Speaking of speaking...

The big question now is - will we be able to communicate our desire for a day pass, a guest pass, a temporary membership?  I gather that we'll be able to navigate the city well enough in broken German phrases and English as tourists.  But what about when we venture into the "real world," those activities that are more suited to residents than visitors?  Like going to a gym and conversing with someone about the amenities, the membership rates, if it is possible to get a visitor's pass.  How do you say Visitor's Pass in German?  I wonder if the iTranslate app on my iPhone knows that one.

3 comments:

Alice | April 20, 2010 at 8:01 PM

Try "guest". So many Europeans speak English, although I know you would like to make your best efforts to be understood in German. I'm sure you'll be able to perfect the essential phrases before you leave, like "where's the nearest rest room?", "how much does this cost?", "is it safe for me to run in this neighborhood?".

infodaisy | April 20, 2010 at 9:13 PM

"Veefeel coste?" (phonetic spelling, I can't remember the real spelling)"How much does it cost?" -just about the first phrase I learned when we were in Germany. I don't remember if it was my friend Sherry or Mechtilde, the landlord's 12 year old daughter, who taught me. I also don't remember if that is "correct" German or the local Hunsruck dialect. I do know it served me well, wherever we went, for three and a half years.

Anonymous | April 21, 2010 at 12:22 AM

Wie viel kostet ein Tagespass? Wie viel kostet ein einmaliges Training? = How much is a day pass? how much is a single trainin?. All gyms have the opportunity of single trainings, sometimes limited to a few hours. In my gym it's 10 Euro, at Club Danube its 15 I think. Also, many gyms let you train once for free to try it out, at least mine does.. You get around quite fine with english in Vienna, I am sure it will be just fine. Just remember to speak slow and clear :)

Good luck!
Emilie

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