In most business settings, perhaps with the exception of Internet start-ups, Sie is used almost exclusively. Even in companies where employees call one another by their first names, du is rare. Germans are much more likely to use last names than Americans, but titles like Herr Direktor are generally only used in written communication. People who hold doctorates should be addressed as Herr Dr . The regional dialects vary much more than regional accents in the United States.
German dialects vary in vocabulary, syntax and even grammar.
Standardized German, called Hochdeutch or High German, is taught in schools and is used in most business settings. Gestures Body language is a part of every language, and there are a few gestures you should be aware of before you travel or relocate to Germany. Sticking your thumb between your first and second fingers is obscene. Tapping your index finger on your head indicates that the person to or about whom you are gesturing is crazy. Finally, note that Germans start counting with their thumbs, so if you hold up an index finger, it will probably be interpreted as two, rather than one.