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
Collection
Fall
Dead leaves, the first cold of the season and an umbrella flipped inside out: fall, the season of grace.
Same thing different taste
Scheiße!
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
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
Back home
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
Today, I was in an Austrian bar, making polite conversation in my broken German with a slightly odd middle-aged man. He said, winking, that he was near to his pension. I smiled and nodded, thinking he was talking about retirement. My friend later informed me that 'pension' is German for 'apartment'. Ew. FML
Moving on
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
Listen up
Today, my German colleague complained that when I spoke German, I had a Swiss accent in it, which was "not nice to hear". Well Honey, we live in Switzerland, what accent did you expect us to have when you moved here? FML
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
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
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
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
Top comments
allmidnighteyes 11
"ich liebe meine scheide" just say that everywhere you go
badbunny 0
remember, the universal language for ordering at a restaraunt is point at the item listed.
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Comments (204)
Klabauterpete 0
Don't **** your life, you are just stupid.
lo1337a 1
You could have tried learning about the culture instead of just the language. This was one of the very first things we learned about Austria & Germany, that the language varies from region to region.
Andyangels27 0
oh no I'm in a country where I don't know the language. it's called traveling.
comicstar 0
Don't worry! I had the same problem when I went to Germany on exchange, and I was staying in Hannover, the home of Hochdeutsch. You hear a bit of slang or a funny pronunciation and instantly start doubting yourself. You'll find the same thing all over German speaking countries - just little differences or ones that are so dramatic you wonder if they're speaking Chinese or something. Austria is particularly difficult, as the locals are very proud of their dialect and are unlikely to switch to Hochdeutsch for you, but I promise that if you are attentive and patient you'll have picked up at least enough to get by on in no time. They will appreciate you taking time to learn the local language, as a lot of people just come in and start arrogantly speaking English. Be willing to learn and convinced of your abilities and you'll have the time of your life.
d4m4s74 12
Don't worry, they will understand you and "lower" to your level. It's a dialect, not a language of it's own, so they're supposed to speak normal german too
Major_General 10
Sprechen Sie Hochsdeutsch? But that would make sense, along with Langsam Bitte. Or Leider spreche ich nicht so gut Deutsch.
kris0stby 0
Only difference is they roll their R's. If its not the german you learned I'd consider having a word with your teacher
loki09 4
You will be fine, the dialects are different, but if you listen closely, it is mostly in the pronunciation. The dialects are still very similar, and the people are used to tourists, as it is a lovely country. Just be patient, and the people you encounter will be able to help you figure out what you want and need. Plus, if you are terribly frustrated, and really cannot understand a word (which I highly doubt if you actually have studied the German language) most European countries, also require English to be taught, as a second language. Try not to fall back on that if possible. You want to learn the language and culture fully. Goodluck, have a blast, and relax! You are not the first person Austrian's have encountered with this issue.
PrinceOfAustria 0
Okay Oberösterreich is auch hart ^_^ oba waunst Hüfe brauchst sags ma, mein Vater is vo dort, des Konn i a ;)
blastvortex 4
This is something that you should have discovered in your initial planning stages. You really should be more careful. Good luck getting out of your jam; you're gonna need it.