Stereotypes exist about every country in the world, even though we all have learned that we can’t generalize people, races, cultures and nations. However, not all stereotypes are bad – they may even be true, defining characteristics of culture and lifestyle.

Let me ask you, true or false: The favorite pastime of a German is watching soccer, while eating sausages and Sauerkraut, drinking beer dressed in Lederhosen and Dirndls with Rammstein playing music in the background.

I’m really sorry to disappoint you before you head out on your long-awaited journey to Germany, but this visualization is not entirely correct.

Of course, stereotypes are complete clichés. Nevertheless, if you don’t take yourself too seriously, they can be quite refreshing. Obviously, they are very generalized, simplified and are not all a correct representation of all people living in a country. However, the thing about them is that some are actually based on facts and address real national characteristics.

No matter if true or false, here are some you have definitely heard before.

1. Germans love football (soccer, that is)

“Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.” – Gary Lineker (All my Brazilian friends can tell)

2. Germans love sausages

Sausage, or Wurst as it’s called there, seems to have a special place in the heart of German meat eaters. Don’t believe me? Watch this: Bockwurst, Wiener Wurst, Blutwurst, Bratwurst, Currywurst, Weisswurst, Kinderwurst, Leberwurst, Mettwurst… need me to go on?

3. Germans never laugh

4. They love cars and drinking beer

Audi, BMW, Volkswagen, Porsche… Germans love cars. If there is one thing they love more through, it’s probably beer. Germans like beer so much that one of the first things they did after establishing colonies in China was building a brewery. Apart from that, every German is able to open beer bottles with anything but a bottle opener (and we are not talking about twisty caps here).

5. Germans love rules, organization and structure