My German Adventures: Talking About Travel (and My Mistakes!)

Okay, so moving to Berlin wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. There’s a lot to take in, the language is… intense, and I still get lost in the U-Bahn. But honestly? It’s amazing. And one of the things that’s helped me feel more connected, more like I’m really understanding people, is learning to talk about travel. It seems simple, right? “Ich mag…?” But even that gets complicated with the way Germans describe things. That’s where the comparative and superlative come in, and let me tell you, they nearly broke me at first.

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

The first time I tried to talk about my favorite travel destination – actually, it was a trip to the Black Forest with my family – I completely panicked. I wanted to say, “Der Trip war besser als der Strandurlaub!” (The trip was better than the beach holiday!). But I blurted out, “Der Trip war mehr als der Strandurlaub!” A kind woman at the bakery, Frau Schmidt, just stared at me, then said, very politely, “Nein, nein. Besser! Besser ist… gut.” (No, no. Better! Better is… good.) It was so embarrassing. Turns out, besser is used for comparing qualities – good, bad, beautiful, etc. Mehr is for quantity – more money, more time, more cake! The realization hit me hard: I’d just used a fundamental German concept wrong.

Practicing with Examples – Mountains vs. Beaches

Let’s look at some real-world examples. I was chatting with a colleague, Thomas, about his vacation. He said, “Mein Urlaub in Italien war wunderschön. Die Berge waren schön und die Sonne war warm.” (My vacation in Italy was beautiful. The mountains were beautiful and the sun was warm.) I wanted to impress him, so I tried, “Mein Urlaub war besser als dein Urlaub!” (My vacation was better than your vacation!). He looked puzzled and then corrected me gently. “Nein, nein. Schöner! Dein Urlaub war schöner.” (No, no. More beautiful! Your vacation was more beautiful.) He pointed out I was trying to use besser to compare experiences, which isn’t quite right. It’s about schön (beautiful), gut (good), lecker (delicious), and so on.

Here are a few more:

• “Der Kaffee hier ist leckerer als im Café zu Hause.” (The coffee here is tastier than the coffee at home.) – Lecker refers to taste.
• “Die Aussicht von der Spitze des Berges ist besser als von unten.” (The view from the top of the mountain is better than from below.) – Besser describes quality.

Superlatives: The Absolute Best

The superlative is even trickier! It’s used to describe the highest degree of something. I learned this the hard way when I tried to compliment a friend’s photos from her trip to Munich. I said, “Deine Fotos waren besser!” (Your photos were better!) My friend, Lena, burst out laughing. “Du musst besser sein!” (You must be better!) Apparently, I was using besser to describe the photos themselves, not to say they were the best of all her photos. The correct phrase was, “Deine Fotos waren am besten!” (Your photos were the best!)

Here’s another example: “Das Essen in diesem Restaurant ist am besten!” (The food in this restaurant is the best!) – Am besten means “the best”.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

I’ve made so many mistakes, and I’m still doing it! The biggest one is definitely confusing besser and schöner. I still catch myself trying to use besser when I should be using schöner. It’s a constant battle!

Another thing I learned is that Germans don’t always use comparative adjectives as frequently as I thought. They often just state what they like – “Ich mag die Berge” (I like the mountains) – rather than comparing them to something else. And that’s okay! It’s about understanding the nuance and when to use the comparative and superlative effectively.

Moving Forward: Small Victories

Despite the confusion and the occasional mortifying mistake, I’m starting to get it. Talking about travel with my German friends and colleagues is becoming easier, more natural. I still stumble, I still get things wrong, but I’m learning. And, you know what? Even when I’m struggling to explain why the Black Forest is schöner than the beach, I’m connecting with people and building relationships. That’s what really matters, right? Ich hoffe, I’m getting better! (I hope, I’m getting better!)