Learning German in Berlin – Interview with Lucy vs. the Globe

• Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Lucy. I run a blog called Lucy vs. the Globe which reports on life and how to do it better. Originally from Australia, I moved to Berlin from the US in 2012 and have been politely offending Germans ever since.

At this very moment, I am living in a rather small town in the West of Germany in an effort to learn German better. I started a shitty German blog about it called Luzi Gegen Haan, which is supposed to document the experience – but I think I might keep doing it, because it’s quite useful !

My favourite food is Singaporean Laksa, I don’t love rice, I have two middle names, one sister, no pets and I tell stories with far too many details and not enough hard-facts.

• When did you move to Berlin and what were your motivations?

I moved to Berlin in 2012. I had been living in the US for 4 years and had just moved to New York which I wasn’t really figuring out. At the time, I had a sort of boyfriend who was German and there was a job I really wanted in Berlin. I was talking to my mum one day saying that there was job that I thought was interesting in Germany, and she was like “So just move?” – I booked a flight that afternoon and left New York 2 weeks later. Needless to say, neither the original job nor the quasi-boyfriend worked out but I stay​ed​ anyway, because I’m an idiot like that.

• Did you learn German before moving here? When and how did you start?

I started learning German about 2 months after I arrived. I first landed in Berlin during the height of summer, which was good/ bad:

Good because I don’t think I would have emotionally survived if it had been winter.

Bad because all the schools had shut down for the summer break. I couldn’t really get so involved in learning until I’d been here some time, and then I found/ started a job about 3 weeks after classes finally began.

I guess I really didn’t start learning German until 2014, which was when I went back to it properly and if I’m truthful was the real beginnings​ of me and the German language.

• As a Berliner, how important is understanding and speaking German to you? How does it affect your life?

​I could not learn German and I’d survive in my current life. But I don’t see much progress with that way of thinking. Everyday jobs are complicated (calling o2, organising a plumber etc. etc.) and you have to reflect (that’s the most German thing I’ve said in ages) if you want opportunity/ to move forward from where you are currently and immerse yourself in being German or if you want to stay as you are and live within the bubble.

You lose a certain sense of immersion and independence without the language and this is kind of exhausting. For one, being in the 30+ age bracket and having to rely on other people to get remedial jobs done is a pain in the arse. But additionally you are losing out on understanding a culture you have placed yourself within – which is a shame.

• What is your stand on “English-speaking places” in Berlin, a.k.a restaurants which only have an English menu etc.

Buh, this is a difficult conversation.​ On the one hand I think it’s great, because we can openly live in this diverse city and everyone is (more or less) included. We have such a wonderful international community in Berlin which (among many other reasons) makes the city quite special and this is in part due to our openness with English. That said, I think one of the reasons I don’t speak German having lived in Berlin for 3 years is due to the fact that we are so loose with English, there is no pressure to learn. It’s a catch 22 situation.

• Have you ever felt like your level of German was holding you back? If so, in which situations?

I think if you are an English speaking person in Germany with ​only ​basic German, you are being held back​ on all counts​. You can only live about 60% of the life, because it’s bloody difficult to navigate the rest with​out​ a certain level of fluidity. I think it’s wonderful we can live in Berlin and maybe not speak the language, but I think to have a full life in Germany​,​ speaking the language is a good idea.

• What’s the most challenging thing about learning German?

There are so many words. Really – I think there are about 4 ways to say you are looking at something. Probably it’s the same in English, so maybe that’s not a thing…. Take two: I guess the hardest thing is that I like to talk, and be included – when you are young and learning a language, if you aren’t included it’s ok – because really​, w​hat are you going to say? Nothing good. As you get older, it’s really hard not being able to articulate yourself in your most eloquent fashion.

I guess my other gripe is it’s also difficult ​to speak ​a language that everyone else already speaks​.​ It’s easier/ less annoying for everyone to speak in English – but this isn’t particularly helpful for the plight of the English speaking person learning German​ – that’s kind of hard work.​

• What would be your advice to other future or struggling German learners?

​Buh – I have no good advice. I’ve been here 3 years and I’m at best a B1.2 level of German which is pretty grim. I’ve just recently taken myself out of Berlin to live with a German family and speak German for 6 weeks. I think being able to hide yourself away with only German speakers is great – but I’m not sure if this is realistic for many people, because: work/ cash flow.

From my end, just throwing yourself into things is the best way, sign up for a course, only speak German in your twitter feed, start a shit blog writing in German. The more you do, the more progress you will make – so I guess, less talking/ trying to figure out the most effective way to learn German in the least amount time and perhaps more just doing. To me, people in Berlin talk a lot about “learning German” but are a bit shit at making the time for it. So – make the time. If that fails? Find a German boyfriend/ girlfriend. There has to be some benefits to the international roll around.

• Any funny anecdote linked to learning (or struggling to learn) German you would like to share?

I once called someone’s mother a Geile Mutter. Because I had heard people use geil/e as in cool/ rad/ awesome, and I just thought it was appropriate because their mother was in fact cool – it wasn’t. Don’t put geile and Mutter together.

• What is your favourite German word? And the one you still cannot pronounce right?

Sadly, I cannot pronounce ​”​Friedrichshain​”​ correctly, at all​ (did I even spell that right? It’s a shit of a suburb)​. This is one of the many reasons I would never move there – oh and ​”n​ichts​”​. This is the hardest-easiest word in the German language, by far.

A favourite is a really tough one, because do you like a word because of how it sounds, or what it means? For the sound when Germans say ​”​nö​”​ I think this is the best. There is no sound like​​ it with my Australian accent, but it’s not so complicated to replicate. My favourite word ​(​because it’s perfect​)​ is Fremdschämen (spelling is questionable)​ – it describes the process of being ​absolutely and totally embarrassed by someone else​/ someone else’s actions​.​ We don’t have such a concise word for it in English, and I think it’s so relevant to my day to day life because people are so often the absolute worst.