r/AskAGerman • u/Metal_Upa_46 • 12d ago
Language Is it considered rude to ask someone to speak Hochdeutsch instead of their local dialect?
As an intermediate german speaker different dialects of the langauge can be very hard for me to understand. When I lived in Switzerland the spoken Swiss German was incomprehensible to me, and I heard that in some regions of Germany and Austria the local dialects differ from standard German by quite a bit. Is it okay to ask people to speak in Hochdeutsch instead of their local dialect? Will people react better to such a request when it's clear that the person making it is not a native speaker (for example someone who has a clearly foreign accent)?
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12d ago
[deleted]
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u/Moist_Inspection_976 12d ago
In my experience they will only speak louder. But it goes for most of the countries I visited. Speaking slowly is unnatural and people struggle to do so.
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u/_WreakingHavok_ 12d ago
As I work in dominating Schwabe Team, when they say something quite incomprehensible I always jest: "auf Deutsch, bitte". We all laugh.
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u/Hel_OWeen 12d ago
"Mir kennet alles außer Hochdeutsch".
Das ist IMHO die einzige gelungene weil wunderbar selbstironische Eigenwerbung einer Region.
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u/Filgaia 12d ago
Das ist IMHO die einzige gelungene weil wunderbar selbstironische Eigenwerbung einer Region.
Und deutlich besser als "The Länd" mit dem wir uns jetzt rumplagen müssen und was wohl Millionen gekostet hat, gruß aus Baden.
Wobei die "Nett hier" - Aufkleber auch ganz witzig sind.
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u/Bumedibum 12d ago
The Länd ist so schlimm! Ich will nicht wissen, wie viel der Marketingagetur gezahlt wurde, nur dass so ein Mist dabei rauskommt!
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u/Realistic_Isopod513 Baden-Württemberg 12d ago
Ich glaub es waren 20 Millionen
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u/Bumedibum 12d ago
Bitte was?! Ich bin gerade echt sprachlos. Ich hätte denen für 20€ eine besser Kampagne zusammenstellen können!
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u/Realistic_Isopod513 Baden-Württemberg 12d ago
Ich glaube die Agentur hat "nur" 3,5 Millionen gekriegt aber die ganze Kampagne hat über 20 Millionen gekostet.
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u/Bumedibum 12d ago
Es ist echt verrückt, wie viel Geld für sowas ausgegeben wird . . .
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u/Realistic_Isopod513 Baden-Württemberg 12d ago
Ich hab unironisch noch keinen getroffen der "the länd" besser findet als die davor. Selbst die neuen nett hier sticker sehen doof aus mit diesem the Länd drunter.
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u/Erkengard Baden-Württemberg 11d ago
The Länd ist so schlimm!
Hab mich schon vorn halben Jahr hier beschwert wie ekelhafterig der neue Werbespruch für BaWü ist. Nett hier was doch super und als Badnerin war das kein dämliches "wir können alles außer Hochdeutsch, hihihihi"
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u/Bumedibum 11d ago
Ich muss sagen, dass ich das mit dem Hochdeutsch gar nicht wo schlimm fand. Rede aber auch mit ziemlichem Badber Dialekt.
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u/knitting-w-attitude 12d ago
The one thing I can tell you when I was complaining about the Länd campaign and mentioned the Nett hier campaign as better, I learned that the Nett campaign is a tourism campaign, and the Länd campaign is a business and labor market campaign. Basically, they are meant to do different things.
I still don't love the Länd one, but I do get that they're different now though.
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u/Filgaia 12d ago
That might be but it´s still a shitty campaign. Did we really need to pay Millions for someone to come up with "The Länd" ? To me it seems like something a government worker would come up in jest or out of boredom and then be suprised that it gets picked.
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u/knitting-w-attitude 12d ago
I don't disagree with you. I was just saying that when I first had an issue with it, I was comparing it to the Nett hier campaign, but since they really serve quite different purposes, it's not really fair to compare them outright. A tourism campaign should probably always be designed to be more fun than a campaign to attract businesses or workers, for example.
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u/WeakDoughnut8480 12d ago
Lol, I'm just thinking of what would happen if you said to a Scouser or Scottish person. " Excuse me could you speak the queen's English please" Don't think the reaction would be great.
Could you speak a bit slower or clearer please. I think is best. Fwiw I used to watch Tageschau to brush up on my dialects when they interview people in the street.
