Everyday Germany

"Gendering" in German ("gendern") is done in written German to make a word more inclusive. For example: "Mitarbeiter" is the general word for "co-workers", but the word has a male gender. To make it more representative, Germans often add "innen" at the end to include women. Thus, the word becomes "mitarbeiter_innen" (sometimes with an asterisk instead of an underscore).

In a recent court case, a VW worker sued employees at Audi, a child company, for using gendered language in written communication. Shaun and Nina discuss the outcome of the case, and also what gendering actually means.

The news report they discuss: German court rules against employee
The Charter of Diversity: https://www.charta-der-vielfalt.de/en/



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The podcast will be on a summer break; new episodes coming again in September 2023!



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Nina has German and American roots, so obviously she's interested in the history of German Americans. In this episode, Nina goes solo to talk about the Germans who settled in the American colonies, and the cultural elements they introduced into what is now USA culture. She's also got some fun facts and figures, as she always does. 


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Do you have a story about a grumpy German telling you what you were doing wrong, or how you should be doing something differently? We'd love to hear it! Contact us (details below) and tell us so we can share it on a future episode!

In this episode, Shaun gives his own example of how a German recently went out of their way to explain how he had parked incorrectly.  
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Following on from our discussion about Spezi last week, we talk about the interesting city of Augsburg.

Take a look at the "king" of Augsburg.


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What is Spezi? Why do Germans love it so much? Dominik from the Ach? podcast joins Nina and Shaun to talk about German soft drinks, including Spezi, Club-Mate, Fanta, schorle, and sparkling water. 

• Original Spezi logo
• Article in German about why Spezi is special
• Another article in German about Spezi
• The TikTok sparkling water reaction video Dominik mentions

Listen to Dominik on the Ach? podcast: https://www.das-a.ch/

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This episode was originally recorded for The Germany Experience in February 2022.

Original show notes: 

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 know about? For foreigners, being a dinner guest in a German's home can feel like daunting minefield.

But actually, it's really not. Nina take us step-by-step through being a dinner guest in a German's home, starting from bringing a small gift through to how to signal that you're done eating your food.


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Nina drops some historical nuggets about Neuschwanstein castle and King Ludwig II, Shaun explains his plans for his vacation with his father and brother, and Shaun and Nina read out listener feedback. 

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Shaun came across a study done in 2021 that revealed that around 61 percent of people aged 18 to 24 years old in Germany believe in horoscopes. Shaun and Nina discuss these findings (and their own opinions on horoscopes), and they share differing opinions on personality tests.

The article (in German): Was die Deutschen über Sternzeichen und Zukunftsvorhersagen glauben

What are your opinions on horoscopes and personality tests?


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At the age of around 11, children in Germany get placed on one of several paths through the German education system, each ending in a different outcome. Does it make sense? Is it classist? Shaun and Nina discuss their opinions on how the German school system works. 

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Nazi Billionaires is a book that looks at how German tycoons made billions off the horrors of the Third Reich and World War II, and at how the families who have inherited that wealth have dealt with acknowledging the crimes of their patriarchs. It tells the story of five German dynasties - Quand, Flick, von Finck, Porsche-Piëch, and Oetcker - by looking at how they came into contact with the Nazi party, how they profited off weapons production, cheap labor, and Aryanization during the Third Reich, and at how they were able to escape the fall of the Third Reich with much of their wealth intact.

The book's author, David de Jong, joins Nina and Shaun to discuss the book.

Buy the book: 

• Amazon
• Harper Collins
• In German - Braunes Erbe

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