Awkward and Language: Scheiße!

Scheiße!

By Xerfox - 03/07/2016 18:05 - Germany - Löwenstein

Today, I found out the German I've been learning for nearly a month is a dialect only spoken by people in a small area of the country. This means I'll need to re-learn most of what I thought I knew. FML

I agree, your life sucks 13 494

You deserved it 1 973

May Day: Lily of the Valley and Misunderstandings
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Same thing different taste

By nolinguist - 22/11/2009 17:39 - Austria

Today, I arrived in Austria. Within about an hour, I realized that I couldn't understand any "German". Turns out they have a totally different dialect here to anything I was taught in school. I'm here till May. FML

I agree, your life sucks 28 312

You deserved it 18 787

By traveling - 09/07/2013 11:18

Today, I arrived in Germany for a summer-long stay. The family I'm supposed to stay with had said they spoke fluent English. They don't. I don't speak German. It's going to be a quiet two months. FML

I agree, your life sucks 47 973

You deserved it 6 412

Back home

By Anonymous - 30/12/2012 19:21 - Germany - Neunkirchen

Today, I returned to Germany for a break from my studies abroad. I got lost while out for groceries, so I tried asking a guy for directions. I went totally blank and strained to think of the right words, prompting him to mutter about rude foreigners not bothering to learn the local language. FML

I agree, your life sucks 28 032

You deserved it 5 363

By nullroute - 16/02/2016 11:34 - Switzerland

Today, I found out that while on foreign exchange for over six months now, I have been pronouncing the word for "night" in German wrong. Apparently, this whole time, the way that I have been pronouncing it in German means "naked". This explains a lot. FML

I agree, your life sucks 20 138

You deserved it 2 805

Moving on

By Awesome - 17/08/2011 00:05

Today, I found out that I was moving to Germany. I'm going to be put back a year in school because of the system change. I also don't speak a word of German. Why? Because my mother wants to brag about this experience to her friends. FML

I agree, your life sucks 34 970

You deserved it 2 791

By lostforwords - 06/08/2011 19:10 - Ireland

Today, I found out that my German wasn't as great as I thought it was. Trying to give directions to some German tourists, I tried to say, "I hope I don't get you lost." Turns out I actually said something closer to, "I hope I don't seduce you." FML

I agree, your life sucks 28 075

You deserved it 6 299

By Jan - 27/02/2013 04:50 - United States - Ann Arbor

Today, a German guy came into the place where I work. Eager to use the German that I'd learned from my immigrant mother and her family, I started a conversation. Things were going well until the term I grew up thinking meant "Africa" turned out to be racist, translating as "Ape Land." FML

I agree, your life sucks 33 276

You deserved it 4 320

By anon - 25/09/2014 05:48 - United States - Germantown

Today, I have learned a lot of "big" words from reading so much, but can actually only pronounce about half of them correctly. FML

I agree, your life sucks 29 882

You deserved it 6 801

By hrmpf - 19/01/2016 14:37 - Germany - Bremen

Today, I went to the hairdresser for the first time in the country I just moved to. Guess I don't speak the language as well as I thought. FML

I agree, your life sucks 21 986

You deserved it 2 955

By dunicha - 17/11/2011 00:37 - United States

Today, I was reading a book in German, which I don't know very well. Suddenly I reached a passage I had no trouble understanding. Excited, I showed my husband, saying I was finally getting the hang of it. He laughed and patted my head. Turns out, that particular passage was a quote. In English. FML

I agree, your life sucks 11 372

You deserved it 38 317

mliajkfml 15

Monday 4 July 2016 2:55

Maybe only ever visit a small area of Germany?

cornwallus24 8

Monday 4 July 2016 2:59

Germans will help you.They probably know better English than you.

Comments

Migole 36

Monday 4 July 2016 4:06

Since your signature says BW... yeeeah that's pretty shitty. Southern/bavarian german is probably one of the heaviest dialects you will find. But at least the grammar is mostly the same? ;)

CallMeWindSock 24

Tuesday 5 July 2016 0:43

Still, domestically, Bayrisch/Schwäbisch are some of the most unique and difficult to learn/understand dialects in the German language.

SiraSiemens 21

Tuesday 5 July 2016 12:29

and then theres swiss german... which is a german dialect but has in itself another 20-something dialects xD

chocoladisco 1

Saturday 9 July 2016 15:35

If its badisch it's fine. but schwäbisch oh god.

XandWacky 23

Monday 4 July 2016 4:20

Did you learn Low German by any chance? Never go that route.

blueboarding 5

Monday 4 July 2016 4:21

Why don't you just go to Germany and demand that they learn your language?

TheNewGuy03 28

Monday 4 July 2016 6:09

Er, if you're paying attention, OP is already in Germany.

thunderniron 22

Monday 4 July 2016 4:25

Yep there's high German and low German. Low German is almost a lost language now.

LucyLollipop 22

Monday 4 July 2016 4:33

Ach, schade! As long as you try, the Germans will be happy to help you, OP.

bthny 9

Monday 4 July 2016 4:41

Even with complete immersion, a month isn't all that much time to spend learning a language. I took over six years of classes before I felt comfortable holding a conversation in another language, so I can only imagine how long it takes to become truly fluent. I'm sure it's frustrating, but unless you're a savant or insanely gifted, there's probably not all that much to be relearning, especially considering the effort that needs to be put into becoming fluent in a second language.