Forget English When You Speak Another Language
First of all, we recommend you to forget as much as you can about English when you learn German or any other language. Yes, the similarities make it easier, but you cant learn to drive a car by sitting on your bike.
The thing is, German sounds differently than English and if its your first foreign language, it might be challenging for you to deal with that. English will stick strongly, and you might continue saying German words with an English accent.
Youve got to focus on pronunciation first and then continue with grammar, vocabulary, and all the other necessary skills. This will allow you to become fluent in speaking so you wont have to worry about it later on.
All Nouns Are Capitalized
Trying to sort out who is doing what in the sentence becomes easier when you can separate the nouns from everything else. In German, you can easily identify which words are nouns because they are all capitalized. Not just proper nouns , but ALL nouns In addition, the first word in a sentence is also capitalized, so that word may or may not be a noun. Even if you dont speak a word of German, you can readily pick out the nouns in the following sentences.
Berlin ist eine der wasserreichsten Städte in Deutschland: Spree, Havel, eine Vielzahl an Kanälen und Flussläufen durchziehen das Stadtgebiet und werden jeden Tag überquert. Wir sind Künstler und Künstlerinnen, die vorwiegend im Norden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland leben und arbeiten.
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Speak German To Get More Appreciation For The Arts
Bach, Grass, Beethoven, Polke. This is just a sample of the renowned composers, artists, and writers that hail from Germany. Learning German will give you a greater appreciation and understanding of these artists and more.
More than 80,000 new books are published in Germany each year, only a small percentage of which are actually translated into other languages. Learning to speak German will allow you to indulge in these masterpieces whenever youd like.
And dont forget youll be able to read the works of Goethe, Kafka, and other famous German writers as they were originally written. Theres no more worrying about things getting lost in translation!
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Why Learning German Pronunciation Is Easy:
As I mentioned earlier, English is originally a Germanic language, so they have mostly the same sounds, and the pronunciation of words is rarely a problem for English speakers.
There are two exceptions with which I struggle.
First, the letter R, which is a bit more guttural and not as soft as in English. Secondly, there is a difference between the letter U and Ü, which often sound like oo to me.
The best example I have to mind on this point is there is a big difference between the words schwül and schwul, the former meaning humid and the latter is a synonym for homosexual. So I might be talking about a humid man/ woman and homosexual weather!
Furthermore, German is what we call a phonetic language, meaning that combinations of letters have the same sound 99% of the time. English is not a phonetic language, so we have different ways of spelling the same sounds, e.g., bow vs. bough, reed vs. read.
In German, the vowel sound IE is always like ee, so Liebe is pronounced leebe, as well as Fieber , is spoken feebe. Whereas EI is pronounced like the vowel sound in English words like mine, fine, wine, etc, so mein Wein would sound like mine vine. There are very few exceptions. Loan words, i.e., words originating from other languages, such as Latin, might deviate from the general rules.
German Is Impossible To Master
Learning a new language can be challenging.
Especially when we try to learn them in a fast-paced world, maybe before or after work, or even in-between other tasks.
I get it:
German, with its endless amount of pronouns, specific vocab and unfamiliarly harsh pronunciation to memorise, doesnt exactly sound as fun as a holiday at the beach.
But, if you already speak English, maybe this does:
Firstly, about 40% of German words are at least familiar to English words with the same meaning.
Thats nearly half of all the words you could ever learn!
Secondly, English and German stem from the same language family, so approximately 80% of common English phrases are of German origin as well.
For example:
I have vs. Ich habe or What is that? vs. Was ist das?
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Because German Has Rules To Which One Can Abide To Whereas In English The Grammar Is More Flexible So To Say
Although English is one of the most learned and used languages globally, the English grammar remains a mystery to much of the native and foreign speakers alike. To this day English has no academy , and debates on verb tenses are very much alive. With German its easier, you have the rules and you ought to respect them. They might not always make sense, but at a certain point the the inner struggle fades.
How Then Will You Learn To Speak Like A Native
With my method, you learn naturally through a simulated conversation, so that you speak and then receive corrective feedback from my audio files.
My learning materials not only contain lessons for beginners, in which you learn, for example, how to pronounce the German umlauts correctly, but also lessons for advanced learners.
I enjoy learning German with Lucas, he makes it fun and easy to start, nothing complicated, just everyday talk that you would normally use and very little grammar, hooray.