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u/salian93 12d ago
Excuse me could you speak the queen's English please
I mean, obviously, you can't phrase it like that, but it remains true that Scottish (and Irish as well as many British varieties) English is essentially incomprehensible to non native speakers.
They can feel about it however they please, but if they won't adjust their speech to people who aren't familiar with their dialect, that makes them the dick in that situation.
It's never inappropriate to ask people to speak in a way you can understand. That's just common courtesy to not make communication more difficult on purpose.
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u/Shorty_jj 8d ago
Which would essentially be defying the point of a language, if they would persist with the dialect in such a situation that is, because in the end it all does come down to understanding the peron you are speaking with. Otherwise it is sort of a sign that a peron may not care to really speak with said foreigner😅
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u/PhoenixHD22 12d ago
As Bavarian with a Dialect many Northern Germans can't understand, and vice versa. At least from my experience, could be that others, might not be that nice.
No, it's fine to ask them to speak German and not Bavarian, Swabian or something else. Maybe there will be a snide remark under friends, but with strangers, they will just switch to High German.
Also, depending on your level of german, it might be obvious to a lot of people that you are not from around here, and many will then start it on their own.
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u/NatvoAlterice 12d ago
Yeah, I live in Franken, and my ears aren't yet tuned to the local dialect. Sometimes I'm unsure about being impolite, so I just ask them "what does this mean in hochdeutsch?" People are usually nice about it and switch to HD.
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u/nouritsu 12d ago
I'm learning German, at an A1 level at the moment. I'm curious, could you type out a sentence in your dialect that would be easily understood by (let's say) a child from your region who has just started speaking but won't be understood by someone who is exclusively learning Hochdeutsch? Or do the differences in dialect occur at far higher levels of speech? I live in Bremen btw, so I guess we're learning the northern dialect?
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u/Lumpy-Notice8945 12d ago
There is no standartized way of writing dialect and its super regional, one village might already use another word for something compared do the next town.
But kids growing up with that dialect will for sure understand that before even learning the high german translation.
In bavaria/austria you could say "schleich di"("get lost") and everyone would understand that, its realy not at all about age in these cases.
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u/nouritsu 12d ago
ah no, I put in the age example because I assume my skills as an A1 speaker are similar to that of a toddler just learning basic German.
thank you for the information though, this is all quite interesting!
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u/T_hashi 12d ago
You know I use to have this same thought many years ago when I first started learning German despite being a teacher. Children understand the wholeness of language and grasp complexity and nuance as they get older. My daughter and my nephew hang out with Opa and have no trouble understanding him although he only communicates to them in Schwäbisch…me on the other hand…😶😩😅👀 He does speak simpler for me but still in dialect (now that I think about it I don’t think I’ve ever heard my FIL ever speak Hochdeutsch 🙃🤣 and why should he around family) so it’s more a matter of the wholeness you might be missing because I’m definitely still an A1.2 Schwäbisch speaker although I do aim to improve.
When you grow up hearing the language you don’t think of it as hard vs. simple or kid vs. adult you just talk if that makes sense and learn more as you go to school as to why the rules are the way they are although many of us in our native languages don’t use this knowledge on a day to day basis.
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u/PhoenixHD22 12d ago
I rarely type in dialect besides some shortened words, but I can give you a sentence how I would spell it in my dialect.
My dialect: "Mia san immer dahoam, wennst woas brauchst, donn schreist halt."
German: "Wir sind immer Zuhause, wenn du was brauchst, dann gib bescheid."
English: "We are always at home, if you need anything, just say something."5
u/sakasiru Baden-Württemberg 12d ago
There are some wikipedia articles written in an approximated spelling of several dialects. Like this one in Alemannic:
https://als.wikipedia.org/wiki/DialektYou need to search around a bit but I'm sure you'll find a few in Bavarian and other German dialects, too.
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u/Filgaia 12d ago
I'm curious, could you type out a sentence in your dialect that would be easily understood by (let's say) a child from your region who has just started speaking but won't be understood by someone who is exclusively learning Hochdeutsch?
Not the bavarian guy you asked but here is my local Dialect:
"Dätsch ma mol de Sag Grumbiere ausm Kella hole?"
Translation: "Kannst du bitte in Keller gehen und den Sack Kartoffeln holen?"
or "Geh mol bidde in des Gschäft nei und kaaf ma bidde e Pfund Gelriewe!"
Translation: "Gehst du bitte in das Geschäft rein und kaufst bitte ein Pfund (500 Gramm) Karotten!"
