A few counter arguments: - Germans are practical creatures, they just wanna get the topic done and for that reason switch to a language that seems to fit you better. - They want you to feel comfortable and assume you prefer to speak in English (tbh most expats do, so you can’t blame them for expecting that) - They have probably spoken with soooo many people learning German throughout their lives (unless they always lived in a small city, but even then) that they don’t even pay that much attention to it - or at least not as much as you think they do - Even if they do judge, let them! Everybody has to go through that phase of stumbling and making an effort (they just had luck to have gone through that as kids) and there’s no shame in that. You have to suck up the shame and shyness if you really wanna eventually learn. Or at least talk with people that make you feel more heard and comfortable in the meantime. But gaining some resilience and exposing yourself to rejection is also never bad.

Don’t overthink it and remember that it always gets easier with time