{"id":19278,"date":"2022-05-29T16:59:27","date_gmt":"2022-05-29T13:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dasakademie.com\/?p=19278"},"modified":"2025-12-22T14:39:37","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T11:39:37","slug":"duzen-and-siezen-informal-vs-formal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/de.dasakademie.com\/es\/duzen-and-siezen-informal-vs-formal\/","title":{"rendered":"Duzen and Siezen: Informal vs. formal?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Learning a language involves quite a bit more than studying the pronunciation of words and working out how to put them together. Learning a new language means also learning about the culture and how people who speak the target language live their lives. This is why in our cursos intensivos de alem\u00e1n en Berl\u00edn<\/a>, we make sure you know all about the German culture as well as the language. When you practice your newly-acquired speaking skills abroad, it\u2019s important to know how you should speak to your interlocutor. This usually refers to the correct body language and gestures, but can also include whether to address them in a formal or an informal way. If you’re busy during the day and would prefer to learn German in the evenings, we also offer a range of cursos nocturnos de alem\u00e1n en Berl\u00edn<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Formal or an informal communication<\/h2>\n
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Some of the main things to think about in communication are as follows:<\/p>\n

Do you look your interlocutor in the eyes? Do you copy their body language? Do you address them in a formal or informal way (siezen or duzen)?<\/p>\n

The way in which people use second-person pronouns (e.g. ‘you’ (singular or plural) in English), first and last names, and other terms such as ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’ to address one another, are fundamental in establishing social relationships. They depict cultural values and can tell us a lot about how social structures are developed. All of these questions require training and cross-cultural communication knowledge. In this blog, we are going to help you avoid some of the common problems you may face in these situations, by focusing on the ‘Duzen’ and ‘Siezen’ rule in German.<\/p>\n

Before anything else, the first thing to note is that in the German language, there is a clear distinction between you (informal) and you (formal). This is the reason why it can sometimes be hard to translate and conjugate German verbs. The two ways in which you can address your interlocutor are by using ‘du’ or ‘Sie’. German emphasises the difference not only with pronouns but also with verb conjugation –\u00a0 a concept which is non-existent in English.<\/p>\n

Example: Use of the verb ‘to be’ in English and German:<\/p>\n

\"Example:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/div>\n
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Thanks to this example, you can see that in the German language, there are three ways to say ‘you’:<\/p>\n