Sunday, 23 November 2008

Runners talking

stats of the week: Run 46K, 4 gym sessions, 1hr indoor cycling
(Wow! What for is this number of workouts?)


Regular readers might have recognised that getting old is one of my most loved issues. Most times I try to pass it off as a joke but you will know better. It is too serious to be a matter of fun.

Using "Du" and "Sie" in German language is a constant mystery to native English speakers. However, it's quite easy. Between adults Du is for familiy and friends. Growingly often Du is a Must between colleagues who don't have to be friends (that's annoying).

To come to the point: Du is absolutely common between runners. Because runners are friends in principle. A runner using Sie talking to another runner shows a sign of an exceeding difference between the two persons.


Now I can't stop thinking what kind of difference it is that made a runner calling me Sie at yesterday's party. You know the only reliable answer: The difference of age was so big that I seemed to live in a different world, too far away to say Du.

Advanced German, lesson learnt: Politeness can harm ...

No comments:

Post a Comment