When you arrive at a new family’s home, it is polite to shake hands with everyone who is in the room – including children.

Try not to look worried or show too clearly that you are afraid. It might help you to know that they are afraid too.
A completely new person is coming into their home, someone they do not know yet, who will suddenly live with them and change their privacy. They don’t know who you are, what kind of person you are, or what to expect.

When I arrived at a German family for the first time, the very first question the grandmother asked me was:
“Are you afraid?”

I was very afraid.
Later I found out that she was afraid too.
She was worried about who would come into her household, who would take care of her, whether we would get used to each other, and whether she could trust me.

Her husband was afraid as well.
He wondered whether I would manage to take care of his wife and how we would communicate, because at the beginning I didn’t understand almost anything.

It was stressful for both sides at first, but somehow we managed it – and in the end, it turned into a very pleasant work shift.

Older people need their routines and habits very much.
A new person in the house is therefore always a certain kind of stress for them.

But with a smile and a few introductory phrases that you will learn today, you will manage the first moments – and the initial tension will quickly disappear.

In this lesson, we will learn a few basic sentences for greeting and practice formal and informal forms of address.