Just Du It

Nike had no idea how useful this slogan would be.

A challenging aspect of the German language (for everyone, I don't care if you're a 17th generation German) is the controversial du versus Sie dilemma. German is a language packed with political correctness and precision, and the way you address someone who happens to be standing right beside you is no exception. In English we quite simply (but lacking exactness) say, "you"--the second person personal pronoun--which seems to work just fine for our modern day equality-minded purposes. But don't be fooled, in Germany you will still find at least one social fence to hurdle, and you will be called Sie until then.

So when the question came up as Robert and Brenda Stolte, Amy, and I were waiting at the tram stop, I admitted my obvious current "Sie" status with my Hausmeister (landlord). I don't know him well, I mean, we aren't on a first name basis or anything, so I figured those were good grounds for my cause. Amy mentioned she had accidently used "du" with him a couple times, and Robert piped up that he had always used "du" and that we should too. I started in with my rebuttal but he promptly responded, "Oh c'mon, just do it!"

The roar of laughter that followed served to help lighten up my view on this qualifying formality. And so now when in doubt, I think I might just du it.

And for the record, there are actually verbs to represent this difference. If you are my friend and I call you "du," then I am "duzen-ing" you; and likewise with all my "Sie" acquaintances, I siezen them all the time. How ridiculously convenient-!

(For clarification purposes: du is used to address only closer friends and people with whom one is on a first name basis; acquaintances and strangers must always be addressed as Sie. This is the sometimes confusing distinction that I have explained above.)