Yes, they speak English. But as a foreign language, not as native speakers. Here the details…
- German is the national language
- Austrian and Viennese schools teach English to a high level
- So expect to have no trouble, especially in tourist areas
- Almost all exhibitions & ticket machines, for example, have bilingual info
- See also:
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The Austrian language?
The national language in Austria is actually German. (For the record, there is no such thing as an “Austrian” language.)
However, the standard of education in the country is high, and pretty well all schoolchildren should get a solid grounding in English. The younger generation, in particular, also pick up the language through Netflix and other streaming services, as well as social media and online gaming.
EF Education First actually ranked Austria third (ahead of Scandinavia) on their 2023 EF English proficiency index, which they based on test results in 113 countries and regions. The only countries to perform better were the Netherlands and Singapore.
So you should have no trouble at all getting by using English, especially in hotels, stores, restaurants and other places in Vienna used to dealing with foreign tourists.
Nearly all museums and exhibitions I visit, for example, feature German-English display boards and exhibit labels, and/or make English information available through booklets, audio guides or an app.
Many cinemas show movies in English or with English subtitles, and even non-English plays, operas, and musicals may come with subtitles or translations on a screen by your seat.
Ticket machines, such as those for public transport tickets, also seem to always have an English option.
Speaking to locals
The locals are naturally aware that most foreign visitors, for example, cannot speak German. As a result, you’re unlikely to offend anyone by addressing them in English as long as you’re not arrogant about it.
Indeed, you’ll find people eager to practice their English on you. After almost 30 years here, I speak excellent German. But now and then I’ll still get an enthusiastic reply in English simply because of my accent.
(Which means you may have some trouble if you’re actually trying to practice your German.)
My sister spent a few days here recently. When I explained (in German) down my local pub that I’d order for her as she’s from England, the waitress broke out into spontaneous English. Same at a pharmacy. And neither are in classic tourism areas.
Nevertheless, like everyone, the Austrians appreciate it if you make an attempt to learn a few words in their native language. Here some simple ones (pronunciation tips based on standard British English)…
Please | Bitte (pronounced bitter) | |
Thank you | Danke (like anchor with a d in front) | |
Hello | Grüßgott (formal, pronounced groose-got) Servus (informal, pronounced sair-vuss) | |
Goodbye | Formal: Auf Wiedersehen (owf-vee-duh-zane) Informal: Tschüss (chuce; Austrogerman) Baba (bah-bah; Viennese) Ciao (surprisingly common) |
Austrian German?
For the record, “Austrian German” is more or less the same as the German used by the neighbouring Germans. The differences are pronunciation and some vocabulary. We say tomato, the Germans say Tomate, and the Austrians say Paradeiser.
Think of those differences much like the case with British and American English, though Germany and Austria use the same spelling for the formal version of their language.
Having said that, our local Viennese dialect (called wienerisch) can be almost unintelligible (even to other Austrians). The pronunciation and many words bear no resemblance to anything you might have learnt in German lessons.
Fortunately, the locals happily switch to standard German if need be, in case you’re having trouble understanding.