Do you want to learn German but don't know where to start? Or have you already bought a German tutorial and are eager to fight? In any case, today you will learn 5 ways to learn German that will help you learn this language much faster.
1. Sign up for courses!
Yes, this advice is banal, but many people neglect it, hoping that they themselves will be able to learn German. Indeed, you can learn quite a lot on your own. but believe me, if you take a German course, the learning will be faster, more fun and often more effective. There are explanations for this: firstly, you will be more responsible for studying, since you will have to pay some amount of money for the courses. Secondly, in the courses you will have an incentive to compete with others in learning German. In addition, the teacher in the courses will be able to explain to you some points that you may not understand on your own. You will learn about another plus of learning German in courses a little further.
Considering that there are foreign language courses in almost any area, we recommend that you definitely sign up for the nearest foreign language course to you.
2. Buy the book you want to reread in German!
Do you want to re-read some literary work? - Do it in German! So you will not only enjoy good literature, but you will also be able to learn many new words and expressions. Also, don't forget to write down all new words in your personal dictionary.
3. Be sure to get a dictionary and work with it!
This seemingly obvious advice. But not many people understand that just having a dictionary is not enough. In order for the use of the dictionary to bring you more benefit, you must definitely work with it correctly. Every time you come across an unfamiliar word, immediately look it up in an offline or online dictionary. Once you know the meaning of a word, be sure to write it down (including transcription and translation) in your personal dictionary. After writing down the word, do not forget to repeat it in the evening of the same day and in the morning of the next day. This will allow you to keep this word in your memory for a longer time.
If you already know a little German, then it is advisable for you to also purchase a German-German dictionary. Using such a dictionary will allow you to update the connections between the neurons responsible for remembering certain words, thereby you will repeat those words that you already know without noticing it.
4. Find someone to communicate with in German!
It is best if you find not only a person with whom it will be interesting for you to communicate, but also a native speaker who knows Russian at the same time. If you meet a person who combines all of the above qualities, then you can consider that you are very lucky. First of all, because now you will need to make only minimal efforts to learn spoken German. In addition, you can easily not only point out some obvious mistakes, but also explain certain aspects of German that you may not have understood.
By the way, about the plus of learning German in the courses promised in the first paragraph. When attending language courses, you willy-nilly, during the course of the classes will be forced to communicate with the teacher and with other students attending these courses. Thus, you will not only be able to get advice on this or that aspect of German that you do not understand, but you will also be able to make new acquaintances with interesting people who not only share your goal of learning German, but will also be happy to be your interlocutors.
Of course, we do not mean that you need to sit in front of the TV around the clock. It is best if you do what we recommended in tip #3, i.e. find a movie you like so much that you're ready to watch it again, and look for a German version of it. Since you already know the content of the movie, its key moments, and possibly even many of its lines, you won't be focusing on that. Instead, you can focus on what and how the characters in the movie say. This will allow you not only to get acquainted with conversational German, but also to learn a few phrases. Thanks to the internet, it's easy to find a film in German these days.
We hope that these ways will not only help you learn German faster, but also make learning easy and enjoyable!
To answer this question, you first need to understand why you need the German language, i.e. set a goal for yourself. This is important because It is one thing to learn a language for the purpose of communicating with native speakers while on a tourist trip, such as: asking for directions, finding out the price, ordering in a restaurant, shopping in stores, etc. And another thing is to read Goethe or Zweig in the original, or get higher education in Germany, understand lectures, prepare for seminars and exams, etc. Or conduct business correspondence with German partners, make business trips to Germany for the purpose of training at enterprises. Agree, the tasks are completely different. Based on these tasks, your training will be built differently.
Thus, we single out first step:
1. Statement of the purpose of the study
So let's say you have a goal. You clearly understand why you need the German language. What's next? And then something begins, without which any training becomes simply impossible: desire or, scientifically speaking, motivation. Unfortunately, not even the best teacher will give you this magic pill that will stimulate you every time you “suddenly” get a headache and decide to cancel the class. No one will learn words for you, do your homework, learn boring grammar rules. Unfortunately, for most people, an attempt to learn a language (no matter what) remains an attempt. The most persistent and stubborn reach the “finish” (you can believe me!). Therefore, immediately, from the first lesson, you set yourself up for work, because learning a language is also work.
