The term ‘break the ice’ was originally a Latin phrase.

“It originally was the Renaissance scholar who wrote about this expression to ‘break the ice,’” Latin teacher Ms. Reuben said. “He was looking back at ancient Latin sources and he found that and explained what it meant. To break the ice, as he explained it back in the 1500s, was when boats would need somebody up ahead to break the frozen river so that another boat could go through.”

The term ‘break the ice’ was later described differently.

“Later, it became something that was used to pave the way in a situation that could be awkward or uncomfortable or new,” Ms. Reuben said.

Depending on the culture, there are different ways to break the ice or to greet each other. The language teachers and a student from Germany share what breaking the ice looks like in French, German and Italian culture.

French Culture

While the United States values personal space or distance when talking with other people, in France, people have a different view on personal space.

“We are so much closer because all the time when people greet each other, every day, they will do handshakes,” french teacher Mr. Guiard said. “You need to have personal contact when you shake your hands.”

Besides shaking hands, it is common for the French people to kiss on the cheek.

“People will kiss each other at least four times a day, when they greet in the morning, when they leave for lunch, when they come back [and] every time they arrive or [they] leave,” Mr. Guiard said.

In French culture, people mainly engage in formal conversations using the formal version of ‘you.’

“In France, when you see someone when you greet someone the first time, it’s always formal,” Mr. Guiard said. “If you are young and you talk to somebody older than you, it’s always formal.”

However, when interacting with someone your age or being in a social setting, the French people will talk informally using the informal version of ‘you.’

In working environments in French culture, people must always talk formally with each other.

“There [are] boundaries that people want to respect [and] there is [a] private life that people want to respect,” Mr. Guiard said. “If you use the ‘you’ as informal, it’s opening the door to your private life and people are very wary about that.”

German Culture

German teacher Ms. Lechner lived in Germany during college and has been traveling to Germany for decades.

While living and traveling in Germany, Ms. Lechner learned that the Germans are very formal when interacting with other people.

“They usually shake hands when they meet,” German teacher Ms. Lechner said. “[The Germans] always use titles…not first names.”

Germans also like to have personal space when interacting with people.

“Most people shake hands, but we don’t really like [to] go up to people when we first meet them and hug them,” junior Lillian Jacobi, a student who moved here from Germany one and a half years ago, said.

In German culture, you can’t assume or automatically switch from talking formally to informally with someone.

“You have to know each other, either for a long time or invite someone to use [the informal language],” Ms. Lechner said.

It can be a part of American culture to be friendly and ask questions to everyone who you are interacting with; however, this is uncommon for Germans.

“Unless you really know the person in Germany, they don’t ask too many personal questions,” Ms. Lechner said. “That’s why the topics are more common.”

When it comes to small talk, the Germans like talking about politics.

“Germans love to debate,” Ms. Lechner said. “It’s normal to talk about politics and current events. They watch the news a lot, much more than we do.” They also enjoy talking about soccer and their favorite soccer team like some people do in the United States with football.

After moving to the United States, Jacobi has felt a shift in culture with interactions between people here in the United States and in Germany.

“I feel like here people [are] kind of more welcoming,” she said. “German people keep their distance and they’re not really the best people [at] getting to know other people. Once you get to know them, they’re really nice. But here everybody’s really welcoming and really nice.”

Another difference in German culture compared to the United States is that Germans keep their doors closed.

“If you’re in an office, all your doors are closed,” Ms. Lechner said. “It doesn’t mean [people] don’t want to talk to you. It’s [also] normal that if you’re at home, bathroom doors are closed all the time and bedroom doors…because that’s just the culture.”

One of Ms. Lechner’s favorite icebreakers to do with her German One class at the beginning of the school year is a whole-class staring contest which she has done for the last few years. She believes that speaking is the most important part of the class and the staring contest allows for students to get more comfortable with one another before learning German.

“[The students are] a little shy, especially about meeting new students in class and opening up and then embarrassing themselves by learning [a] language,” she said. “The whole point is it’s quiet and you’re uncomfortable because you want to be able to learn to look at someone when you’re having a conversation, right? That’s one of the skills of being a good communicator. And they giggle…It’s just kind of fun because they didn’t have to speak German and they didn’t have to say anything.”

Italian Culture

Not only has Ms. Reuben lived in Italy twice and has traveled to Italy around 10 times, but her mom is 100% Italian.

Body language plays an important role in communication in the Italian language.

“They love speaking with their hands, so they are very expressive,” Ms. Reuben said. “There’s a whole language of gestures and so people speak a lot more energetically with their hands. That’s one way that they create an open, comfortable dynamic when they are meeting somebody new.”

Physical contact also plays an important role.

“Because the Italians are very warm people and open, physical contact is almost expected when you’re meeting somebody,” Ms. Reuben said. “Even if you’re just for the first time meeting someone, you will get and receive a kiss on each cheek. And then sometimes it depends on how close you are to the person, so usually not when you’re first meeting somebody, but sometimes there could be three kisses for closer friends.”

Compared to people in the United States, Italians aren’t as strict when it comes to having personal space.

“They sit very close together [and] they share meals with people they know and they don’t know,” Ms. Reuben said. “If they see you sitting there, and you strike up a conversation, they’ll invite you over to their table.”

Ms. Reuben believes that the layout of space in Italy has to do with how the Italians view personal space.

“Everything is a lot more cramped in Italy,” Ms. Reuben said. “There’s not as much open space as we have here. So when you’re sitting at a table in a cafe, the tables are much smaller than we’re used to here, so you’re automatically already much closer together…It’s not something that stresses them out or bothers them to be really close together.”