Bilingual Berlin

 For the German version, click here!

Last weekend, I decided to go for a coffee. Take my book. Spend a couple of hours in a cute little café chilling out. I ordered my drink, got myself cosied into the big armchair that sat in the window, and was just about to start reading my book against the gentle background hum of music and conversation when after five minutes I realised something. I couldn't concentrate on my book at all. Instead I found myself totally engrossed in the conversations around me (something that doesn't happen too often here with my level of German). A couple revealing their life stories as they introduced themselves on a first date, some girls gossiping around a laptop, and the painfully awkward exchanges between husband and father-in-law, as the wife sat politely trying to make conversation. There I was, sitting in a quiet little neighbourhood of Berlin, and the only conversation I could hear was in English.

Of course, we all know that „everyone speaks English“. This has been made very apparent to me in my first month here in Berlin – some days I swear I hear more English being spoken than German. And we all know that you can come to Berlin for a weekend, for a week, for a year and get away with knowing barely any German, if any at all. But does that mean we should take this attitude?

As an English native speaker, each and every one of my travelling or going abroad experiences has been accompanied by the daunting question of what language is spoken in the country. And this question is always answered with the classic response „Ah, doesn't matter, does it? Everybody speaks English anyway“. And in Berlin this is undeniably true. Almost all Germans have varying levels of English. Some with just the basics, others, particularly the younger generation, with English almost as good as mine. They explain apologetically that they speak „only a little English“ and then go on to tell you about their childhood, how they feel about British politics and whether or not they think space travel is a good idea. And all with perfect pronunciation of course.

Feeling forever ashamed of my fellow English speakers and our apparent inability to learn a foreign language, I always initiate conversations in German. And I try to persist, I really do. But 9 times out of 10, the lady at the coffee shop, the cashier at the supermarket, the waiter at the restaurant, they all respond to me in English, and it seems more rude to battle on with my inferior German than to surrender and proceed with their far superior English. But why do they switch to English? Do they want to show off their English? Or maybe practice it? Are they simply trying to be polite and helpful? Or are they so bored with our feeble attempts to speak German that it's just easier to go with English? „Look, dear foreigner, let's make this a lot quicker and easier, you want one large coffee to go. Simple. Now I can get back to my job and you can get back to your friends and confirm that yes wow, everyone really does speak English.“

It's demotivating, it's exhausting and it's frustrating. But don't be disheartened my fellow language learners. Berlin is a metropolis of different people, cultures and languages, and it's not just about English. Some of the most spoken languages in Berlin include Turkish, Russian, Polish, Arabic and Kurdish to name but a few. In fact, English-speaking expats only make up a very small proportion of the population in Berlin (Slow Travel Berlin). What does this mean? This means that you don't have to be surrounded by English. The people you surround yourself with is very much a decision that you make, and if you choose to spend your time with English speaking natives then so be it. But if you want to improve your Deutsch, and make that move from „outsider to local“, you need to get involved. Ditch your compatriots and befriend some locals. Persistence is key. Stick with your German. You might frustrate a few baristas along the way, but don't give up. You just need a little courage and some perseverance. It's in your hands!

Bonnie