{"id":94456,"date":"2023-11-14T00:43:47","date_gmt":"2023-11-14T05:43:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/german-small-talk\/"},"modified":"2025-05-25T04:41:20","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T08:41:20","slug":"german-small-talk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/german\/german-small-talk\/","title":{"rendered":"German Small Talk Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

A long time ago, when I first asked my German friend Chris about the “deal” with small talk in Germany, he said something along the lines of: “It’s too much for us. In Germany, small talk is a nod of the head.”<\/p>\n

He also told me that German people are generally very honest and will speak in an open way, and added that this can sometimes make small talk difficult, as you might get some answers you aren’t expecting.<\/p>\n

I laughed at first, completely unaware that, in Germany, people often think small talk or\u00a0oberfl\u00e4chliche Konversation<\/em> (lit. “superficial conversation”) is a complete waste of time.<\/p>\n

So, if you’re learning German, it’s important to think of small talk in a slightly different way!<\/p>\n

Before we get into the specific German small talk phrases you can use, watch these two<\/a> hilarious videos<\/a>\u2014both of which (in my opinion) perfectly sum up what native German speakers feel about oberfl\u00e4chliche Konversation<\/em> in general.\u00a0<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

Basic Introductions and Questions<\/h2>\n

\"german<\/a><\/p>\n

In many ways, German is a frank and specific language. Generally, conversations<\/a> have a deeper meaning or value even if they’re relatively short.<\/p>\n

Often, topics that you’re genuinely interested in are a good way to kick off a conversation. But if a suitable subject is eluding you at the moment, you can always go with a classic like:<\/p>\n

Wie geht es Ihnen?<\/em> \u2014 How are you? (formal)<\/p>\n

Wie geht es dir? \u2014 <\/em>How are you? (informal)<\/p>\n

Notice the differences in the pronoun you’re using to address the person you’re talking to.\u00a0Ihnen <\/em>(you) is more formal and is used for people like your teachers, professors, bosses and the elderly, while\u00a0dir <\/em>(you) is more colloquial.<\/p>\n

If you’re with familiar company and are in a casual context, you can also use more informal phrases<\/a> like:<\/p>\n

Wie geht’s dir \u2014 <\/em>shorter version of “How are you?”<\/p>\n

wie geht’s<\/em> \u2014 How’s it going? (colloquial)<\/p>\n

According to Chris (my German friend), most small talk convos in German are related to travel, even if it’s only for a short-term trip or journey. I remember he once asked me:<\/p>\n

Wie war Ihre Anreise?<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 How was your journey here?<\/p>\n

And I responded with:<\/p>\n

Gut, danke! <\/em>\u2014 Good, thank you<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Questions and Small Talk About Football<\/h2>\n

\"german<\/a><\/p>\n

As a German learner, knowing some football and soccer-related vocabulary<\/a> will help you get in with the locals and give you heaps of discussion material.<\/p>\n

After all, they won the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final<\/a>, and they’ve historically had a great track record as far as football is concerned<\/a>. To quote my friend Chris: “The real German small talk starts right here!”<\/p>\n

Some football-related small talk phrases to get you started include:<\/p>\n

F\u00fcr welche Mannschaft bist du? <\/em>\u2014 What team do you support?<\/p>\n

Hast du gestern das Spiel gesehen?<\/em>\u2014 Did you see the match yesterday?<\/p>\n

Ja, es war ein sehr gutes Spiel! <\/em>\u2014 Yes, it was a good game!<\/p>\n

Small Talk About the Weather<\/h2>\n

\"german<\/a><\/p>\n

If there’s such a thing as a universal small talk topic, the weather would have to be it. Be sure to brush up on your German weather vocabulary<\/a> to help you make appropriate comments\u2014rain or shine!<\/p>\n

Wie ist das Wetter?<\/em> \u2014 How is the weather?<\/p>\n

Heute ist es sehr kalt!<\/em> \u2014 It’s cold today!<\/p>\n

Heute ist es sehr hei\u00df!<\/em> \u2014 It’s hot today!<\/p>\n

Morgen soll es regnen.<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 It’s supposed to rain tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Free Time and Hobbies<\/h2>\n

\"german<\/a><\/p>\n

Asking about someone’s interests is a great way to start a more meaningful conversation. As I’ve mentioned earlier, if the Germans do engage in oberfl\u00e4chliche Konversation<\/em>, it has to be about something substantial.<\/p>\n

Was sind deine Hobbies?<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 What are your hobbies?<\/p>\n

Was machst du in deiner Freizeit?<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 What do you do in your free time?<\/p>\n

Was f\u00fcr Musik h\u00f6rst du?<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 What kind of music do you listen to?<\/p>\n

Speaking of German music<\/a>, some famous German musicians you can check out include Wolfgang Petry<\/a> and AnnenMayKantereit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ich spiele Fu\u00dfball.<\/em> \u2014 I play football.<\/p>\n

Ich gehe gerne … <\/em>\u2014 I like to go …<\/p>\n

Ich gehe gerne schwimmen. \u2014 <\/em>I like to go swimming.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Ich gehe gerne joggen. \u2014 <\/em>I like to go jogging.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Ich gehe gerne ins Kino. \u2014 <\/em>I like to go to the cinema.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Ich gehe gerne shoppen. \u2014 <\/em>I like to go shopping.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Ich gehe gerne klettern. \u2014 <\/em>I like to go climbing.<\/p>\n

You could also say something like Ich<\/em> _____\u00a0gerne<\/em> (I like to _____). For example:<\/p>\n

Ich koche<\/em> gerne.<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 I like to cook.<\/p>\n

Another common way to say you like something is:<\/p>\n

gef\u00e4llt mir<\/em> \u2014 is pleasing to me<\/p>\n

gefallen mir<\/em> \u2014 are pleasing to me<\/p>\n

For example, you could say:<\/p>\n

Dieses Buch gef\u00e4llt mir.<\/em> \u2014 This book is pleasing to me.<\/p>\n

Travel and Holiday<\/h2>\n

\"german<\/a><\/p>\n

Germans love to travel. In fact, Germany is the second biggest outbound tourism spender in the world<\/a> behind the United States. Funnily enough, they often visit the same spot every year\u2014and my friend Chris is no exception.<\/p>\n

Their love of travel extends to within national borders, too. It’s common for domestic travelers to stay in a Schrebergarten, <\/em>a type of “rented garden” where they have barbecue, beers and a good ol’ time.<\/p>\n

So it’s no surprise that you can easily start a conversation in German with travel phrases<\/a> like:<\/p>\n

Wie war dein Urlaub?<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 How was your vacation?<\/p>\n

Wir waren in Mallorca im Urlaub und es war gro\u00dfartig! <\/em>\u2014 We were in Mallorca on vacation and it was great!<\/p>\n

Wir hatten sehr gutes Wetter und haben nette Leute kennengelernt. <\/em>\u2014 We had very good weather and met nice people.<\/p>\n

Small Talk Topics to Avoid<\/h2>\n

\"german<\/a><\/p>\n

Of course, there are certain small talk topics that are generally avoided in Germany. Fortunately for language learners, they’re mostly the same as the United States and many other countries.<\/p>\n

In general, money, politics and intimate or private family matters<\/strong> are avoided in German small talk conversation.<\/p>\n

Why Learn German Small Talk?<\/h2>\n

We’ve already mentioned several times throughout this post that small talk is hardly used in German. So why bother learning it at all?<\/p>\n

I think this form of conversation is still absolutely necessary to learn for the following reasons:<\/p>\n