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Location
Berlin State, northeastern Germany.

Dialling code
49.

Population
3,404,037 (city).

Time zone
GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz; round two-pin plugs are standard.

Average January temperatures
-0.4°C (33°F).

Average July temperatures
23°C (73°F).

Annual rainfall
484mm (19 inches).

Language
Introduction
German is the official language and is spoken as a first language by almost the entire population. There is some variation between Hochdeutsch (standard German) and the Berliner dialect, as well as between East and West Berlin. English is the most common second language, and is widely understood and spoken by those in tourism-related fields.

The dialect spoken in Berlin owes many of its hallmarks to the Prussian empire and the French-speaking Huguenots who sought refuge here. The most common word that stands out is kieken (sometimes pronounced more like gücken), which means ‘look’. Berliners also have a tendency to pronounce the German ch as ck, ie ‘lock’ rather than ‘loch’, and particularly ‘ick’ rather than ‘ich’ (which means ‘I’ in English) as they do elsewhere in Germany.

It is important to pay attention to the times of performances in Germany – halb-acht (half-eight) means 0730 and not 0830 as it would in English. Similarly, viertel-acht (quarter-eight) means 0715, a quarter of the way to eight o’clock, and drei-viertel-acht (three-quarters-eight) is 0745.

When speaking to strangers, one should use the formal forms of address (Sie rather than du). The following characters are used in German, but not in English: ä (=ae), ö (=oe), ü (=ue) and ß (=ss).

Phrases
Yes - Ja
No - Nein
Hello - Guten Tag
Goodbye - Auf Wiedersehen / Tschüs (informal)
Please - Bitte
Thank you - Danke
My name is … - Mein Name ist …
How are you? - Wie geht es Ihnen?
(polite) / - Wie geht es dir? (informal)
I’m very well - Mir es gut geht
I feel ill - Ich fühle mich unwohl
How much does it cost? - Wieviel kostet das?
Do you speak - Sprechen Sie English? Englisch? (polite) /
Sprichst du Englisch? (informal)
I don’t understand - Ich verstehe nicht
Where is …? - Wo befindet sich …?
Entrance - Eingang /
Einfahrt (vehicles)
Exit - Ausgang / Ausfahrt (vehicles)
Danger - Gefahr / Vorsicht
Open - Geöffnet
Closed - Geschlossen
Toilets - Toiletten / WC
Doctor - Arzt / Ärztin (female)
Hotel - Hotel
Restaurant - Restaurant
Beer - Bier
Wine - Wein
Menu - Speisekarte
Today - Heute
Tomorrow - Morgen
Monday - Montag
Tuesday - Dienstag
Wednesday - Mittwoch
Thursday - Donnerstag
Friday - Freitag
Saturday - Samstag
Sunday - Sonntag
One - Eins
Two - Zwei
Three - Drei
Four - Vier
Five - Fünf
Six - Sechs
Seven - Sieben
Eight - Acht
Nine - Neun
Ten - Zehn
Twenty - Zwanzig
Thirty - Dreissig
Forty - Vierzig
Fifty - Fünfzig
Sixty - Sechzig
Seventy - Siebzig
Eighty - Achtzig
Ninety - Neunzig
One Hundred - Hundert
One Thousand - Tausend


Cost of Living:

1 Euro (€1) = £0.94; US$1.37; C$1.66; A$1.93
Currency conversion rates as of January 2009

Special Events:

Lange Nacht der Museen (Long Night of the Museum)
January/February and late August
Over 100 city museums are open all night long.
Various venues
Website: www.lange-nacht-der-museen.de

Berlinale International Film Festival
February
Various venues
Website: www.berlinale.de

Women’s Tennis Open
May
LTTC ’Rot-Weiss’
Website: www.german-open.net

Berlin-biennale for Contemporary Art
March/May, even years, biannual exhibition
KW Institute for Contemporary Art
Website: www.berlinbiennale.de

Karneval der Kulturen (Carnival of Cultures)
May/June
Parade and festival.
Werkstatt der Kulturen, Kreuzberg
Website: www.karneval-berlin.de

Christopher Street Day
June
Lesbian and gay pride march.
Various venues
Website: www.csd-berlin.de

Fete de la Musique
June
Street music festival.
Various venues
Website: www.fetedelamusique.de

Classic Open Air
July
Gendarmenmarkt
Website: www.classicopenair.de

Berlin Beer Festival
August
Thousands of different brands of beer to taste.
Various venues
Website: www.bierfestival-berlin.de

Berlin Marathon
September
Throughout the city
Website: www.berlin-marathon.com

Tag der Deutschen Einheit (Day of German Unity)
October
Throughout the city

Oktoberfest
September/October
Zentraler Festplatz

JazzFest Berlin
November
Various venues
Website: www.berlinerfestspiele.de

Christmas Markets
November/December
Schlossplatz, Breitscheidplatz, Alexanderplatz, Gendarmenmarkt and at some local markets

Silvester in Berlin
December
New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Throughout the city
Website: www.silvester-berlin.de

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