You may have to temporarily forget about your habits, hobbies (or better yet, make German your hobby!). Someone helps hanging motivational slogans everywhere: in the apartment, on the desktop. It is useful to immediately make some acquaintances with carriers in social networks (it helps someone to have a lover / lover from Germany). Maybe someone from your environment is learning the language? Great, then there will be someone to exchange experience with. In a word, all means are good! You must immerse yourself in the language. Let these be mini-notes with words on the refrigerator (on the topic “Food”), in the bathroom (on the topic “Morning toilet”), etc. Put the German radio in the background, get used to the melody and rhythm of the German language. Train yourself to think in German.
Remember, the beginning is always difficult, this stage just needs to be experienced. But then a second wind will open, and all sorts of “goodies” will begin in the form of an opportunity to say something about yourself, understand the simple questions of the interlocutor, and read short texts.
So, we do the second, and, probably, most important step:
2. Creating and feeding motivation
Why did I write "drink"? Because nothing helps to progress in a language like regularity. I am always in favor of giving the language a little bit every day than sitting down and trying to do homework in one sitting or feverishly remembering what we went through in the last lesson? No need to try to learn 300 irregular German verbs at a time, it is better to make it a rule to learn, for example, 10 words every day. This is the most optimal amount, and in a few months you will have a pretty decent vocabulary. Again, don't pause too long in your study. This is especially true during vacations or holidays. Everything flies out very quickly! And then remembering everything is long and painful. You can use the time you spend commuting to the office. Get a small pocket notebook (dictionary) and leaf through it when you are standing in a traffic jam or in line. Or install a language learning app like Duolingo on your phone. In short, make the most of your free time.
By the way, I am not a supporter of blind and thoughtless memorization of new words. They will build up and over time be replaced by other new words from memory. Try to somehow emotionally color new words for yourself.
As you know, information is best remembered if you use several senses at once. First you see this word, then you say it out loud, then you write it and listen to it somewhere on an audio medium. Those. new words are important to write and say aloud. Adjectives are good to learn in pairs - with an antonym. With verbs, it is useful to immediately try to build short sentences. So you remember the verb, and how it is used (conjugated) in speech.
Another important point: very often people (especially at the beginning of the study) are afraid / embarrassed to speak. Someone is afraid to make a mistake, someone does not like their own pronunciation, etc. Because of the language barrier, people compare themselves to a dog that understands everything, but cannot say anything. My advice to you: don't be afraid to speak up and make mistakes! After all, the goal of any communication is to be understood by your interlocutor. If this happens, then the goal is achieved. Of course, I want to speak correctly and without mistakes. I want to express my thoughts in a beautiful and difficult way. But this is the same as asking a one-year-old child to run a hundred meters for a while. When you start learning a language, you are like a child learning to walk. He will certainly fall and get up again and again. In this regard, parents help him in the beginning. Therefore, it is very important that you also have someone at the beginning of your language learning to guide and help you. Therefore, we do third important step:
3. Choice of courses or tutor
It all depends, rather, on you: do you like to work in groups or do you prefer an individual approach. Each method has its pros and cons, which I think it is not worth listing. Learning a language on your own is quite difficult (unless you are a person of iron discipline and self-organization). Although it must be said that now the network has a huge number of different resources for learning the German language: from Dmitry Petrov's online lessons to a variety of tutorials. But practice shows that at first people try to learn the language themselves, but then they still choose courses or turn to a tutor.
So, the choice is made. You regularly attend classes, do your homework, but the desired progress is not observed. It is important to understand here that if you do something regularly, progress will come sooner or later. Yes, you will speak fluently far from immediately. By the way, a foreign language is learned, on average, in three years. Moreover, no one has canceled your main activity and pressing matters! At first, you will have to write a lot, get acquainted with boring grammar, learn words, and do a bunch of (seemingly) monotonous exercises. When the grammar is brought to automatism, and a decent vocabulary has accumulated, you will be able to formulate your thoughts on your own. What can I advise you at this stage, when you really want to talk, but so far “can’t”. And it will be ours the next step:
4. Surround yourself with language
I wrote above that it is important to immerse yourself in the language from the very beginning of learning it. It can be German television, Deutsche Welle programs with different rates of news reading for different levels of knowledge. Youtube has a variety of mini-series for German learners. It is not necessary to start with news channels right away, try watching German entertainment channels, for example, pro7, rtl, rtl2, sat1, vox, start with everyday topics. You can also watch German cartoons or movies with German subtitles. Get used to speech, try to isolate individual unfamiliar words and write them out.
