Western Europe
Video Chat with People from Germany
Germany's regions are distinct enough that 'Where in Germany?' is always worth asking. Someone from Hamburg might greet you with 'Moin', someone from Munich with 'Servus', and people from Berlin, Cologne, Leipzig or Stuttgart will each describe a different idea of a good night out. Germany is on Central European Time (UTC+1, or UTC+2 in summer), so 9 PM in Berlin is mid-afternoon in New York and the early hours of the morning in Tokyo.
German is the main language, with dialects ranging from Bavarian and Swabian in the south to Low German along the northern coast. English is widely spoken, particularly in bigger cities, and plenty of people are happy to switch back and forth. Good topics include Bundesliga football, regional bakeries, Christmas markets in winter, hiking in the Alps or the Black Forest, Berlin's music scene, Cologne's Carnival and long train trips across the country. Our German phrase guide has more greetings and polite forms.
Germany at a glance
| Flag | 🇩🇪 |
|---|---|
| Official name | Federal Republic of Germany |
| Capital | Berlin |
| Region | Europe · Western Europe |
| Official language | German |
| Currency | Euro (€, EUR) |
| Calling code | +49 |
| Time zone | Central European Time (Europe/Berlin) |
How to say hello
A few words of German make a great first impression, even if you switch to English right after.
| Language | Phrase | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| German | Hallo! Wie geht's? | HAH-loh, vee gayts | Hi! How's it going? |
| German | Guten Abend! | GOO-ten AH-bent | Good evening! |
| German (north) | Moin! | moyn | Hi! (any time of day) |
| German (south) | Servus! | ZEHR-voos | Hi! / Bye! |
Tips for chatting with people from Germany
- Ask about their region's food: Bavarian pretzels, Swabian Spätzle, Berlin currywurst and Hamburg's fish rolls all come with opinions.
- 'Du' is normal in casual online chats, while 'Sie' is the formal 'you'. If someone uses Sie, mirror it until they switch.
- Ask someone for their favorite long German compound word and what it means; it's a fun way to pick up a little German.
- Germany changes its clocks with the rest of the EU, on different dates than North America, so the time difference can shift for a few weeks each spring and fall.
Only meet people from Germany
Omlet matches you Worldwide by default. To meet only people from Germany, use the country filter, the only filter Omlet has:
- Open Omlet and press Country on the control panel.
- Search for Germany and select it.
- Press Start. Press Next to meet someone else from Germany, or switch back to Worldwide any time.
Your first day is free: you add a card through Stripe to start it, and nothing is charged that day. When the 24 hours end, the country filter costs $3 one time, charged to that card, unless you cancel before then in Settings (if you cancel, you can still pick a country until the day ends). It's not a subscription, and it stays unlocked on that device and browser. It doesn't carry over to other devices or browsers, and clearing your browser data removes it. There's one free day per device, home network and card. Payment goes through Stripe, so Omlet never sees your card number.
The filter works both ways, and matching can be slower when fewer people from Germany are online. Chatting itself is free, and Worldwide matching never costs anything.
Your own country is detected automatically and shown to the people you meet as a flag.
Neighboring countries
Germany borders 9 countries. Curious about the people next door? Meet them too: