Translation of formalism in German

Then we did a boat trip which started somewhere in the delta and ended somewhere else in the delta. Each couple received a boat and an elderly lady had to row. I did not feel comfortable with that.
I'm from Switzerland and I speak German as mother-language. I will try to help you to learn German! We speak French, Italian and German in our country. I heard that in the US Spanish is becoming more popular.
I think there are many similar words in English and in German like park, house, bank and many more. Many people in Germany know these words, although they do not speak English properly.