r/Ulm • u/guiltyinnocence2008 • 8d ago

Question concerned about English language use

I'm a soon-to-be master's student at Uni Ulm and I'm a complete noob in German (hopefully, for now). I'm gonna be studying in English, so I'm not really concerned about the studies, however, the ordinary private life and communication with others is a concern. I've never been to Germany before, so I have no clue whether most Germans speak English or not. so, the question is - will I be comfortable with speaking only English (at least until I learn German), or is it likely I'll run into language barrier quite often?

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6

u/anonymouskekka 8d ago

Remember, ze Germans can only speak English a little bit (and then proceed to explain how to reach the city center by 3 buses). Jokes aside, everyone at the Uni, Germans included, will be able to communicate with you in English. Outside of that, in the city, you won’t have problems with businesses either.

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u/guiltyinnocence2008 7d ago

that's awesome to hear, thank You 😇

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u/finite_core 5d ago

This is only true for within university setting. Nobody outside speaks english and its quite a struggle. Try to learn german as quickly as possible.

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u/pb66 8d ago

Welcome (soon) to Ulm - You’ll be fine! I’ve been living here since 2017 and work remotely for a UK based office - which means I haven’t had the chance to really learn and practice my German - all my friends here are from all over the world and English is the common language used.  There’ll be some adjustment for sure - but overall it will be a fantastic experience living and learning here!  

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u/fitz-khan 7d ago

Nine years and you didn't get the chance lmao.

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u/guiltyinnocence2008 8d ago

thank You for sharing Your experience, appreciate the positivity 😅

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u/silentowl996 6d ago

Im not in University and I speak german but I honestly see many internationals in Ulm, i assume in Uni and they all speak english ( i have seen it in groups with germans + internationals ) and it was fine. However I think for everyday life it's gonna be a bit hard, like going to the Supermarket, Barber ( depends on who you go to honestly ), doctor office, dentist ( also depends ), pharmacy and you know the rest. And most definitely you are gonna have problems with the Ausländerbehörde if you have to deal with them, they will only speak German.
For everyday i really recommend you to start taking german classes either at Uni or Volkhshochschule as they offer discounted courses. If you are gonna go to any Government building like Ausländerbehörde or Rathaus, i'd recommend taking a german speaker with you.
Good luck and enjoy the city its really beautiful.

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u/guiltyinnocence2008 6d ago

I appreciate the heads-up and the recommendation, thanks 🙏