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The Most Misunderstood Things About Germans 🇩🇪

Mia In Germany

40,811 views

For years, I believed the same stereotypes about Germans that so many people do.

After living in Germany for 6 years, learning German, and even marrying into a Bavarian family, I've realized that many of those stereotypes couldn't be further from the truth.

In this video, I'm sharing the things I think people misunderstand the most about Germans—from their sense of humor and friendships to rules, work-life balance, and what they're really like once you get to know them.

🇩🇪 Have you ever been surprised by Germans? Or if you're German yourself, what's the biggest misconception people have about your country? Let me know in the comments!

If you enjoy videos about life in Germany from a foreigner's perspective, don't forget to subscribe for a new video every Wednesday.

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Timestamps:
0:00-0:46 Introduction
0:47-1:51 Germans Aren't Unfriendly
1:52-2:51 Germans Are Really Hilarious
2:52-3:52 Germans Don't Blindly Love Rules
3:53-4:49 Germans Know How To Enjoy Life
4:50-5:35 Germany Isn't All One Personality
5:36-6:09 Germans Are Actually Very Social
6:10-6:54 Germans Don't Hate Foreigners
6:55-8:18 Closing Thoughts

20 Comments

@candle24 2 months ago

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤schön das Du hier bist!!!!

@RüdigerW-y4d 2 months ago

I appreciate you sharing your experiences and for that had to sub .
We do have tons of visitors each year coming to germany . Quite a lot did their "homework" and arrived somewhat well informed , especially the japanese and chinese people . Sadly most americans on a visit to germany rely on WW II movies or the few lessons about the nazitime and think they are well prepared . Missing ice in beverages , missing ac in their bedrooms , no free water in bars or restaurants , paying for bathrooms is what they remember and spread out back in the US . It seems to me that it is quite hard for americans to put aside the stereotypes and open up to get the vibe over here . And here we are back on my openeing sentence : Videos and reactions on germany and the germans help a lot to change these things . Thank you !

@footballplayer-c4b 2 months ago

Ich danke Dir für Deine Ansichten über uns Deutsche. Es ist wirklich eine Bereicherung mal einen Blickwinkel "von außen" zu sehen, obwohl ich glaube, dass das von mir falsch formuliert ist. Du bist nicht mehr "von außen" ... Du gehörst dazu und ich wünsche Dir hier, und natürlich persönlich alles Gute. Ich glaube auch, daß uns Deutschen unsere eigenen Unzulänglichkeiten durchaus bewusst sind und ich denke, die meisten von uns arbeiten daran. 😂❤😂

@GHGG-t2h 2 months ago

That IS efficiency, indeed. We work less and yet produce more than many others.

@saschaschneider9157 2 months ago

The trick with rules is to know when to bend or ignore them. Jaywalking for example, do it and you might get called out, especially at daytime when there might be children around. No one will call you out if you do it at night when all the little ones are in bed.

@Hgulf 2 months ago

3:36 As a German who is watching this video, I relate.

@Nedersasse 1 month ago

Ja, es gibt Orte da musst du erst einige Generationen auf dem Friedhof nachweisen bis sie dich als dazugehörigen akzeptieren. Aber wenn, dann auf Lebenszeit.😂

@royblack2395 2 months ago

In principle, Deutsche Bahn works well. It has only four problems: spring, summer, fall, and winter.

@GerdHartmann-e4f 1 month ago

Mia, ich finde es toll das Du in Deutschland gelandet bist, hier ist vieles nicht perfekt, sind wir Menschen doch auch nicht. Wir haben nun mal eine viel längere aufgeschriebene Geschichte als Nord oder Südamerika, da kommt vieles von dem her, was Du beschrieben hast. Übrigens " tolles Viedeo", ich finde in einer Welt wo einem das Denken abgenommen wird, oder nur noch mit der passenen Halbwahrheit rumgepoltert wird, tut es gut solche Viedeos wie Deins zu sehen. Ich wünsche Dir mindestens 70.000 Aufrufe in den nächsten 4 Wochen, die Chance zum gegenseitigen Zuhören und Lernen steigt imens. Dir und Deiner Familie alles Gute.

@barnie7457 2 months ago

One thing they say about Germans is that they are rude. In fact, Germans speak directly and honestly. For example, Germans can say "no", if they mean it.

@ReisskIaue 2 months ago

4:20 "Germans seem to protect their free time really well." And that's where efficiency comes in. Being efficient means not wasting time and by protecting your free time you get more quality time out of it.

@horstneumohr2399 2 months ago

Warum die Deutschen Humor haben, liegt an der Deutschen Bahn. Oder glaubt jemand, dass man die ohne Humor ertragen kann?

@Micha-tn3zc 2 months ago

You may be surprised, but as you already mentioned, we are divided in tribes with genuine dialects and local cultures, and with it the way of dealing at the surface with foreigners varies. The area around Cologne for example is nationwide known for their non-binding befriendlyness for the day being. Whereas the southerners Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria treat it pretty similar, it takes a bit of time but once you are befriended you may rely upon these friendships.

@peterebel7899 2 months ago

You discovered Deutsche Bahn

Deutsche Bahn: Hold my Bahn!

@leiferikson9906 2 months ago (edited)

Was ich oft, speziell von Amerikanern aus den USA, höre ist: "In Deutschland ist so viel verboten. Überall Verbotsschilder!". Hier gibt es ein großes Missverständnis. In Amereika ist pauschal alles verboten, was nicht explizit erlaubt ist. Man muss immer erst fragen, ob es erlaubt ist, etwas zu tun. Beispiel: Sich auf öffentlichen Rasen zu setzen, um dort ein "Picknick" zu machen. In Deutschland ist erstmal alles erlaubt, was nicht ausdrücklich untersagt ist. Beispiel: Ich kann jederzeit auf einer öffentlichen Wiese meine Decke ausbreiten und mich dort in die Sonne legen. Es sei denn, es steht dort ein Schild "Betreten der Wiese nicht gestattet" ..... 😂

@HitokiriDeDo 1 month ago

the reason why we are so efficient because we HATE doing unessecary work. and doing the same work twice is a pain in the ass. i rather do it right the first time. also if i do my work right i can leave on time and have more freetime. and freetime is sacred!

@dr.christianz.schmitz4011 1 month ago

Come to the western part (Rhineland), there you can meet really heartwarming germans.

@Hagen_von_Traege 2 months ago

This dry, sarcastic, quick humor is first, and foremost a Bavarian thing. Humor is perceived different in different regions of Germany. Depending also, but not only on if a region is traditionally Catholic, or Protestant. Contrary to what you might believe, you actually can make, and will hear the more bawdy, more coarse jokes in the traditionally Catholic regions. There are funny movies, comedy and comedians, which are very successful in one part of Germany, but not so much in others. Doesn't mean these other guys won't laugh at all of course, they are just not rooling on the floor as they do for other stuff.

@fstad 2 months ago

Subbed - very good video, love your explanations. Greetings from Augsburg!

@reko7264 2 months ago

Danke für die netten Worte und dein Video... i use db for 20 years almost every day.. it is not that bad and inventing the Deutschlandticket was a huge improvement for me