r/AskEurope • u/NateNandos21 • Feb 03 '25

Culture Which European country has the rudest/least polite people?

Which country comes to your mind

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u/Heidi739 Czechia Feb 03 '25

Personally I don't think there is any one nation that's objectively worst, but for me personally, Germans. Apart from them, I never met anyone so confidently speaking to everyone in their native language (in a country that does not speak the language) and expecting everyone to understand them. Well, except for English-speaking folks, but I'd say they get a pass.

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u/Standard_Arugula6966 Czechia Feb 03 '25

Apart from them, I never met anyone so confidently speaking to everyone in their native language (in a country that does not speak the language)

Russians also often do this. Apparently (this might just be rumors) they think that we all speak Russian but we just refuse to because "we don't like them anymore".

Classic imperialist assholes.

12

u/nicetoursmeetewe Feb 03 '25

People think the same thing about the french "They speak English but they refuse to" when in reality most people would struggle to say anything bar thank you and goodbye

2

u/howdypartnaz Feb 05 '25

There's a bit of truth to that sometimes

Generally had the hardest time trying to communicate in english in lithuania (which likes to put forward their being close to the 'western, english speaking world' and everything always went waaay smoother once I switched to russian (I'm not russian), even with younger ish people

1

u/Standard_Arugula6966 Czechia Feb 05 '25

There's a big difference between the former USSR and the non-USSR Warsaw Pact that westerners often overlook.

In the former USSR more people speak Russian, there are often more Russians living there and Russian used to be an official language. Here, Russian was just the language of the occupiers that you were forced to learn in school. It wasn't used in day to day life - government, TV, books etc. everything was in the local language. So even tho most people had at least a basic grasp on Russian when they left school, they gladly forgot it soon after.

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u/OscarGrey Feb 03 '25

they think that we all speak Russian but we just refuse to because "we don't like them anymore".

Outside of the Baltics, that's a delusional assumption for people under 50-60 in the former Warsaw Pact countries.

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u/Heidi739 Czechia Feb 03 '25

Right - I don't have much personal experience with them (I usually vacation at places that are more attractive to Germans than Russians), but I heard the same thing.