I've moved recently to Zurich and yet can not speak or even more importantly "understand" spoken german but i'm in the process of learning it. Now, the problem is that it happens from time to time that I see an attractive young girl here and there in the bus/tram/train or supermarket, street or so and so that because of the language barrier thing i usually don't find the courage in myself to approach her and start a conversation.
I mean this feeling is not just out of nowhere or delusion. probably its because most of the time when i ask anybody if they can speak english I get the very common "nur ein bisschen" with not a very welcoming facial expression. so i have this fear that even if I approach a girl who is smiling at me, asking if she can speak english out of nowhere it should be a turn down or an awkward moment perhaps...I mean what if she just says "nein" and you dont even get a chance to express your feelings or use your favourite line or whatever... that'd be a very awkward moment.
btw, i dont think starting a conversation in english out of nowher with even asking if she can speak would be very helpful because i've had some not good experiences there too, in germany though
So I was wondering if anybody has an experience in this regard or you think i better speed up my german language skills and wait untill i've reached a good level ?
Make your mind UP ! If somebody replies "nur ein bisschen" "only a bit", you have to react positively and enthusiastically, with oh really, that is excellent ! you see, my German still is useless" and do not forget to, during conversation to praise the English of the counterpart. This is how I did it in countries like Turkey and Greece.
That's certainly a good piece of advice. Also,it could help if you are charming and aware that it's you who lacks German skills and not the girl who lacks English skills. I do think that most young adults in Zurich are able to sustain at least a basic communication in English.
A warm smile and eye contact require no translation!
If she is keen on you, she will be willing to try to have a conversation with you, even if it is in broken English, broken German, or some combination of the two!
This is so true! Eye contact and body language make all the difference; they speak more than words, and they tend to reveal your real intentions more clearly than language alone!
This being acknowledged, it is true that Swiss women tend to be less automatically charmed by foreign accents than I found their American sisters to be. Also, even though things have improved over the years, the Swiss remain rather reserved, and they are not always comfortable with conversation openers out of the blue. Don't let this discourage you though! After all, what comes easy is less valuable than that which requires some effort, dedication, and perseverance. Good luck!
You like someone you ask them out either directly or indirectly. The least you can do is talk a bit and give her you e-mail. Don't come across as desperate though.
Just keep a famous Patti Labelle track on your iMusicplayingthingy and play this to any prospective totty. Even though the catch line is in French, they'll get the meaning.
Swiss mean fluent when they also know all the little idioms of a language, not the British meaning of fluent which is to vaguely know a few verbs, nouns, adverbs and through a cpl of tenses at them and hope to be somewhere close to asking where the Bahnhoff is and not telling someone that they hope their mother dies of a horrible car accident involving a large crocodile.
If they only speak English "a bit" that just means they know English grammatically better than you do, can speak it better than you, but only know 99% of the idioms and not a complete and Swiss like 100%.
Why not use the fact that you are new to the city as a start. Make a plan. Maybe ask where the "Kunsthaus" is or the Opera, whatever. Show some interest in the place, tell that you are knew to the place and ask if she has time the next few days for a coffee and maybe to show you around the city.