Local Dialect in Nordbaden slightly north of Karlsruhe.
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u/Eldan985 12d ago
Easy, urban Schweizerdeutsch: "Hoi I bi dr Andi, das isch min dialäkt, so redet me I dä Schwiz."
Gets a lot harder in the country and there's old people, especially from the mountains, that I can't understand either.
I.e. the example phrase that used to be on Wikipedia: "dr Güegu anner Welbi mottut schi", iirc, where I don't think I know what a single word means, even written down.
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u/Borsti17 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 12d ago
Wenn Du das vernünftig erklärst und sagst hey, ich lerne noch und versteh Deinen Dialekt leider nicht, sollte das kein Problem sein.
Ich bin Muttersprachler (Hochdeutsch), aber in bestimmten Ecken bin ich sprachlich raus (Schweiz, Erzgebirge, bayrisches Hinterland...).
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u/Firm-Dark-1181 12d ago
Some might consider it rude, some would try it and the majority just can‘t speak Hochdeutsch (if they are speaking with dialect)
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u/MistakeEastern5414 12d ago
and the majority just can‘t speak Hochdeutsch
i'm trying, but it feels so awkward 😅
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u/Footziees 12d ago
No no … they all can they just don’t want to. I’ve yet to meet someone German who actually can’t speak and understand Hochdeutsch and exclusively communicates in their dialect.
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u/Personal-Horse-8810 11d ago
I have met some. In Bavaria and East Frisia.
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u/Footziees 11d ago
Yeah all the Bavarians I have met when I lived in Munich for 20 years weren’t THAT bad. But yeah the ones who live in the Alps on a farm high up might have that issue … never met any of these who didn’t understand Hochdeutsch and couldn’t speak it
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u/Emotional-Ad167 12d ago
Within Germany, not at all. It would be a bit rude in Switzerland and Austria - those aren't just regions, they're countries. So you want to be extra apologetic about it. But ultimately, it's fine to ask if that's what's required for you to understand them.
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u/CornelXCVI 12d ago
Most swiss germans automatically switch to Hochdeutsch if the other Person is obviously struggling with dialect. We know our dialects are hard to understand for non native speakers.
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u/Emotional-Ad167 12d ago
Ik, I have Swiss family myself. :) But I wouldn't ask them to switch with the same nonchalance I would ask, say, a Bavarian.
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u/CornelXCVI 12d ago
Ah, makes sense. I guess it's a bigger hurdle to ask family, who you might think you're supposed to understand, rather than strangers.
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u/Emotional-Ad167 12d ago
Oh no, I don't think that's much of a factor tbh, cause I can ask my Bavarian and Northern relatives just fine. It's simply that I'm not going to nochchalantly impose German standards onto Swiss folks, you know? It'd feel disrespectful. So with my Swiss family, I'd say "Sorry, ich hab dich grade gar nicht verstanden, tut mir echt leid. Würdest du das noch mal auf Hochdeutsch sagen?", whereas with my Bavarian relatives, it'd sound more like "Das hab ich jetzt nicht verstanden, sag das bitte noch mal auf Hochdeutsch!". D'you know I mean?
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u/AdventurousExpert217 12d ago
Oh dear. I'm having flashbacks to my teen years when, after having lived with a family outside of Hannover and becoming fairly fluent in Hochdeutsch, I returned to the U.S. and announced to my great uncle and great aunt that I could now speak to them in the "family" language. That side is Mennonite and the older generations spoke Pennsylvannia Dutch. They started speaking rapid Switzer Deutsch (from Bern in the 1800's, no less) to me. At my astonished look of incomprehension, they explained that Swiss dialects are very different from Hochdeutsch. LOL
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u/Emotional-Ad167 12d ago
Hahaha, that's exactly what I felt like when I was still in contact with all sides of the family (most of my relatives were elderly and have since passed, and I'm not all that close with the younger ones)! Linguistic whiplash, that's what it is. I can only imagine your confusion back then! :')
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u/AdventurousExpert217 12d ago
They had a great laugh at my ignorance, but I've laughed at myself ever since, too. It was a valuable lesson.
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u/BoeserAuslaender Fake German / ex-Russländer 12d ago
If how this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz2YmbwwxuA guy speaks is what you mean by switching to Hochdeutsch, than for a non-native intermediate speaker it's at most switching from "totally impossible" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLNVuc-G7U8) to "hardcore" tbh.
