German Culture Episodes
June 8, 2022
German traditions or superstitions? (Nina from Germany)
If you've ever wished a German "Happy birthday" before their actual birthday, you will no doubt have quickly learnt that it's just not done. It's just a tradition based on superstition, but many Germans abide by it. So, is i…
April 20, 2022
States of Liberation: gay rights and discrimination in Cold War Germany (Samuel Clowes Huneke)
It's conventional knowledge that West Germany was more liberal and progressive than East Germany. Then it stands to reason that West Germany was more accepting of gay rights. But was this really the case? Of course, these th…
Feb. 9, 2022
How to be a good dinner guest in a German home (Nina from Germany)
Getting invited to a German's home for dinner is difficult enough, but if it happens, you're probably nearing the German's "inner circle". But how do you behave? What is good etiquette? Are there unwritten rules you need to …
Oct. 6, 2021
German culture: Der Struwwelpeter and other horrifying children's stories (Nina from Germany)
After watching the Calvin & Habs duo do a reenactment of a German children's story called "Paulinchen", I decided to buy the collection of stories it appears in. It's called Der Struwwelpeter, named after one of the characte…
May 26, 2021
Three amazing women from German history (Jasmin from HerStory)
Jasmin is the host of a podcast called Herstory, which tells the stories of strong women from history. Her podcast inspired this week's episode: a look back at incredible (and underappreciated) women from Germany's history. …
March 15, 2021
Common things Germans say and do, and what they mean (Nina from Germany)
The Germans have certain words, sayings, and gestures that they do very often, often without even thinking about it. And some of these things can be very confusing to people new in Germany. For example: you'll often hear "O…
Nov. 2, 2020
Ask a German: Bureaucracy, German pillows, standing in line, and recruitment through fruit (Dominik, Jürgen & Philipp from Ach?)
You sent in your questions, and I put them to Germans to get the answers. It's Ask A German time! The three German guests are the always funny and entertaining hosts of the German podcast, Ach ! They answer the questions tha…
Oct. 19, 2020
Wurst/arsch/schwein idioms, why “Der/Die/Das” is weird, and sitting down to pee in Germany (Ricardo from Brazil & Ivan from Bulgaria)
Ricardo from Brazil and Ivan from Bulgaria are the people behind the Can You German? Instagram account. They met by chance in Germany, where they became friends. Later, when Ivan was stuck in Brazil due to COVID-19, they spe…
Sept. 28, 2020
German youth words of 2020 (Nina from Germany)
Every year, the Langenscheidt publishing house searches for the youth word of that year. It's happening again, and Nina from Germany (who previously appeared in the Fasching episode back in February) helps me explain the wor…
Aug. 24, 2020
RERUN: Discussing German stereotypes with Nicole from The Expat Cast
Originally released on October 20th, 2019 (episode #20). Are Germans really efficient? Do they like order? Are they as punctual as everyone says they are? Nicole, a US expat living in Germany and the host of The Expat Cast ,…
Aug. 3, 2020
German culture: The top 10 selling musical artists in Germany (Craig from Scotland)
In order to better understand the music tastes of Germans, Craig from Scotland joins me to look at the top 10 selling musical artists in Germany. This includes German and international acts who have sold the most albums sinc…
April 28, 2020
German culture: The top 10 grossing German movies (Dominik from the Ach! podcast)
A good way to explore Germany's culture is through its movies. And what better way to do that than to look at the German movies that have had the most success in Germany? But you'll be surprised at the movies that the German…
Feb. 17, 2020
Carnival/Fasching in Germany: "pomp and splendor" (Nina from Germany)
It's the middle of Carnival (also known as Fasching or Fastnacht, depending on where in Germany you are). I am not a big fan of it, and so I got a real live German who IS a fan of it to come on the show and explain to me why…
Jan. 20, 2020
Classic German movies: Loriot's Pappa Ante Portas
You can learn a lot about a culture by watching its movies, which is why I've decided to start watching some classic German movies. I'll discuss why the movie I have chosen is important to German culture, whether it's a good…
Dec. 23, 2019
Missing holiday traditions from home, making new traditions, and fireworks on New Year's Eve
For foreigners living in Germany, the holidays are a time that we recreate traditions from our home countries, adopt German traditions, and start new ones. I take a look at how my Christmas experience in Germany has been, an…