Pretending to text when you spot your ex
A real situation from the OGIMA community · Everyday Berlin
The scene
You're standing at Rosenthaler Platz, scrolling through nothing on your phone, because your ex just appeared on the other side of the platform.
Why this moment is tricky in Germany
Berlin's U-Bahn stations, especially busy interchange points like Rosenthaler Platz (U8), Alexanderplatz, and Hermannplatz, are hotspots for awkward run-ins in a city where social circles overlap heavily. The U8 line runs through Berlin's most densely populated nightlife and expat neighborhoods — Neukölln, Kreuzberg, Mitte — so the odds of encountering someone you'd rather avoid are high. The German social norm here is the 'strategic look-away' (Wegschauen): both parties pretend not to see each other, which is considered polite, not rude. A forced greeting would actually be more awkward than mutual avoidance. If contact becomes unavoidable, the minimal acceptable response is a nod and 'Hey' — anything more commits you to a full conversation. The phrase 'Wir tun einfach so, als hätten wir uns nicht gesehen' (let's just pretend we didn't see each other) captures the Berlin approach perfectly.
Rehearse it before it happens
This situation is practised out loud in OGIMA: you speak, an AI conversation partner answers back, and you rerun it until the real thing feels routine.
Prefer to read first? Our guide covers this territory: How to Learn German for Nursing in Germany