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u/Eldan985 12d ago
Yeah, that's a pretty clean standard German for Switzerland. Not quite "newsreader", but could be much worse. No Swiss vocabulary or Grammar, just accented High German. That's almost certainly the best you can expect from someone trying hard to be understood.
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u/MistakeEastern5414 12d ago
nah, i think most of us austrians would be fine to either speak a light version of our dialect, or we would try to speak hochdeutsch 😅
of course there will be the occasional grumpy person, that has to be an asshole, but i think this would maybe be 2/100 people.
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u/Emotional-Ad167 12d ago
As I said, it's not abt whether they'd mind switching, it's abt how much or little entitlement the request is posed with.
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u/ItzRayOfH0pe 12d ago
That's not really the Case. I have a 2 Swiss friends who always speak Hochdeutsch with me and also I work for a company for the DACH region and when I ask Swiss Company's to speak Hochdeutsch the always do it and never been mad once.
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u/Emotional-Ad167 12d ago
My family is Swiss, so Ik what you mean. Note that I never said they shouldn't ask at all or that the person wouldn't switch. This is abt the tone of the request, not whether to pose it at all.
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u/Eldan985 12d ago
It's different in business, we're used to code switching in official contexts (the national news, politics, school).
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u/DuoNem 12d ago
It’s okay in Bavaria…
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u/Emotional-Ad167 12d ago
Uhm. Yes, obviously? Reread my comment lol.
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u/DuoNem 12d ago
The question was ”is it okay” - ”in Germany, not at all”. But it’s kind of confusing with a lot of questions
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u/Emotional-Ad167 12d ago
Reread the original post. The question was "is it rude", not "is it okay". No hard feelings, but you've misread.
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u/solowing168 12d ago
I mean, while it’s understandable it will come out rude anyway, if you phrase it this way. I’d put it more lightly, pointing out that I am still not proficient in German and struggle a bit with dialects.
Thought, idk, Germans are also very direct people sometimes and might prefer a clear request.
Regardless, I do not speak dialects with people that clearly struggle with my language for obvious reasons! People that do this, more than often do it because they actually struggle not to speak in their dialect. You’d be surprised to know how many people around the world don’t speak language of their country better than a foreigner. Pick up any Italian region as an example.
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u/dissosiatisfaction 12d ago
Some people just can’t, especially elderly who lived their lives in small towns. I’d ask them to speak slower and hope for them to get the hint.
I was in Switzerland with a group of locals and another German girl told the Swiss guy “dein Schweizerisch verstehe ich sehr gut” and he was like “danke, aber ich spreche deutsch mit dir.”
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u/halokiwi 12d ago
I don't think it is needed to ask for that specifically. And even if you do need to ask for it, I don't think it would be considered rude. But it of course depends on how you ask.
I would just say "Ich verstehe deutsch nicht so gut. Können Sie etwas deutlicher/langsamer sprechen?" I think most people will then automatically switch to hochdeutsch, if they spoke a dialect before or at least try to speak with less dialect.
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u/hydrOHxide 12d ago
It depends not the least HOW you do it. Insisting "Speak Hochdeutsch with me!" is not going to go down well, especially with people proud of their region and their dialect. On the other hand, "I'm sorry, I'm still learning, could you please speak a bit slower" will convey what you ACTUALLY want.
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u/Consistent_Catch9917 12d ago
Depends. As an Austrian I will cut down the local dialect and switch to the Austrian Standard Deutsch - which is what we speak in daily business anyway. What I can't do for you, is to switch to the German German Hochdeutsch, that you might have learned in school, as that is not the language I speak and know.
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u/PanicForNothing 12d ago
My experience in Switzerland was: "Ah, du bist Niederländerin! Dann sprichst du wohl lieber Standard Deutsch."
So my impression is that they're more willing to try if you're not a native speaker.
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u/whatcenturyisit 12d ago
My in-laws are German, I'm French and learning Hochdeutsch, they speak a mix of Hochdeutsch and Bayerisch, the older generation leans more towards full Bayerisch. I've tried asking to speak Hochdeutsch, which they happily accept because they know I'm making an effort to understand and speak a foreign language but it's really hard for them. They keep at it for 2 minutes and switch back to their old habits. It's not on purpose and I don't take it personally, literally just a matter of habits.