~ Steve Rooke
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Where Can I Learn German A1 For Free
The A1 German course is open to anyone interested in learning the language. The participants have received the Institute of Economic and Social Research A1 Certificate as part of the course. After you register, you will be given all of the necessary information to begin your course .
Mind Luster is a fantastic name for the product. Learn German as a beginner. You can learn more about this course online. You will receive a free certificate when you sign up for this service. Here are 65 of the best certificate classes to take. We value your feedback very much. The Natalia Skvortsova Certificate does not provide any additional information.
How do I insert this information? The year 2022. The year 2022, as well as the first half of 2023, are ideal for studying. This program is extremely simple to learn, and Charne Smith finds it extremely useful. How difficult is A1 German? If you are well prepared, it is relatively simple to pass the A1 exam. For a beginner, B1 is a real tough one to crack. It is possible to learn German in one year, but it will take a significant amount of time.
You And Your Knowledge
Educated people have better knowledge in general. They know how everything works, at least the basics, from business to understanding culture.
They also know how to learn something, and if they don’t, they know to find the way.
When talking about learning languages, this type of person will give their best to see which ways and learning methods suit them to learn the language quickly and efficiently.
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Strong & Weak: Learn Regular And Irregular German Verb Forms
As in English, German has two types of verbs. Theyre referred to as strong verbs and weak verbs.
Weak verbs are regular verbs. This means that they follow regular, predictable rules for the present and past tense in German.
Strong verbs, on the other hand, are irregular and dont follow the regular, predictable rules for conjugation.
This means that strong verb forms must be memorized separately in order to be used correctly. You should try to memorize these irregular forms when you encounter a strong verb.
Lucky for you, the irregularities in strong verbs are generally simple changes in spelling and in pronunciation. For example, we can look at the German verb laufen .
We know that weak verbs remove the -en ending and add a t when conjugating with the er, sie or es subjects. Laufen, however, take this a step further. In addition to its t, the a of the verb also gets an umlaut on it to get läuft. This changes the words pronunciation, and this irregularity also happens with the du subject to get du läufst .
Why German Is A Bit Hard To Learn
Learning German, like any other foreign language, has some more difficult parts. The most important thing to remember is to not let yourself become overwhelmed with a little research and practice, everything will be much easier for you.However, the following are some factors that can make learning German difficult for some students and necessitate a little extra effort.German grammar is difficult, frustrating at times, and will most likely take some time to master.
The majority of students struggle with grammatical cases . But once you realize how useful they are, youll understand why the effort is worthwhile.
For example, cases allow us to be very precise and definitive when it comes to who does or receives the action in a sentence. Finally, this improves the clarity and efficiency of our communication.
On the bright side, understanding English grammar can help you understand German grammar.
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The Awful German Language
If you are struggling to learn German and need some relief from your efforts, I highly recommend Mark Twains 1880 essay The Awful German Language .
Apparently, Mark Twain extensively struggled with the German language :
never knew before what eternity was made for. It is to give some of us a chance to learn German.
In this essay, he also describes a dream in which all bad foreigners go to German Heaven where they couldnt talk and wished they had gone to another place.
The Awful German Language remains Mark Twains most famous and well-written philological essay for a reason!
While I think that German is not as hard as Twain makes it out to be , I most definitely appreciate the humor of this piece.
Why Learn A Second Language
There are a multitude of benefits to learning a second language:
- Learning a second language significantly improves your cognitive abilities. We all want our minds to stay young and sharp and this is a great way to give ourselves a rejuvenating boost in the brain department.
- Employers love it. Corporations, international organizations and government agencies jump at the chance to hire bilingual or multilingual employees. Learn a new language and you can open a whole new world of opportunities for yourself professionally and personally.
- Youll find it much easier to pick up a third, fourth and fifth language. This changes your perspective on life and the world.
In this age of technology, the ability to learn a new language is right at your fingertipsanything you need to learn can be found online, from online courses to apps and books.
One resource is FluentU, which is a language learning app that offers more than 10 languages, including Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese. Its full of authentic language videos equipped with resourceful features like interactive subtitles and a video-based dictionary:
And, of course, you can always go offline by picking up a dictionary or a textbook in the language of your choice and bringing it with you wherever you go. The possibilities really are endless. You just have to want it enough to make it happen!
No matter how busy you are or how difficult you think it may be, theres a language out there for everyone!
