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. 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