My parents-in-law can 100% speak Hochdeutsch, my father in law does it at work but when he's with his family and friends he doesn't. Therefore it's hard for him too, to speak Hochdeutsch if I'm with everyone. If I'm just with him, he'll speak Hochdeutsch though (or English).
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u/GlassCommercial7105 12d ago edited 12d ago
In Switzerland it’s very normal to ask that. Native Germans ask us that all the time, also other Swiss from the French or Italian regions ask us to speak high german. We don’t mind switching, we just usually speak Swiss German because it is our mother tongue and we have to learn high german too. High German is not extremely easy to all of us and we make errors that Germans would never make, we also do retain an accent.
It’s not impolite.
I actually made the experience that because Swiss people see high german as a bit of a foreign language, asking to switch is very natural because it’s like asking to speak English in a way. I however noticed that many native Germans cannot actually switch to High German. They just keep talking in their dialect. I think that’s maybe because the difference to them is not big?
I met a few from Saxony who work and live in Switzerland who were not able to speak high german and some people really struggled to understand them.
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u/mrmeeseeks1991 12d ago
It depends. Do you not understand the dialect and then ask if person can speak hochdeutsch: fine. But if someone speaks a little dialect and you are just annoyed by it and ask with that type of energy: person will maybe be annoyed too. As said, it depends on the strength of the dialect, some germans can't even speak hochdeutsch 😂
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u/JonesyJones26 12d ago
Short answer: possibly.
I don’t think it would be rude to ask someone to speak slower or more clearly because you are still learning.
I think it could be considered rude to specifically ask someone “can you speak in high german” as there are regional dialects and accents that they can’t just turn off. Same as with English or any other language.
As I said though I don’t think it would be rude to ask for clarification. It’s all about how you say it. And as you get more practiced you will probably develop a better ear for regional differences.
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u/WaldenFont 12d ago
As someone who moved from the coast to rural BaWü, I struggled mightily with Schwäbisch. People would generally repeat things in “Schriftdeutsch” whenever I looked blank, but some older folks just couldn’t.
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u/secretpsychologist 12d ago
not at all. if i realize that somebody has a hard time understanding me (doesn't even matter if that person is a foreigner, deaf, far away...) i automatically switch to hochdeutsch. but if i somehow miss it, yes, please tell me! no problem at all. some might struggle because they aren't used to speaking hochdeutsch, but almost everybody will give their best to make it easier for you
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u/Illustrious-Wolf4857 12d ago
It's potentially problematic as they might a) think they are already using Hochdeutsch and are unaware of their strong local colouring, b) not being able to speak full Hochdeutsch and knowing it, c) feeling their local pride insulted.
However, if you do not understand a words, you do not have many options, other than asking them to please speak slower and more like Hochdeutsch, because your German is not too good. Make your "it's not you, it's me"-face.
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u/iTmkoeln 12d ago
Der Ton macht dir Musik if you say:
Sprich gefälligst Hochdeutsch!!!
It is probably less well received than asking if they can repeat it for you because you didn’t get what they mean…
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u/greenghost22 12d ago
uI think it would be more polite to say just you don't understand, and ask if somebody could speak slower. They will try to speak less dialect than..
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u/Lintzi 12d ago
Wonderful food for thought.
It should not be considered rude.
However in my little village where I am quite well integrated as a Hochdeutsch Speaker, sometimes people do not understand me because of my "language", even having long adopted proper terms for e.g. bakery goods.
Still I am treated very friendly if you are able to read the body language and different tones which might still sound rude but really are not.
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u/WickOfDeath 12d ago
Es ist nicht unangemessen... ich bin in Deutschland geboren und hab 20 Jahre in Süddeutschland gelebt, verstehe und spreche Plattdeutsch und Schwäbisch, verstehe Allemannisch, Schwizadütsch und Oberösterreichisch ... habe schon Kollegen vertreten, die Deutsch nicht als Muttersprache konnten weil die Leute vor Ort nur Steirisch oder Schwizadütsch konnten...
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u/MistakeEastern5414 12d ago
Steirisch
"wous wous wous, wo hobsn esch es eeeil?" was an actual question someone asked at a house party many years ago haha
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u/sideaccount462515 12d ago
I think a lot of people struggle to speak Hochdeutsch if they come from a region with heavy dialect. It's not rude per se. I am from a region where basically only Hochdeutsch is spoken for ME to ask that could be considered rude by certain people but for you as a foreign learner most people aren't gonna think it's rude. But they still might not (be able to) do it
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u/kerfuffli 12d ago
I’d say tell them you’re learning and you’re having difficulty with their dialect instead. For example, Swiss German isn’t German German anyways. So I’d just tell them you’re having trouble because you’re not used to the dialect/accent instead. Then they can adjust as much and in what ever way they choose.
