I don't know what it is with me the last couple of days. I've really been a sheeeeeethead lately when it comes to speaking German.

Thrice in 24 hours, someone has approached me to ask me a question or to otherwise relay information in German. One was a little old lady looking for a particular street. The other was a visitor in my building trying to leave a message for a tenant. Another was a repairman who showed up at my door to let me know that they were going to be working next door. Each time, I just said, "Es tut mir Leid, ich spreche kein Deutsch." (I'm sorry, I don't speak German)

I just don't seem to want to be bothered with even trying to converse in German lately. Is it normal to go through such a "protest" phase when immersed for so long in a new language?

lazy - faul.

Being immersed in a foreign language is tiring. I've been here for a few months already and I still find that speaking / hearing German all day is exhausting.

So I can quite easily imagine that one might want to have a break from it all for a little while (although not me! ).

I think this is a normal phase for many of us - after making good progress you suddenly reach a saturation point and the little grey cells start a protest action.

At that point, I found it helpful to stop studying, stop pushing myself, stop integrating and confine my German to entertainment: watching films and bad TV. Eventually* I found my motivation again.

14 years on, I still pull the 'Verzeihen Sie mir, bitte, aber ich spreche kein Deutsch" card when it suits me... an effective way to deflect telemarketers and busybodies...


*There's only so much Kommisar Rex one can take before the little grey cells start begging to be put to use again.

Östereicher.

Ouch! Oh how much ouch, you bad person you.

So funny thank for that

I'm guilty of this too....I'm trying so hard to learn but sometimes my head just hurts and all of a sudden 'es tut mir leid, ich verstehe Sie nicht'

Leider falsch.
"Österreicher".
Oder besser genannt Schluchties.

schluchtenscheisser! wenn schon...denn schon...