It is useful to read short texts or adapted books for different levels, and it is equally useful to retell these texts. This develops speech, you learn ready-made constructions, which you can then use in conversation, but you should not abuse it with ready-made models. Sometimes many people think that having learned a dozen speech patterns, you can get by with them in all cases of life. Of course, as in any language, German has its own fixed expressions that can really only be “understood and forgiven”. But language is still something more than fixed expressions.
We learn poems and songs. Why not? Someone, in general, learned German on one Rammstein. Kidding. By the way, with knowledge of Goethe's or Schiller's poems, one can show off on occasion, showing oneself an educated and intelligent person, or make an impression on a girl. ;)
We make acquaintances with native speakers, visit language clubs, of which there are a great many in Moscow now.
Having already gained a good base, you can continue your studies abroad, and it is better to settle in some German family and forget your native language for a while. Immersion in the environment and in the language is guaranteed. The only downside is that it's not cheap.
Remember, in learning a language, nothing can be neglected. Trite, but in the toilet room you can also hang notes with words, and above the desktop in your room, in general, I recommend hanging a poster with basic grammar tables and diagrams: it’s convenient and you can always double-check yourself. Moreover, it is also better to make a poster with your own hands: it will definitely not hurt to write down the basic rules / endings / declensions / prepositions once again.
A journey of a thousand miles always begins with the first step. Take this step right now!
30% of people "fail" in language courses. They give up because there is no time, it is difficult, there is no more strength, or because interest has disappeared. Why? Everything is simple. Outdated teaching methods that work against our brain. So how do you learn German quickly and permanently?
With a systematic approach, you can learn German to an advanced level (that is, fluent communication on any topic, level C1) in 12-17 months, without living in the country of the language. Systematic training includes:
- Set a language learning goal and go for it
- Find a teacher or courses that fit the purpose. No self-study, otherwise you can go to the goal for years
- Presence of success factors
Now separately about each item.
1. Set a goal for learning a language and go for it
First you need to determine what level you have now and what level you want to reach. If the level is beginner, and for your purposes you need to master the average, then the study time will be significantly reduced to several months. The same if you have an intermediate level and want to reach an advanced level.
The second important point is to set yourself a time frame. By what time do I want to reach the desired level? What specific date and month? The time limit is a great motivator not to put things off until later, but to do it despite the rush at work, illness, holidays and lack of mood. The goal should have a specific date to which you will strive.
2. Find a teacher or courses
Classes in a language school and with private tutors can be divided into three types:
First type: The pace of work is slow
To get the entry level, you need to walk for at least six months. Then another two years to master the average level. Courses are usually inexpensive, but to master the intermediate level, you need to take 4-6 courses. In sum, it turns out to be already expensive, and a lot of time has been spent. This is the most common type of language schools not only in Russia, but also in Germany.
Second type: The pace of classes is medium or fast
You will have to adjust to this pace. If a couple of weeks were missed due to a cold, you will have to make up a lot. Most often on their own. No one will return the money for absence from the lessons (at least without a medical certificate). There is no individual approach. I also met tutors who worked at their own pace, moving on to the next topic even when the student had not yet mastered the previous one. Especially often such a rush occurs when the deadline for passing a test or exam is approaching. Although, in my opinion, it does not justify the decision of the tutor to move on.
Third type: The pace of classes is determined individually
Here the student pays not for the time of classes, but for the result. For comparison: In the first type of courses, we are told - " Pay for six months and go to classes ". Theoretically, in six months you can master half of the initial course A1. At least that's what it says in the description. But if you do not master, the course will have to be repeated.
In the third type of classes, it is proposed to pay for the result - " Do you want an intermediate level? Please. Pay once and keep practicing until you learn everything. As much time as needed.» Someone manages in three months, and someone needs eight, because they work at two jobs and because the session must be passed. But the price for both the first and second cases one, and the rhythm of classes is chosen individually. There are very few schools like this, but they do exist.
How do you know which type of school is right for you? It all depends on the life situation, the ability and willingness to learn the language. It is necessary to determine how much time there is per day and per week to study the language. Not only on courses, but also independently at home. You also need to evaluate at what pace it would be most comfortable to practice. You can also visit trial classes in several courses and choose the most suitable ones. If there are no language schools in your city or they are far to reach, you can use the services of online schools. Online courses today are not inferior in quality. And you don't have to go anywhere.
3. Presence of success factors
There are a number of factors that will help determine if you can learn a language quickly and permanently in the place or with the teacher you are currently studying with. These factors play a key role.