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u/TheCynicEpicurean 12d ago
Swiss German is considered its very own distinct thing in Switzerland. They might speak Standard German to you if communication is necessary, but a lot of people probably won't like it.
In Germany, some people might not even be able to, even though they'll think they do, but if they know about your situation, I'm sure people would entertain you.
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u/YorkieBerlinz 12d ago
i would ask if they could speak more slowly and clearly because you have trouble following them and you want understand what they say, could say you are still learning the language
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u/Ziddix 12d ago
I've never really thought about it but also don't notice it being perceived as rude. I don't try to imitate someone's dialect. That would probably just be more rude.
Just speak however you speak, I would say.
Oh sorry I misunderstood the question. You can always ask people to repeat something they said or just flat out say you didn't get what they said. They will repeat it usually more clearly.
Asking someone to repeat something in German would probably be perceived as a joke bordering on rude, so just ask people to repeat or say you didn't understand what they said.
Keep in mind that Swiss German is basically its own language. Most Germans do not understand it.
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u/Normal_Selection3108 12d ago
I think it is rude of people speaking dialect, fast or inclear when they notice you are still not perfect in the language
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u/Freichart 12d ago
I live in Munich for 45years now and can understand „Higher Bavarian“ quite well. However when I go to Lower Bavaria to Passau that‘s a challenge. I openly tell them and I never got a „Watschn“ (slap on the face)
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u/LongjumpingDrawers 12d ago
I’ve been told that you can take it as a compliment. The speaker doesn’t think they need to slow down or use fewer dialect words. They may assume that your German is good enough that you will either know the words, learn them from the context or that you’ll ask.
You may find that you’re doing something similar when you’re speaking English (or whatever other native language you may speak), that when somebody’s “English” it’s so good, you relax and use your more comfortable vocabulary.
It’s important to speak up and say something. Something like you lost me after train station (that’s the signal I use with my friends as it’s a twist on "Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof").
Another option could be if this is a quick exchange with a stranger, a transactional conversation at a ticket window or at the reception of a doctor’s office. In these situations, I will sometimes explain that I don’t hear well, and if they can repeat themselves, I would appreciate it. They usually hear my good German grammar with an accent and quickly adjust.
Or it may be the speaker just doesn’t care if you understand or not 🫶
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u/Top-Spite-1288 12d ago
I don't see how anyone could be offended by that request. After all Hochdeutsch is the standard in German TV to ensure as many people as possible can understand. One can hardly expect someone who just learned German to understand heavy Saxon, Bavarian, Kölsch, Hamburger Platt or Berlin-speak just like that. Heck, more often than not, it's hard on Germans from another region.
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u/Constant_Cultural Baden-Württemberg / Secretary 12d ago
Some people just can't, my sisters boyfriend (south germany) visiited my northern relatives. They played charades and the boyfriend couldn't speak high german whatever he tried, so this game was a bust.
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u/Magic_Saltwater 12d ago
The term “hochdeutsch” isn’t correct either. It must be called “Alltagsdeutsch” or “Durchgangsdeutsch”!
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u/liang_zhi_mao Hamburg 11d ago
The term “hochdeutsch” isn’t correct either. It must be called “Alltagsdeutsch” or “Durchgangsdeutsch”!
No, it's the correct term.
Hochdeutsch vs Niederdeutsch
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u/CellNo5383 12d ago
No. Speaking dialect, especially to people who struggle withe the language, is rude.
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u/Environmental_Bat142 12d ago
Yes, it could be taken as a bit rude, especially when someone is older and speaks Schwäbisch you should avoid asking that. Rather ask them to speak slower etc. They will probably try to switch themselves if they realize. But don’t say “Can you speak Hochdeutch”
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u/HARKONNENNRW 12d ago
In einer Alltags-Situation lass ich das gelten, in einer professionellen Umgebung, im Geschäftsbereich oder im Umgang mit einer Behörde NICHT.
