"I read somewhere..."

[SimonMac]

Say its a H&S issue and you can get away with most things!

[SueEllen]

This is difficult to apply because in a conversation, if there is no other nations involved we feel stupid if we don't speak our language. It's not related with lack of respect and I believe that it's difficult for a native English speaker to understand because English it's the international language.

For you it is but for some of my European friends' it isn't.

I actually find it funny that instead of speaking their mother tongue when with someone else they know or are introduced to from the same country/area they converse in English.

[Bee]

For you it is but for some of my European friends' it isn't.

I actually find it funny that instead of speaking their mother tongue when with someone else they know or are introduced to from the same country/area they converse in English.

Probably because you are there.

[SueEllen]

Probably because you are there.

Nah I make a point of walking off and leaving them to it.

Then coming back and not overhearing/seeing a switch in language.

The people who do it tend to be Northern Europeans and/or learnt English before 7.

[Bee]

Nah I make a point of walking off and leaving them to it.

Then coming back and not overhearing/seeing a switch in language.

The people who do it tend to be Northern Europeans and/or learnt English before 7.

I don't have that experience, and I worked with Northern, Central and South Europeans. Sorry.
But with is I'm not telling you that it's impossible.

[SueEllen]

I don't have that experience, and I worked with Northern, Central and South Europeans. Sorry.
But with is I'm not telling you that it's impossible.

These are a mixture of people I've worked with and friends'.

Oh and they write English better than the majority of people on this board, which may have something to do with it.

[NotAllThere]

At client site we foreigners have been banned from speaking German because it makes our Swiss and German colleagues ears hurt.

[Bee]

These are a mixture of people I've worked with and friends'.

Oh and they write English better than the majority of people on this board, which may have something to do with it.

Of course, at work we must have more careful the way we write.

[zeitghost]

I actually find it funny that instead of speaking their mother tongue when with someone else they know or are introduced to from the same country/area they converse in English.

I was quite amused when my Indian colleague related the tale of the time he met another Indian gentleman on the street & after trying one or two Indian languages, they found their only common language was English.

[Kraut]

Interesting point - I was not having a go I was actually agreeing with you.

I am off to Germany next weekend - although my German is pretty rubbish I will make sure I can say the basics in the native tongue thats for sure - it's embarrassing if you ever go to a country and cannot say some basic phrases..

Anyway know any good bars in Cologne?

I didn't take any offense at all, don't worry (that's not that easy to achieve! ) Just saying that those foreigners who try to settle here don't like to be called guests.

I don't know any particular bars in Cologne I'm afraid. Last time I was there (ages ago), we did a crawl... one pub as good as any other eventually