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<\/p>\nAs many German language learners know, in German there are two different ways of saying the word \u2018You\u2019. There is \u2018du\u2019, which is informal, and \u2018Sie\u2019, which is formal. This is entirely different to the English language, which only uses one word (You) for both.<\/p>\n
I wanted to touch on this subject to discuss the use of Sie and du at the workplace.<\/p>\n
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First, let me re-cap Sie and du. Let\u2019s say we take the sentence, \u201cHow are you?\u201d as an example. In English, regardless of who you are speaking to, you say the same thing: \u201cHow are you?\u201d However, depending on who you are speaking to, you can say this sentence in two different ways in German:<\/p>\n
Wie geht es dir?<\/strong><\/p>\n Or:<\/p>\n Wie geht es Ihnen? <\/strong><\/p>\n The first, Wie geht es dir? <\/strong>is the \u2018du\u2019 version, and is a friendly, informal greeting that you would use with friends, family, and anyone who you know quite well and are on friendly terms with.<\/p>\n The second, Wie geht es Ihnen? <\/strong>is the \u2018Sie\u2019 version, and is a polite, formal greeting. Generally, you use this version to speak to anyone, until they (or you, depending on who is more senior) invite you to use \u2018du\u2019.<\/p>\n So, in other words, the formal version is the default between two people, until their relationship changes into a friendlier one. This is effective in creating a respectful distance between people that is necessary in many situations \u2013 like the workplace, for example.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Working in England with a German speaker<\/strong><\/p>\n I live in England, so I never had to deal with the issue of Sie and du at the workplace \u2013 until an Austrian girl joined my team, and we started speaking in German to one another. I found this difficult at first. I wanted to use \u2018du\u2019 with her, because \u2018Sie\u2019 seemed so formal \u2013 after all, if she had been an English speaker I would have spoken as informally as possible, to make her feel welcome. If I were to explain this in a way that an English person could relate to, I would say this:<\/p>\n Each time I used \u2018Sie\u2019 with my Austrian colleague I felt like, instead of saying, \u201cWhat time do you start work?\u201d I was saying, \u201cCould you please inform me of the time you begin your shift, madam?\u201d<\/p>\n It felt unnatural. I felt I was coming across as cold, being so formal with her in German, yet so informal with her in English! Thankfully, she used \u2018du\u2019 with me one day, and so we naturally started addressing each other informally. Needless to say, I felt much more at ease once that had happened.<\/p>\n The reason I was so conscious of my choice of words was because I didn\u2019t want to offend her. Unlike in England, the distinction between \u2018Sie\u2019 and \u2018du\u2019 is quite a big deal in German-speaking workplaces, and this social etiquette can be difficult to understand if you are not used to it.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n German shop employees<\/strong><\/p>\n But this distance is created in other ways, too. In many German shops, employees wear name badges with their title and surname \u2013 not their first name. In those situations, when they call to another employee, instead of saying, \u201cHey, Brigitte, ich brauche Kleingeld!\u201d (\u201cHey, Brigitte, I need change!\u201c), they\u2019d say, \u201cHey, Frau Schmidt, ich brauche Kleingeld!\u201d (\u201cHey, Mrs. Schmidt, I need change!\u201d) This is just one way of creating a respectful distance in the workplace, as it means they’d only call someone by their first name if they were on genuinely friendly terms with them. It also makes the working environment a little more formal.<\/p>\n Another thing this does, I think, is create a respectful distance between employees and customers. Working in a shop myself (in England), I get taken aback when customers use my first name (which they have read on my badge). To me it sounds as if they are speaking to me like I am their friend, and that bothers me. In that respect, I find the German custom of only using title + surname much, much nicer, as you can’t act like someone’s best pal if you are addressing them as “Mrs. Smith”.<\/p>\n Using du with other employees<\/strong><\/p>\n On the topic of relationships between employees, I found an excellent explanation from ZEIT Campus<\/em> magazine about the importance of Sie and du in the workplace:<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n When a ‘du’ slips out!<\/strong><\/p>\n There have been other occasions at work where I\u2019ve obsessed over the use of Sie or du. For instance, I once accidentally addressed a German customer with \u2018du\u2019 and was mortified for quite a while afterwards, until my Austrian colleague reassured me that it wasn\u2019t a big deal, considering the relatively informal setting we work in. Still, I thought I had made a faux-pas. Another time I was addressed with \u2018du\u2019 by a stranger, and I felt quite insulted, though I couldn\u2019t figure out why (I can only assume it was the German half of me revealing itself). Instead of using \u2018du\u2019 back I continued with \u2018Sie\u2019, as a sort of barricade to let him know I wasn\u2019t impressed. This was instinctive on my part, but I\u2019m not sure if it had any impact on him.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n ‘Du’ as an offensive term<\/strong><\/p>\n If you’re wondering how using ‘du’ can be offensive to people, here’s an example. I read a book recently called \u201cRuf! Mich! An!\u201d<\/em> by Else Buschheuer. In it, the main character Paprika talks frequently about the use of Sie and du. To Paprika, it is an insult if people use \u2018du\u2019 without her permission. In one instance, she asks herself:<\/p>\n \u201eDutzt mich der Arsch?\u201c<\/strong> (\u201eIs that arsehole addressing me using \u201adu\u2018?\u201c)<\/p>\n On another occasion, she employs the use of \u2018du\u2019 herself to insult somebody:<\/p>\n \u201c \u2018Nimm das Zeug und steck\u2019s dir in den Arsch!\u2019 Manchmal ist Duzen auch sch\u00f6n.\u201c<\/strong> (\u201e \u201aTake it and shove it up your arse!\u2019 Sometimes addressing people using \u2018du\u2019 is fun, too.\u201c)<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n To conclude<\/strong><\/p>\n Those are my little anecdotes and musings on the use of Sie and du in the workplace.<\/p>\n What I would advise English speakers when using Sie and du is this:<\/p>\n If you have any further tips, or any stories relating to this topic, feel free to share them in a comment!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As many German language learners know, in German there are two different ways of saying the word \u2018You\u2019. There is \u2018du\u2019, which is informal, and \u2018Sie\u2019, which is formal. This is entirely different to the English language, which only uses one word (You) for both. I wanted to touch on this subject to discuss the…<\/p>\n
\nTranslation:<\/em> \u201cEvery business, company and department has its own rules when it comes to how to speak to one other, and these rules determine who can say \u2018du\u2019 to whom, and when, and why. Just because you have many young colleagues, or want to appear open and friendly, that doesn\u2019t mean you can simply abandon the use of \u2018Sie\u2019 immediately. This can appear disrespectful, and will quickly give you a reputation of unprofessionalism. As a rule, you should continue using \u2018Sie\u2019 until a colleague invites you to use \u2018du\u2019.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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