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There Are Few Pronunciation Rules
Aside from the difficulty of the aforementioned sounds, one cannot say that German has strict pronunciation rules. Unlike English, where every word is pronounced differently, or French, where the rules are strict and dictations are required even in the most advanced course levels.
The only sounds that change in German are certain diphthongs and the v, which is read as f. The rest of the words are pronounced exactly as they are written. And this is unquestionably noteworthy.
Useful Resources To Learn German
There are many types of German media resources, both audio and visual, that can help you practice learning German. Most of them can be accessed for free online or from a library or found for very cheap or even through a subscription for a streaming service like Netflix or Spotify youre likely already paying for!
German Phrasebooks
German phrasebooks are a great way to learn the German phrases that real German speakers use in their everyday lives. They will help you practice some of the most important expressions for meeting new people, ordering at restaurants and bars and finding your way around unfamiliar places. You can carry around a pocket German phrasebook with you while you travel to make your experience more seamless or just to have as some light reading while you commute to work, for example.
Books To Learn German
If you like to read, youll find a whole range of literature written in German that can help you master the language. There are thousands of German books that make great learning resources, ranging in skill from beginner-level books like Das Wunder von Bern and childrens comics like Max und Moritz to more advanced contemporary novels like Tschick.
Learning German With Podcasts, Songs And Audio Resources
Learning With German TV Shows And Movies
Free Online Courses And Apps For Learning German
These resources can be helpful, but its important to know how and where to fill in the gaps in your language learning journey when certain content isnt enough.
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Verb Position And Separable Verbs Tricky But Rhythmic
Something else that is distinctive about German grammar is the positioning of its verbs and that they often split. There are also a couple of general rules of thumb here. If a sentence is simple and a statement, the verb will usually appear in the second position if it is simple and a yes/no question, it will go in the first position. In a subordinate clause, however, the verb will always be at the end, and if there is a modal verb involved, this will take the very last spot. Because of this, it might be the case that you find yourself waiting for the verb to know what someone is talking about and that by the time you reach this you have almost forgotten what the rest of the sentence was! On the other hand, it gives German a certain rhythmic quality and makes it quite easy to know how to structure your sentences.
A trickier thing is what Germans call trennbare verben , separable verbs. These are verbs that, in their infinitive form have a prefix attached to them that splits away when they are conjugated. What makes them tricky is that the prefix is then usually dropped somewhere after the verb, usually, again, at the end of a sentence. These kind of verbs are similar to English phrasal verbs, which are also tough for people that learn English as a second language, but a little bit harder because the space between their parts is usually much more, so it is easy to forget to complete them.
Finding Fluency With French
Knowing English will help you learn Spanish, but knowing both English and Spanish will help you learn French even faster. The more you teach your brain about languages, the more their various structures will begin to make sense to you.
On top of that, English and French have a lot of common ground, and, following the Norman invasion of England in 1066, English and French share many cognates. The pronunciation of French is actually much easier to understand than English, which contains a variety of words with the same spelling yet completely different meanings or pronunciations.
Many of the French cognates actually have the exact same spelling as the English words. Words like international, distance, and finance are all written the same in French, making it one of the easiest languages to learn for an English speaker. Some cognates with slightly different spellings include:
Do you notice any patterns with these words? French contains many patterns, and once you begin studying, youll quickly start picking upon them.
Also, you were picking up new French words without you even knowing when you were listening to Zaz or Celine Dion and watching Amélie or The Intouchables .
Pick your language wisely
While Chinese and Hindi are the languages spoken by the most people on Earth, learning them would be extremely hard and it would take a lot of extra time. As you already know English, you will have an easier time learning Spanish, German, French, or any other European language.
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Learning German Genders Can Be Frustrating
English speakers have the luxury of not having genders. But, German does. German has three genders, which makes it even more difficult to master. Its probably the reason why the Foreign Service Institute deemed it harder than French, which only has two genders.
German has masculine , feminine , and neutral gender. While some genders are self-explanatory , others are less logical . And these articles in front of Genders change depending on the cases. So, the grammar of German genders doesnt do you any favors either.
How to Make German Genders More Manageable
You can always associate the genders and articles to the words. And training your brain to remember them isnt a bad route either. But, if youre a bit lazy like me, you can use this one trick that no language learning website will ever tell you: Germans dont actually care. Most Germans dont mind if you mix up der with die. Sometimes even locals get confused between the genders. So, when youre speaking, dont fuss about which article you need to use.