20 Main cultural differences between Canada and Germany 

Main cultural differences between Canada and Germany 

Here are a few basic cultural differences between Canadian and German cultures you should know about:

• • It is a myth that there is no speed limit on the Autobahn. At least not in the way most people think. Only short, limited stretches on it do. Also, you can’t turn right on the red light. 
  • Everything is close. You can easily get by without a car in Germany. 
  • The system of pubic transit (streetcars, busses & trains) is light years ahead of Canada, but most Germans make fun of Deutsche Bahn (German Railway) for lack of reliability. After all, the train did arrive whole 3 minutes late last time!
  • Cycling paths (Radwege) are everywhere and cyclists take them very seriously. You will get yelled at you if you are in their way.
  • People in Germany are more direct and usually say what they think. Smalltalk with strangers is kept to a minimum.
  • Noticeably more people smoke in Germany. In rare cases, it might even be permitted inside.
  • It is usually considered impolite to accept a compliment. Instead, you are usually expected to say something negative about the object of the compliment.
  • Most Germans reveal or discuss matters of personal life with close friends, not with colleagues or acquaintances.
  • When answering the phone, many people say their last name instead of ‘hello’.
  • “How are you?”/“Wie geht’s?” is not a greeting, but a genuine question. In Germany, you don’t ask people you don’t know how they are doing.  
  • When finger-counting, Germans start by extending the thumb, then the index, then the middle finger, etc.
  • Emails without a term address in the beginning and a closing greeting at the end (!) are considered impolite.
  • Alcohol can be sold almost everywhere in Germany and consuming it in public is allowed. 
  • The opening quotation mark in German is normally below, not above: „Mein Name ist Nico.”
  • When writing the date, the German format goes from small to large: days/months/year. Normally they are separated by periods:

  e.g. June 5, 2021 in German would be written as 5.6.2021

  • Although we also divide our calendar year in 52 weeks, Germans give a number to each week and use it to refer to a specific week. They use the word ‘Kalenderwoche’ (calendar week) or KW followed by the number:

  e.g. currently we are in week #19 of the year which is written as ‘KW 19’ in German

  • To make a number ordinal (‘first’ instead of ‘one’, ‘second’ instead of ‘two’ etc.), in German you add a period after the number:

  e.g. 1. = first but 1 = one, 21. = twenty-first, 21 = twenty-one