German is a challenging language to learn. Its grammatical rules are tricky, and the gender system can be confusing. But you can master these things with the right tools.
A private tutor can help you make faster progress with your German lessons. But it can be expensive to get top quality individualized instruction, especially when the tutor needs to split his or her attention among several students.
Grammar
The foundation of any language is grammar, providing the structure and rules that allow learners to convey meaning accurately. In German, proper grammar is essential to understand spoken language and read written texts. It also helps learners build sentences and organize their thoughts, allowing them to communicate with native speakers.
While German grammar is complex, it is logical and can be mastered with practice. For example, unlike English, German verbs undergo conjugation depending on tense and subject. In addition, German word order is different from English and articles (a/an/the) change based on gender and case.
Learners can use resources like German Uncovered, a story-based beginner course, to get started with the basics of German grammar. In-person group classes can help learners stay motivated and set goals for progress.
Vocabulary
Many German words are very similar to English ones, and knowing these will help you understand the language. You will also need to know a few German vocabulary terms that are unique to the language.
Some of these include Fahrenheit, Strudel, Zeppelin and Schadenfreude. Other examples are slang or names of cities, restaurants or food products. Many learners find it helpful to learn German vocabulary that is relevant to their interests or goals for learning the language. Chunking is one method that helps with this. This involves taking a longer German word and breaking it down into smaller, more manageable parts (like the individual syllables in each of its sounds).
A tried and true method to build your German vocabulary is by creating a vocabulary book. This can be a simple notebook where you write down new German words along with their English translation and definition or an example sentence.
Listening
For German learners, listening is one of the most important skills to learn. However, listening to German audio lessons and podcasts can be a little challenging for beginners, so you may want to listen with a friend or try out a more structured resource like the Goethe-Institut’s Hören series.
This series teaches you language through an engaging story (yet again with a character named Philip!), and has exercises for every language level.
Another great resource for beginner learners is Deutsche Welle’s DeutschAkademie podcast series, which provides a lot of listening practice through short podcast episodes on fun themes like the Mauerbau (“Wall Building”) or Berlin Mitte (“Berlin City Center”). Another fun way to listen is with the YouTube channel Simplicissimus, which publishes short German video essays. If you’re ready for more structured audio, dictation apps like Clozemaster and FluentU provide a curated library of German content for all levels.
Reading
Reading is the key skill that enables you to read highway (excuse us, autobahn) signs if you’re driving in Germany, follow the subtitles on German movies and understand the words you hear from native speakers. It also enables you to progress further in your language learning because it allows you to explore more sophisticated vocabulary and grammar.
As with listening, reading should be fun so it’s worth finding material that interests you. It is also important to find a balance between casual and structured reading. Structured reading will involve reading closely and taking notes, referring to grammar resources or dictionaries and entering specific words into flashcard apps.
Some good sources of reading material include children’s books (“The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupery and “Momo” by Michael Ende) and detective stories that are written specifically for language learners with the help of English translations (“Des Spielers Tod” is an example). These are often more challenging than regular newspaper articles but will help you to build your German vocabulary.
Media
A variety of German media (podcasts, movies, soap operas and more) provides a great opportunity to practice German listening comprehension while immersing yourself in cultural content. The best part is that many of these resources are free or inexpensive and available on sites you’re probably already familiar with!
Learn German the way native speakers do, using real-world videos that immerse you in language and culture. With FluentU, you can watch the news or a movie and instantly see its translation in German, while honing your reading skills by hovering over words or tapping to display their meaning. And any words you don’t know can be added to a list for review later. You can even use a tablet or phone to take your lessons on the go.
