My First Cracks at Talking About Favorite Places in German – And Why It’s Harder Than I Thought

Okay, so here I am, six months in Berlin, and let’s be honest, feeling less like a confident, worldly traveler and more like a slightly confused duck. I’m trying so hard to integrate, to actually talk to people beyond “Entschuldigung, wo ist die Toilette?” (Excuse me, where is the toilet?). One of the things I’ve been working on is learning how to describe my favorite places – things I love and why. It seems simple enough, right? Wrong. It’s turned out to be a surprisingly tricky area, especially because of the comparative forms. I’m determined to get better, though, and I thought I’d share what I’m learning, and the embarrassing mistakes I’m making, in the hopes it might help someone else.

The Initial Confusion: “Besser” vs. “Mehr”

The first time I tried to really explain why I loved a little café in Prenzlauer Berg – “Ich mag dieses Café, es ist besser!” (I like this café, it’s better!) – I got a puzzled look from my colleague, Steven. He gently corrected me. “Nicht besser, Alice. Mehr! Es ist mehr gemütlich!” (Not better, Alice. More! It’s more cozy!). Seriously?! I felt like such an idiot. Apparently, “besser” (better) doesn’t work when you’re describing qualities like “cozy,” “delicious,” or “beautiful.” It’s for comparing things in terms of quality – like, “Mein Kaffee ist besser als deins!” (My coffee is better than yours!). That makes a lot more sense.

Practical Examples – Talking About Restaurants

I’ve been practicing this a lot when talking about restaurants. I went to a really nice Italian place in Kreuzberg last week. I wanted to impress the waiter, Thomas, so I said, “Das Essen hier ist sehr gut, aber die Atmosphäre ist mehr romantisch als in meinem Lieblingsrestaurant.” (The food here is very good, but the atmosphere is more romantic than in my favorite restaurant). Thomas just smiled and nodded. He clearly understood. He even asked, “Und was macht Ihr Lieblingsrestaurant so besonders?” (And what makes your favorite restaurant so special?) – a great question! It’s about adding a detail, a feeling, not just saying something is “better.”

Let’s look at some simpler examples:

• “Dieser Kuchen ist mehr süß als der letzte.” (This cake is more sweet than the last one.)
• “Dieses Buch ist mehr interessant als das, was ich gestern gelesen habe.” (This book is more interesting than what I read yesterday.)

My Big Mistake (And How It Happened)

Yesterday, I was telling my friend, Lars, about a park I visited. I was really enthusiastic about it. I blurted out, “Der Park ist besser als der Tiergarten!” (The park is better than the Tiergarten!). He stared at me for a moment, then said, “Alice, you’re using ‘besser’ wrong! You mean mehr Platz, mehr grün, mehr Ruhe!” (Alice, you’re using ‘better’ wrong! You mean more space, more green, more quiet!). I felt my face turn red. I wanted to disappear! The good thing is, he was patient and explained it again. I made a note to myself: Mehr is your friend when describing qualities.

Using “Mehr” to Add Detail

It’s not just about saying something is “more” of something. You can use it to add detail to your description. For example:

• “Das Eis ist mehr fruchtig als ich erwartet habe.” (The ice cream is more fruity than I expected.) – Adding detail about the flavor.
• “Der Strand ist mehr sauber als der Fluss hier.” (The beach is more clean than the river here.) – Describing a quality and comparing it.

Moving Forward – Practicing, Practicing, Practicing!

Honestly, this is still a work in progress for me. I’m trying to think about why I like a place, and how to describe those feelings in German, using mehr instead of besser. I’m also focusing on listening carefully to how native speakers express themselves – they’re so much more nuanced than I am right now! I’m going to continue asking questions like Thomas did, “Was macht es so besonders?” (What makes it so special?). I know I’ll make more mistakes, but I’m determined to keep learning and communicating. I think a lot of it comes down to confidence – even if I feel like a confused duck sometimes, I’m slowly starting to find my voice, and my favorite places, in German. Viel Erfolg! (Good luck!)

Do you have any tips for learning how to use comparative forms in German? Let me know in the comments!