The German language that is taught at any institutional level is called Hochdeutsch - Standard German. There are three regional variants: German Standard German, Austrian Standard German and Swiss Standard German.
Here you can see that even within those distinct varieties, there are some differences.
Bavarian, or Bayrisch, is another language (Dialekt) spoken in Bavaria, Germany. While a Bavarian can easily understand Hochdeutsch, he may not be able to speak it. Germany did have its own colonial empire, although not quite as big as the English or French Empires, which is why German is mainly restricted to Europe today, but you will be surprised to know that it remains a common third language for many states in the USA! Today, it is the official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland (this trio is also known as DACH: Germany - D, Austria - A and Switzerland - CH), South Tyrol in Italy and the German-speaking Community of Belgium and Liechtenstein.
English is a West Germanic Language. So are German and Dutch.
A person speaking English can learn German easily, then move to Dutch and vice versa. Here are some similar words - Maus - mouse - muis, Koffee - coffee - koffie, Energie - energy - energie, Foto - photo - foto, etc. However, don't confuse those with false cognates! They sound similar but have very different meaning.
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