Australian here, but I can confirm that the times I went to Germany and tried to speak German, almost everyone pleaded with me to switch to English. I don't th

Australian here, but I can confirm that the times I went to Germany and tried to speak German, almost everyone pleaded with me to switch to English. I don't think my German advanced much as result. I was even briefly mocked by hotel staff (who were otherwise great): "Ahh yes, you are the one person in this hotel who only speaks English." Taxi drivers were an exception, they did not seem to have strong English skills. As a result, the most enjoyable German conversation I ever had was with an elderly taxi driver as we stumbled through our knowledge of each other's language.