language

Any business that wants your money in those three cities will have someone who can speak English. Actually, native German speakers in Berlin and Munich would have some trouble understanding each other in their regional dialects.

English is functionally the second language of Europe and except for older people in very rural areas we have always found English would get us through. That being said, it goes a long way to learn a few basic phrases starting with 1) Do you speak Enlish? 2) Please 3) Thank you 4) basic numbers. Just stay calm and don't be afraid to laugh at your short comings. Check Rick's Germany guide book.

In the three cities you mentioned, and in the parts you are likely to go as a tourist, you shouldn't have difficulty finding English speakers. If you go to smaller, less touristed towns, you will find less English. Restaurants outside the touristed areas are less likely to have English menus. For instance, in Berlin and Dresden we had no trouble finding them, but in Goerlitz, we had to decode the German-only menu (worth the effort).

As Irv said, it would be useful to learn a few phrases in the language of any country you visit: "Where is the bathroom?" "How much does this cost?" "I would like to buy two tickets." "Excuse me, do you speak English?" It's polite to start a conversation in the native language, you'll feel more confident in getting around, and these phrases can help get you over any humps in trying to communicate with a native German speaker who might not know any English.

Just practice up on your charades before going. Seriously, if you want to be understood, and the person you are trying to communicate to wants to understand you, you will find a way even without a common language. That said, a lot of people in Germany - especially in the big cities - will speak at least a little English.

I'd suggest you take Rick's phrase book with you & learn some basic phrases to be polite. English is widely spoken in Germany. However, if you travel in the former East Germany as a previous poster mentioned, you run into some difficulty.

Honestly anywhere in those three cities you attempt to speak German, there is a 90% chance that they will hear your accent and immediately switch into flawless English. Are there places in Germany where you will run into people who can't speak English? Sure. But Berlin, Munich, and Frankfurt are probably the three most international and cosmopolitian cities in Germany, with high numbers of English-speaking expats who live there. You don't need to speak a word to get by. But of course it is rude to assume that someone speaks english even if they most certainly will, so memorize "Sprechen sie Englisch?" the answer will be "A little" which means "I am entirely fluent in your language and probably speak it better than you do." "Hallo" "Bitte" "Danke" and "Tshuss!" are very easy and polite to remember. ("Guten tag!" and "Auf Weideshen" are not all that common in the cities...) So if you want to do any pre-trip language research, I'd focus on learning food/menu items, because the great, non-touristy restaurants will sometimes not have an English translation. This can be a little tricky in Munich and Frankfurt because not only are there a ton of regional specialties, they will sometimes be presented in the regional dialect so even if you've learned the German word for basic food items, you may still have no idea how to read the Bavarian menu put in front of you. I can read a Swabian menu perfectly, but I still get tripped up in Bavaria sometimes. So in that case you'll have to ask the server to assist you, but that's no big deal. I still think it's very helpful to memorize the basic words for meats, veggies, etc so you hopefully have some idea of what you're ordering.

Tina, You can be certain that people in the service industry in those three cities will speak English, whether at a DB ticket counter or at the hotels. If you are focusing presumably on the heavily visited tourist areas, no langauge problem for you. In the non-touristed areas in Berlin, esp in the eastern areas, which see only German tourists, if at all, such as Treptow, Köpenick, Karlshorst, etc, then the chances are higher for a non-English speaker to be found. You can be sure you will be addressed in German first, unlike in the Munich and Frankfurt. I stay in a Pension well known for that old time Berliner Milieu in the western side of Berlin, but the woman (Inhaberin) running it doesn't speak English and where there is a disdain for paying with a credit card. Basically, you won't have any "difficulty with language barrier."

I agree that learning a few essential words of German will be helpful. However, please do not ask Where is the bathroom? unless you want to take a bath. If you are looking for the toilet, ask Where is the toilet, or the WC, pronounced vaytzay. Also avoid asking for the restroom, folks just don't understand what that means.

It's nice to know polite terms, in the local language, wherever you visit. Virtually every German in the areas you mention will speak English. It's not unusual to find some middle-age or older Germans who speak little English. English is also less common further north and east - but everyone you're likely to run into will speak perfect (and I mean perfect) English. Even Americans who speak German are likely to have their German greeting responded to in English.