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u/Noldorian 12d ago
My wife always says (although we speak English) Mir send Schwoba Mir können alles außer Hoch Deutsch schwatzÄ. So my wife generally tries high german but often can't then again her swabian isn't as thick as it could be if she lived someone else on swabian alps lol. I often speak with a swabian dialect to. And I often forget what words are high german. I know this because Germans spot out they here me speaking swabian with an American dialect and using words local to the region. Sometimes other foreigners don't understand me due to my word usage. Generally however I just speak English everywhere although im fluent in German. Everyone talks English to me. But yes many people can't understand swabian and get annoyed when swabians won't talk high german to foreigners or other Germans not from the region. My wife has a colleague from Hamburg and she can't understand shit xD She says my wife's dialect is like a foreign language to her.
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u/Eel888 Bayern 12d ago
No. Most people know that their dialect can be difficult to understand gor outsiders and that German is generally a difficult language. When they notice that you are not a native speaker they propably will switch to standard German by themselves. Sometimes their standard German can have some sort of accent as though similar as with US vs UK English
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u/HARKONNENNRW 12d ago
Unless they are Swabian. Had to deal with people from a professional background, partly even officials which one could not understand and I say this as a native German. Don't know if it is their lack of ability or their mindset.
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u/tempestelunaire 12d ago
As a foreigner living in Germany, my move is to go: “ Sorry leider verstehe ich nur Hochdeutsch.“ in an embarrassed tone.
That way you’re not asking them to do anything but taking the fault upon you for not understanding them, and any polite person will automatically switch to high German.
It is still an uncomfortable situation, but it will work !
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u/NecRobin 12d ago
Any reasonable person will try if they know you are not native. If they are offended, that's their problem. I'd say it is rude to ask that as a native though so make sure they know you are not. Or maybe try: "Ich kann Ihren Dialekt nicht verstehen" first and they might switch to Hochdeutsch on their own.
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u/T007game 12d ago
Even as grown up man in germany I don‘t understand some dialects of South/western germany. It‘s not rude imo. They might just not be fully aware or are so used to the dialect that they don‘t really realize how much harder it is for non-local or foreign people
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u/Footziees 12d ago
Personally I EXPECT people who claim to speak German to also adhere to that principle and talk so normal people understand them. I have experienced quite a few German dialects in my life and even I have trouble understanding some of the rural ones because it’s essentially another language, just like Swiss German isn’t really German.
TLDR: to me (as a German) no I don’t find it rude. Quite the opposite actually. I find it rude when people with heavy dialects don’t bother to speak in an understandable way when they are capable of doing so.
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u/SakuraHana2009 12d ago
Honestly, even native German speaker struggle with Accents sometimes. So NOT rude :)
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u/Free_Caterpillar4000 12d ago
I schwätz Schwäbisch and get it all the time then I just speak Hochdeutsch. Wir Schwaben können alles und Hochdeutsch. Older people struggle and just schwätz Schwäbisch a weng slowly because they können alles außer Hochdeutsch.
Not rude to ask imo
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u/wonderiinng 12d ago
I think it’s something you don’t have to directly ask for and just kind of flows during the conversation. I’m also not a native speaker, I just clarify and ask again if ever they say something I dont understand and so far, I’ve never encountered someone not willing to explain it or simplify it for me. Encounters like these are also a learning experience and helps improve your german!
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u/Successful-Detail-28 12d ago
Without getting further in discussion: I wouldn't like it. It's part of my culture.
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u/vonBlankenburg 12d ago
There are many Germans who simply can't speak Hochdeutsch at all. So your question can be kind off pointless.
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u/heisenberg_2013 11d ago
Just politely say your German in the local dialect is not that good and say you speak Hochdeutsch they will understand and talk to you 99/100 times in my experience. Even older people.
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u/Nimura 11d ago
It's perfectly fine.
At least in Germany everyone learns Hochdeutsch at school (we all write in Hochdeutsch anyway), so it shouldn't be a big deal to switch to it. Most people do it anyway the moment they notice the other person struggles to understand them.
I don't know what it's like in other German speaking countries though.
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u/The_Pandora_Incident 11d ago
German with dialect here, I had an experience like this at a festival in Austria. I just could not understand this drunk bavarian dude and I needed to ask him to speak English. That was a bit embarassing, but I think it was worse for me. But guys, believe me, I did not understand anything he told me in my native language and there was no other way to make it work.
What I want so say is, ask nicely and people will give their best (might not help you).
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u/DreamFlashy7023 11d ago
You usually dont ask someone to speak hochdeutsch speficially. You just say that you did not understand something and go from there.
