Essential German phrases

The northern German greeting, used at any hour of the day despite what it looks like. It works from Hannover to the coast and marks you out immediately if you say 'Guten Tag' instead.

A verb Hannover invented: to hang about on the Limmerstraße in Linden-Nord, drinking outside. 'Wir gehen limmern' is a complete plan and everyone will understand it.

The local drinking manoeuvre — a small beer and a Korn held in one hand and drunk together in a single motion. It is done at Schützenfest, it is harder than it looks, and being taught it is a genuine welcome.

The Red Thread — a red line painted on the pavement that loops past the city's landmarks. Follow it on your first weekend; it is the fastest way to build a mental map.

Registering your address, legally required within two weeks of moving in, and the gate to your tax ID, bank account, health insurance and residence permit.

Cold rent versus warm rent — base rent versus rent plus heating and service charges. Listings quote cold; your standing order is warm.

The credit scoring agency. Landlords, phone operators and instalment sellers all check it, and a newcomer's file is empty.

The marksmen's festival, held every summer and officially the largest of its kind in the world — around one and a half million people. It is Hannover's carnival equivalent and it takes over the city.

Standard German. Hannover has a long-standing reputation for speaking the least-accented version of it, which is genuinely useful if you are learning — you hear the language as the textbooks write it.

Niki de Saint Phalle's three enormous painted women on the Leibnizufer, installed in 1974 to genuine public fury and now the city's most-photographed thing. A useful meeting point and a useful piece of local history.

Großraum-Verkehr Hannover, the regional fare network. üstra runs the Stadtbahn and buses inside it; the Deutschlandticket covers the lot.

112 for ambulance and fire, 110 for police. 112 works across the EU.