My First Real Conversation About “Konsum” in Berlin

Learning German is… intense. Seriously. I’m Liam, and I moved to Berlin about six months ago for a job as a software tester. It’s amazing, the city is incredible, but learning German is a whole other level of challenge. I’m slowly getting there, but there are days where I feel like I’m completely lost in a sea of “Entschuldigung” and trying to decipher what people are actually saying.

The other day, I bumped into this girl, Alice, at the Imkerhof – you know, that little organic market near my apartment. It started with the usual small talk. “Hallo Klaus! Wie geht’s dir heute? Hallo Alice! Mir geht’s gut, danke. Und dir? Mir geht es auch ganz gut.” (Hello Klaus! How are you today? Hello Alice! I’m doing well, thank you. And you? I’m doing alright too.)

It quickly turned into a surprisingly deep conversation. Klaus, by the way, was a friendly older guy selling honey. He’d just joined us and was talking about how much he enjoyed shopping. Then, out of nowhere, he started talking about Konsum – consumption.

“Ich habe gerade über das Thema Konsum nachgedacht.” (I’ve been thinking about the topic of consumption.) He said, and Alice jumped in. “Ach ja? Was genau hattest du denn im Sinn?” (Oh yeah? What exactly were you thinking about?)

Honestly, at first, I just nodded along, trying to understand. It felt like everyone was talking about how much we all buy! “Es ist echt schlimm, wie wir immer neue Sachen kaufen, obwohl wir eigentlich schon genug haben.” (It’s really bad how we always buy new things, even though we actually have enough.)

I realized it was like a debate about whether we buy too much. It felt relatable – like my new headphones! “Ich brauche zum Beispiel meine neuen Kopfhörer, die sind doch viel besser als meine alten!” (I need my new headphones, they’re so much better than my old ones!)

Alice pointed out a good question: “Aber sind die Kopfhörer wirklich besser oder nur teurer?” (But are the headphones really better or just more expensive?) That made a lot of sense. I’ve bought a few things recently that I’m not even sure I need. It felt like a bit of a competition, “Es ist ein bisschen wie ein Wettlauf, um immer das Neueste zu besitzen.” (It’s a bit like a race to always own the newest things).

Then, things got more interesting. Someone suggested looking at sustainability. “Ich versuche, bewusster einzukaufen. Ich kaufe jetzt öfter Secondhand-Kleidung, weil das ist natürlich viel günstiger und umweltfreundlicher.” (I’m trying to shop more consciously. I’ve started buying secondhand clothes because that’s obviously much cheaper and more environmentally friendly.)

It’s brilliant, right? “Es ist ein bisschen wie ein Vergleich – Secondhand ist günstiger und nachhaltiger als neu.” (It’s a bit like a comparison – secondhand is cheaper and more sustainable than new.) I’ve actually bought a few jackets from Vinted – that’s the app I use for secondhand clothes. It’s still a little daunting to find something that fits perfectly, but it’s getting easier. “Aber es ist immer noch schwierig, sich von Impulskäufen abzuhalten.” (But it’s still difficult to avoid impulse buys.)

Some useful phrases I picked up:

• “Es ist eine Frage des Gewichts, nicht des Preises.” (It’s a matter of weight, not price.) – This really hit home.
• “Wir müssen wirklich ändern, wie wir denken.” (We really need to change the way we think.) – That’s a big one!
• “Es ist wichtig, die Vorteile von nachhaltigen Produkten zu erkennen.” (It’s important to recognize the advantages of sustainable products.) – I’m definitely trying to do this.

I’m still learning, of course. I nearly bought a ridiculously expensive coffee maker last week, and I caught myself thinking about getting the latest iPhone. But conversations like the one with Alice are helping me. I’m trying to be more mindful of my purchases and to ask myself why I really need something before I buy it.

“Ich werde versuchen, noch bewusster einzukaufen und weniger zu konsumieren.” (I will try to shop more consciously and consume less.) I told Alice. “Super! Wir sollten uns das mal wieder anschauen.” (Great! We should look at this again sometime.)

I think understanding Konsum is a really important step in settling into life in Berlin. It’s making me think about my habits and what really matters to me. Maybe I’ll even start my own little blog about sustainable living! Wish me luck!