2008/01/20 - Du oder Sie?

We already talked about this topic in the Podcast but here it is again for those who did not listen to all episodes:
We usually "Siezen" people (grown ups) we do not know:
Wie heissen Sie?
Kann ich Ihnen helfen?
Was kann ich für Sie tun?

There are, however, many areas where we use the informal ("Dutzen") version (in sport clubs, at universities, in the mountains, etc.):
Wie heisst Du?
Kann ich Dir helfen?
Was kann ich für Dich tun?

In general I try to avoid it and let the other person choose how to address me if he/she is older than me. With people I guess to be below 30 I usually just use the informal version (if I am not in a bank that is). This is widely accepted nowadays and maybe I have been too long at a university .-)

If you want to know more about it, here is a discussion about it at yahoo.de.


Euch noch einen schönen Sonntag,
Stephan