meet, whether they know each other or not, or on the road, or in offices, hotels, elevators, etc., they all greet each other and say "hello". When eating in a restaurant, you should also nod and greet the customers who are already seated. It is really "gentle to polite, and it is not strange to be polite to many people." When friends meet, they shake hands as a courtesy, and the same is true when saying goodbye. Very good friends who have not seen each other for a long time can hug each other when they meet or are separated for a long time.

On formal occasions, men still kiss women’s hands, but they should make it look like they are kissing the hands, and it is not necessary to kiss the back of the hand. In the process of communication, most people often use "you" and "Mr." or "Ms." (also called "Mrs.") before their last name as honorifics. Only friends, relatives and young people call each other "you" and by their first names. Women can be called "Ms." regardless of whether they are married or how old they are, but married women should be called by their husband's surname.

Ladies first

In Germany and other Western countries, women are given priority in many situations, such as entering the door, entering the elevator, getting on the bus, etc. Women are given priority. Men should help women open car doors, hang clothes, and give up seats. A woman can just say "thank you" to this without feeling embarrassed or thinking that the other person has bad intentions.

When talking to others, Germans pay great attention to respecting each other. Don't ask about other people's private matters (for example, don't ask about the woman's age, don't ask about the other person's income, etc.), and don't make fun of those present. When dining and talking, do not talk to people sitting far away across the table for fear of affecting other people's emotions.