Variety of teaching materials
At the initial stage, you can study one basic and one grammatical. But with the growth of the language level, the materials should expand - texts, videos, games, discussion exercises, projects, etc. The materials must be up-to-date, no copies from the textbooks of the last century.
Selective study of grammar
I have sorted out all the German grammar, but in truth I use only 30-40% of the structures from the grammar books. In other matters, like most Germans. Nobody uses all the rules described in Helbig und Buscha grammar. It is important to train only 30-40%, and exercise the rest only for understanding, if you suddenly meet somewhere. To quickly learn German, you do not need to overload yourself with unnecessary information, otherwise the study will drag on for a long time, and the effect will be small.
Selective vocabulary
Here the same logic - we do not learn everything in a row, but concentrate on common words and expressions. First of all, we train the words that we use in current topics (everyday affairs and a couple of specialized topics related to work and profession). On these topics, we, first of all, train to express our thoughts.
Learning spoken language
No expressions from the classics of German literature, no obsolete words. Reading German literature is good, but learning German from it is not relevant.
The Germans raise their eyebrows when they hear from a foreigner some literary turn that they themselves have never heard before, and are even more surprised at the question - “What, don’t you say so? And Thomas Mann wrote that!”
It is clear that there were no other sources of original German texts before, but now there is a lot of material, both textual and audio and video.
Control
Not only at the end of the course. And not only written. And not only official. The teacher must monitor and record any progress of the student in order to respond in time if something was underestimated.
Feel constant personal progress
For example, you study with a tutor for a month or go to courses. What can you do in a month? Just say hello, introduce yourself and say goodbye? Or not only that, but also tell about yourself, your family and work, make an order at a restaurant, ask a passer-by for directions and talk about the weather with a German neighbor on the plane? Do you feel the difference?
Motivation
Having set a goal for learning a language, we are already interested in studying regularly and completing assignments on time. But sometimes this is not enough. Therefore, the teacher must also not only transfer knowledge, but also motivate in various ways - from an interesting story about Germany to time limits on handing in homework. However, do not forget to motivate yourself personally. For example, you can wear a German flag bracelet or keychain as a reminder to practice every day. Or being able to write your first greeting card in German after completing this topic. You need to think about what can motivate and push you to study the language regularly.
Individual approach
To learn German or any other language, it is necessary to take into account an individual approach. There are language courses with a group of 15 people or more. Here it is hardly worth hoping that the teacher will regularly monitor the personal progress of each student. Most often, if the majority of the group understood the material, the teacher moves on to the next topic. What if you're in the minority? You still don't understand the topic and want some more explanations and exercises? What if you weren't in previous classes? And if you remember visual images better, and the teacher gives only the text? Some people find it easier to learn words separately, while others remember them in context. How to tailor your classes?
Ideally, the teacher leads the class based on the goals of the students, involving everyone, and goes through the topic until all participants have mastered it.
I wish you to learn German quickly, quickly and well, well, so that you no longer sit over textbooks, but enjoy the result!
All success!
10 tips to learn German quickly and permanently was last modified: November 2nd, 2018 by Catherine
German text level A1 - Mein Wochenende.
Mein Wochenende. Am Samstag waren wir im Wald. Wir sind mit dem Fahrrad gefahren und dann sind wir ins Schwimmbad gegangen. Im Schwimmbad haben wir viel gebaden. Nach dem Schwimmbad haben wir den Orangensaft getrunken. Am Abend hat meine Frau einen Kuchengebacken. Wir haben den Kuchen gegessen. Mein Sohn liebt den Kuchen. Nach dem Abendessen haben wir mit dem Ball gespielt.
Das ist mein Wochenende!
My weekend. On Saturday we were in the forest. We rode bicycles and then we went to the pool. We swam a lot in the pool. After the pool we drank orange juice. In the evening my wife baked a cake. We ate it. My son loves pie very much. After dinner we played ball. This is my weekend!
German language test level A1 Lesson 1 - 5
Choose a test and find out your result:
Tests consist of 10 questions on each topic. After passing the test, you will immediately know your result. Correct answers will be marked green tick, and wrong answers will be marked red cross. This will help you consolidate the material and practice. Good luck to you.
Ein junger Hase - (One) young hare
The text will be written in German with a parallel LITERAL translation into Russian.
Ein kleines Tier wohnt in einem märchenhaften Wald.
Das Tier ist ein junger Hase.