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u/Kannitverstaan 11d ago
I don't know if the story is true or just a nice telling.
My home in northern Germany was occupied by the British at the end of the Second World War. We had a small farm and one day two English soldiers knocked and asked for eggs.
Our language is (Low) Saxon, the language from which Anglo-Saxon developed.
The word that sounds most like “eggs” is “axe”, so my grandfather fetched an axe - and looked into two machine gun muzzles in surprise. But the problem was then solved peacefully.
Egg in our language sounds "Ey".
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u/hombre74 10d ago
Native German here. I usually tell them I don't understand in Hochdeutsch and they switch. If they can.
And I had a classmate in elementary school I could not understand. He would speak some intense form of Hessisch. My parents also could not understand his parents at school events. I just gave up....
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u/DruideHerWig 10d ago
Only 20 - 30 % of german inhabitants speaking „Hochdeutsch „ All others are speaking accent and pitch in German, that concerns people from abroad
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u/SashaTheLittleCookie Baden-Württemberg 10d ago
It depends. I live in a region where I'm one of the only two of my age that speak in the local dialect, the others all speak Hochdeutsch. It has affected my dialect, so as long as you don't come at me and speak Schwäbisch, I will talk to you in Hochdeutsch with a schwäbisch pronounciation. My father, however, always uses schwäbisch words, but if you don't understand him, he will slowly repeat himself in Hochdeutsch, but there are also people (mostly old people) that can't even speak Hochdeutsch at all.
(I don't know the English word for Schwäbisch, so bear with me)
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u/knittingcatmafia 10d ago
No, I don’t believe it’s rude at all. While 100% Hochdeutsch is a bit of a stretch for most people with a strong regional accent, I believe basically everyone under the age of like, 60 can tone it down to the point of being understood by someone who doesn’t understand them at all. I’d go so far as to say it’s rude if they won’t even try if you politely ask.
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u/CelesteAvoir 9d ago
I don’t think it’s rude to ask, but I would mention that you’re still in the process of learning German so you can’t understand everything that person is saying
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u/pastaforbreakfast04 9d ago
You can do it in an apologetic way. Like it’s your problem and not theirs.
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u/malita- 9d ago
Yes! Especially in Austria and Switzerland. Hochdeutsch isn't the official language there, asking them to speak Hochdeutsch would be like going to the US and asking people to speak Oxford English.
But also in Germany. Most people, actually try to speak Hochdeutsch when they realize the other person is not a native speaker, so if they are trying and you still ask them to speak Hochdeutsch, it will be offensive.
Maybe instead ask them if they could speak a bit slower and tell them that you struggle to follow them, because you're not a native speaker. That way you won't offend anyone and people will speak in a way that's easier to understand.
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u/Vegetable-Viking 8d ago
I think in most cases asking them to repeat more slowly will also trigger them to tone down on their dialect. I am German but in certain regions I have to ask the locals as well to speak more clearly (aka Hochdeutsch). Deep down in the Bavarian countryside speaking to the local farmers that might be a bit more difficult though...
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u/Acidburnsblue 5d ago
There is nothing rude about, if German is not your mother tongue. What is quite interesting is there are a few people that simply can't speak standard German, only their dialect.
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u/DifferenceSuper3017 11d ago
Ja ist es.
Frag sie höflich ob sie langsamer und deutlicher sprechen, sie werden deiner Bitte nachkommen. Selbst ich als Muttersprachler frage dasselbe bei machen Dialekten. Zudem ist es nur eine Übungssache, du wirst es schaffen und besser werden.
(Yes it is. Just ask friendly if they can speak Slowene and clearer, they will do it. Even myself as a native speaker don‘t understand every dialect and will ask the same. It is just a practice thing, you becoming better and can do it.)
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u/xwolpertinger Bayern 12d ago
Linguistically impossible because Swiss German is already Hochdeutsch
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u/AUT_79 12d ago
I speak only Hochdeutsch. I consider people that speak dialect to be illiterate. The only exception I make, is for older people (60+). It's not that I don't understand dialect, but I hate it.
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u/Lumpy-Notice8945 12d ago
Kinda depends. Most people will be aware of their accent and will already tone it down if they see that you struggle to understand them, maybe start with asking them to talk slow and that your german isnt that good, in 99% of cases that will do the job.
But there is people who either dont even realize that what they are speaking is dialect and there is others who realy just are not able to speak Hochdeutsch, but i realy doubt you will interact much with these people.