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LEARNING GERMAN

German word of the day: Per du

No, this is not the German version of the French word “perdu” (“lost”).It means something entirely different.

German word of the day: Per du
Photo: depositphotos

If you are learning German, chances are very high that you struggled with the way of addressing people in German. 

To be more precise – when to address people with “Sie” or “du.” Don’t worry, you’re not the only one struggling with that; there are actually many people with German as their mother tongue who don’t really know what to do.

SEE ALSO: To du or not to du: How to crack one of Germany's trickiest etiquette dilemmas 

So if you meet someone new – let’s say it’s a woman and her name is Anna Blume – then you start of with calling her “Frau Blume.”

You might ask her “Möchten Sie einen Tee, Frau Blume?” (“Would you like some tea, Ms. Blume?”)

If everything goes well and you get along, at some point she might say “Darf ich Ihnen das Du anbieten?” (literally: “May I offer you “The You”?” – “May I offer you to address me informally?”)

With offering you “The You,” she is asking you if you want to move on from normal acquaintances to good acquaintances. If you say yes, you and Anna are per du.

You are now allowed to call her Anna and change your former question to “Anna, möchtest du einen Tee?” (“Anna, would you like some tea?”)

The verb for being per du is duzen, which doesn’t have a literal translation, but basically means “to address someone informally.”

Be careful with the du, though. Even though it starts getting more and more popular to address everyone informally (especially in big cities like Berlin and Hamburg), many people (especially elderly folk) consider it to be rude if you just walk up to them and call them “du.”

Sprechen Sie Deutsch? – The polite way to say: Do you speak German? Photo: Deposit Photos/nito103

Examples:

Mein Arzt und ich sind per du.

My doctor and I are addressing each other informally.

Dann hat sie mir das Du angeboten.

She offered me to address her informally.

Wir? Ja, wir duzen uns.

Us? Yeah, we address each other informally.

Do you have a favourite word you'd like to see us cover? If so, please email our editor Rachel Stern with your suggestion.

 

Member comments

  1. I’ve normally found the best way to break the ice is to use Du in a casual situation when you know someone really well. Then apologise and see how the other side reacts. Normally It’s offered back to you.

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For members

GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Dudelsack

This hilarious sounding German word describes something quintessentially Scottish.

German word of the day: Dudelsack

Why do I need to know Dudelsack?

In the run-up to the German v Scotland opening match of Euro 2024, there were a lot of these gracing the streets of Munich. More importantly, why wouldn’t you want to know a word like Dudelsack?

Just say the word aloud and it will brighten your day. 

What does it mean?

Dudelsack (pronounced like this) is one of those German words that’s both charmingly literal and somewhat onomatopoeic, describing a big bag or sack that makes a ‘doodling’ kind of noise: in other words, the bagpipes.

As well as sounding like the noise this traditional Scottish instrument makes, dudeln also translates as ‘to drone’, and anyone who’s heard the bagpipes will know that this is also a fairly accurate description of how they sound. 

READ ALSO: 10 German words with hilarious literal translations

As Scotland geared up to play Germany in the opening match of Euro 2024 in Munich, many sacks were doodled in the Bavarian capital. 

Seeing parades of kilts and hearing the distinctive wail of the Dudelsack against the backdrop of Munich’s gothic town hall isn’t something you experience every day, and we’re sure it’s an experience the people of Munich also won’t forget for a while. 

Use it like this: 

Hör mal auf, Dudelsack zu spielen! Es geht mir auf die Nerven.

Stop playing the bagpipes! It’s getting on my nerves.  

Weißt du, wie der Dudelsack klingt? Man hört ihn überall in Schottland.

Do you know what the bagpipes sound like? You can hear them everywhere in Scotland. 

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