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Want to learn German? Where to begin

If you want to learn German outside of the classroom setting, where should you begin? Teaching yourself a language is not easy, but at least nowadays it’s easier than ever. I am going to discuss what beginners can do to learn German, but the principles actually apply to learning any language.

Find materials that interest you.

Why? Because if the material is not interesting to you, you will quickly lose MOTIVATION. Motivation is a key factor in learning because acquiring language skills is a long process and in those inevitable moments when you feel you are not making progress it is too easy to give up or quit.

Interested in gardening? Try reading about it in German blogs, websites, or an online German gardening magazine.  Do you like music? Discover some German bands. Like to watch movies? Check out some of the great German flicks of the past 20 years. Are you a gamer? Join a server where you can play with German speakers. Find German speakers who share your interests. Where? Via forums or by liking German-related Pages on Facebook, or at tandem learning sites like LingQ, Busuu, or Livemocha. Or post an ad on your local Craigslist for a tandem language partner.

Devote time to study.

It takes TIME to learn a language. Frequent study at regular intervals is necessary so that you can continue practicing and building on what you have learned. What is not practiced is soon forgotten.

Studies show that the most effective way to learn is to study often but for short durations. But studying doesn’t necessarily mean sitting at a desk reading a book. It can be as simple as rehearsing phrases (numbers, family members, words for things you see) as you drive, listening to a podcast while you walk to work, spending 10 minutes reading and/or listening to the day’s news in German.

Make the time you spend studying meaningful.

Time alone is not enough. For instance, listening to language recordings every night while sleeping will not make you fluent. You must exert a conscious EFFORT over time. Make sure you are listening and paying attention, trying to understand what you read or hear, saying words and phrases out loud rather than silently to yourself.

Learn lots of words.

The more words you know, the more you will understand and the more you will be able to say.  Imagine being an expert in grammar with no knowledge of vocabulary. You would be unable to say anything. But if you knew lots of lots of words, even if you were weak in grammar you could make yourself understood. VOCABULARY is the key to communication.

Begin by learning from context, from content-based materials. Look up words as you deem necessary to understanding. After you know a good range of words, take a look at a German frequency list — the top 500 German words, the top 1000, the top 2000. Note those words that you haven’t yet learned and learn them.

Engage with native speakers.

Whether in person or online, speak and write in German as much as you can. AUTHENTIC PRACTICE is key to developing your ability to communicate and negotiate meaning. You need to learn to understand native-speaker language and to respond appropriately.

Once you have established relationships with German speakers and feel comfortable doing so, ask them if they would be willing to help you improve your language skills in a more direct way. Ask if they will correct your mistakes, clarify tricky vocabulary, and model pronunciation and correct yours.

Find a basic grammar resource.

Keep a GRAMMAR reference handy so that you can examine structures as needed to make sense of your learning materials. Your native speaker contacts can help answer some of your questions, but as native speakers they may not be able to satisfactorily solve your queries. So obtain a German grammar book or bookmark a reliable grammar website so you can refer to it when you feel you must.

Feel free to add other ideas in the comments. If you’re having trouble finding materials that suit your interests, send me an e-mail or leave a comment.

11 comments on “Want to learn German? Where to begin
  1. Sabah says:

    I really thank you for finding Top 500 words in German language, which I believe before I read your article How to Begin that vocabs are the key of communication rather than spending efforts to know feminine and masculine so I am so happy that I found what I want in the german professor.com

    You are really great.

    Thank you

    Sabah

  2. The Berber Wolf says:

    That’s very useful thnaks a lot , but I have a question can I learn English and German at the same time ? now I’m Advanced in English so can I start German ?

    • Absolutely! I wouldn’t recommend beginning two new languages at the same time, but your English seems quite advanced. I doubt very much that starting with German (or any other language) would negatively affect your progress in English at this point.

  3. Simo says:

    unfortunately , I don’t have time for to learn German , Because I learn French at the university and I learn English too ….

  4. Robin Hood says:

    Hello ! I wanna learn Deutsch ,I have a plan for that and I want to give your opinion about it . Everyday I will learn 5 new words and when I arrive to 2000 words , I will learn the grammar , is it
    a good way for to learn german or not ? thanks in advance .

    • I think your approach is good for learning basic and easy-to-learn words for things and activities that are part of your everyday world, e.g. family members (Schwester, Vater, Tante), colors (braun, rot, gelb), common activities and items (schlafen, essen, trinken, Wohnung, Mitbewohner, Arbeit). But there are many other types of words that will be difficult to learn this way, or at least difficult to retain; they will be easier to learn and reinforce when you see them in context. I would suggest starting out with some easy reading material. Look up words you encounter frequently and don’t understand. Use the modules at the Deutsche Welle website. Start with the materials in level A1.

      You can certainly also look at grammar explanations, but I wouldn’t spend much time with that at the beginning. Important things to know and understand would be verb conjugations and tenses, German word order principles, and perhaps the various functions and meanings of the German cases.

      If you spend some time working on it each day, I think you will see some progress within a fairly short amount of time. Consistent learning over time makes all the difference.

  5. Interested to learn German Language. From Basic to Advance.
    Gould appreciate if u can help me.

  6. Brian Tarpei says:

    I will love to expand my knowledge in German language,e~books are a good idea

  7. GSG says:

    I’M 90. MALE.
    I HAVE SOME SLIGHT KNOWLEDGE OF GERMAN.
    MY VOCABULARY IS THE WEAK POINT.
    I CAN FIGURE OUT THE GRAMMAR PART PASSABLY
    WITH SOME MISSES MORE THAN HITS.
    WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE ME?
    CONSIDERING THE AGE AND
    TIME BEING OF THE ESSENCE!

    • Reading is a fantastic way to expand vocabulary. It helps to start with a context that is familiar. Read a short book that you have already read in another language. Explore German-language blogs about a subject or hobby you already know a lot about. If you keep up with the news, read it in German on multilingual sites like Deutsche Welle.

      You could also watch a German film with subtitles. You could make flashcards and just start studying and memorizing words that are important to your goals.

      The best approach is one that keeps you motivated to keep learning.

  8. JOHN K THOMAS says:

    I am an Indian.I have a passion towards German language.I know English and can
    write some German.I wish to study more German with the help of this site.Thanks.

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