Der liebt oft in einer kleinen und schönen Stadt spazierengehen.
Dieser Hase heißt Doni und er ist sehr nett.
Seine Frau ist auch sehr schön und jung.
Aber in diem Märchen sprechen wir über den Hase Doni.
Doni hat ein altes, schönes und gemütliches Häuschen. Auch fährt er gern mit seinem Fahrradum den Wald herum. Am Wochenende möchte er in diese Stadt fahren, um ein schönes und kleines Fahrrad für sich zu kaufen.
Er hat schon ein altes Fahrrad, trotzdem will er ein neues.
Normaleweise fährt er durch den Wald oder den Park.
Dieser Park liegt entlang den Wald.
Neben dem Parkgibt es einen großen Markt.
Auf diesem Markt kauft er viele Möhren für seine kleine Familie.
Wahrscheinlich geht er auch am Samstag auf diesen Markt zu Fuß oder mit seinem alten Fahrrad.
Aber muss er zuerst in d…
How to learn German on your own: step by step instructions
Do you want to learn a language without spending money?
Are you sleepy just at the thought of having to attend classes and do your homework?
You can not decide where to start and what resources to use?
Our answer is to learn German on your own! And how exactly - you will find out by reading this article. .
Whether you are learning German for a reason, whether you are attracted to German culture or the language itself, whether you are going to Germany to study, work or travel, you have a unique opportunity to take responsibility for your own progress in learning German. By learning a language on your own, you yourself set the "rules of the game": what to learn, in what sequence, how many hours a day, how many times a week.
Perhaps you already have a question: is it possible to learn a language on your own without spending a lot of money?
Our answer: yes, you can!
Become your own personal tutor and teach yourself how to speak German! On the Internet you can find many free sources:
- German films, series, radio, books and newspapers
- web pages dedicated to learning German
- audio courses
- free apps
The internet is full of these treasures just waiting to be found! As you probably noticed, you can create an atmosphere of immersion in the German language right at home without spending a penny.
If your first foreign language is English, then it will be a little easier for you to start learning German on your own. As you know, English and German belong to the same language group - Germanic. However, in addition to similarities, these languages have many differences. For example, German grammar differs significantly from English, but has common features with Russian.
Can't wait to get started? Here are 8 steps to start your exciting German language journey.
1. Master the alphabet
You should start mastering the German language from the very beginning, namely from learning the alphabet. If you are already familiar with the English alphabet, then you can safely say that half the work is already done. And yet, take enough time to practice pronunciation. Combinations of vowels and consonants require special attention, as well as letters with umlaut, since depending on whether there are two dots above a, u or o, the grammatical form, and often the meaning of the word, changes.
For example, Apfel is an apple, and Äpfel is apples, schon is narrower, and schön is beautiful.
2. Learn simple words
From the very beginning, learn a few simple words and expressions in German, for example, master greetings, pronouns, as well as such elementary words as "yes", "no", "thank you", "please", "sorry", etc.
3. Enrich your vocabulary
Learn new nouns, verbs and adjectives every day. It is important from the very beginning to get used to memorizing German nouns along with the article. Set small and easy tasks for yourself, for example, learn,. Change the language on your social media pages and on your phone to German, and I guarantee you will instantly remember words like "Freunde", "Nachrichten" or "Einstellungen".
4. Master the word order of the German sentence
The next important step is . Most likely, your interlocutor will be able to understand what you want to say, even if the word order is wrong. However, you should not be guided by the principle of "just to say" and hope that you will be understood. Try to be strict with yourself and not give yourself concessions so that your interlocutor does not fall into a linguistic stupor.
5. Learn short German sentences
Having mastered the word order, you can safely move on to memorizing small phrases in German, which are often used in everyday speech. For example, "What's your name?", "How are you?", "What time is it?" etc.
6. Watch movies in German
One of the most enjoyable and effective ways to learn a language is watching movies and series. Watch films with Russian voice acting and German subtitles, and after a while you will notice the result. You can also watch your favorite, well-watched and memorized films or series in German voice acting, which will surely give you a lot of impressions and increase your vocabulary. While watching movies, boldly "parrot" and repeat individual words or whole sentences after the characters, which will favorably affect your pronunciation.
7. Read the news in German
Try it, what if you like it? Unfamiliar words can always be looked up in the dictionary!
8. Chat with Germans and people who study German and are interested in German culture
Even if you are determined to learn German on your own, a little help can still come in handy! Register on forums and portals dedicated to learning German, join