Learn German
So you want to learn German. Great! You're not alone. Millions of people study the German language daily around the world. German is a language full of beauty, layers of meaning, and rich linguistic history. It can take you all over Europe, from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Many speak it as a second language.
But you might have many questions about what it takes to get started — or why it's worthwhile at all. The good news is that you can rest assured that learning the German language is a feat worth undertaking. With the right learning tools to guide you in your journey, you'll realize your efforts pay off fast. And in a lot of different ways.
In this article:
- Learning German: Background And Basics
- Basic German Lessons For Beginners
- What Is The Fastest And Easiest Way To Learn German?
- Learning German With the MostUsedWords German Frequency Dictionaries
Why Learn German?
Learning a new language is a challenge that can open up your mind to new perspectives. It can help you connect with all types of people across the world. Here are a few reasons why learning German is a terrific idea:
- You can build new connections with hundreds of millions of people across the world.
- You gain an advantage in learning other Germanic languages.
- You can experience the culture and history of the German-speaking world.
- You can spruce up your German business skills to help you compete in the global economy. Germany is the #1 economy of Europe.
- You can to and even live in German-speaking countries with confidence.
- You can train your brain and keep your grey matter in top condition!
What Are Some Reasons To Learn German?
There are more benefits than just speaking another language. Picking up new skills can help you express your creativity, stimulate your mind, and discover new sides of yourself along the way. This applies to language learning too!. Here are a few ways learning German will positively impact your life.
Improve Your Business German Skills. If you're a professional, you want to stay current and competitive in the global market. Learning a new language gives you an edge for success. Germany is the economic powerhouse of Europe. Switzerland has the highest average wages in all of Europe, with around 4500 euro monthly. They are well-established markets full of opportunities for businesses. Learning the German language is a fantastic way to connect with colleagues in other countries and score new clients. It is an excellent opportunity to build relationships with German-speaking partners and investors. And you can showcase your brand's multicultural, international, and inclusive nature.
Learn Language to Train Your Brain: Learning a new language can help you keep your brain agile and flexible, especially as you get older. Do not believe that your ability to learn languages is worse than it was in your youth. Learning a new language requires more than memorizing vocab lists. You will improve your ability to recall memories. Language learning involves:
- Connecting the words with their meanings.
- Thinking fast.
- Overcoming obstacles and staying focused.
Learning German is a great way to stimulate your brain.
Immerse Yourself In German Culture.— You do not only learn a new language, but you will also learn of the arts and culture of the German-speaking world. You can read the literature of decorated German-speaking authors like Goethe and Nietzsche. If you understand German, you'll be immersed in more German-language media like German podcasts, radio shows, books, and TV shows.
You'll get to know the stories and recipes of world-renowned culinary creations. You can listen to the original dialogues of famous German films. You can follow the ins and out of German-language journalism. They all become accessible to you when you learn the German language. Maybe you have roots in Germany, or have German-speaking elders and ancestors. Don't know the language? Then learning German is an excellent way to connect with your heritage.
Learn German For Travel — When you can speak German, you have a passport to a whole new world. Learning German not only means you'll be able to navigate new cities by reading road signs, menus, and train tickets. It also allows you to connect with the new people you meet there. And you only need to know about 250 words to get by with these essentials. The best way to explore a new country is to experience it like a local. Learning German enables you to get away from the standard tourist traps and venture into the real world, as the native speakers live it. Discovering Berlin is a lot more fun off the beaten track!
Live The German Language Abroad — Maybe you're looking to
- Enroll at a foreign German-speaking university and have a more compelling college experience.
- Find a job at a youth hostel that lets you ski or snowboard by day and work at night.
- Retire in a more calm environment.
Living abroad is the best approach to getting the most out of your language learning experience. If you place yourself in an environment where you NEED to speak German, you'll fast-track your German fluency. Germany, Austria, or Switzerland are excellent places to get 24/7 exposure to the German language. Learning German is a gateway to a robust, colorful, and novel life adventure!
Learning German: Background And Basics
Where Do People Speak German?
If you can speak the German language, you unlock a whole world of German speakers. Approximately 130 million people around the world speak German as their native tongue. German is the most spoken mother tongue in Europe. It is the official language in four countries in the European Union: Germany, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg. (Switzerland is not part of the EU!).
Surprisingly so, you'll find German-speaking communities in the US and some in South America too.
How Long Does Learning To Speak German Take?
Learning any new skill takes time and effort. Sadly, learning the German language is no exception. It requires a regular commitment and a certain willingness to challenge yourself. The hardest part is to stick with it, even when the learning gets tedious.
When learning the basics of any new language, experts say that 15 minutes of language study daily is enough. It will teach you the basics of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation in about three weeks. You will know enough to have a simple conversation in your new language.
The American Foreign Service Institute, where US diplomats get their language training, ranks the German language as Category I. It would take around 24 weeks to reach "professional working fluency level". For native English speakers, that is. If you already know Dutch, Danish or Swedish, you'll have an even easier time.
To learn German fast, you need the right tools. If you have resources that fit your learning style and schedule, you'll make faster progress towards your goals. How long it takes you to learn German, or any other language for that matter, depends on how:
- often you practice
- learning the right things first
- keeping a positive attitude
What Is The German Learning Process? The Path Towards German Fluency
Reaching German fluency is a multi-step learning process. You'll start out as a beginner German student and will need learning material suited to that level. Then, you'll build further your knowledge with intermediate-level German. If you know intermediate German quite well, you can start learning advanced German topics. Eventually, you'll come to reach native-like fluency. But real native-like fluency will likely take many years.
The good news is that getting to a beginner level is quite easy. You can reach conversational fluency within mere months. Three months of intensive study will get you having conversations with locals.
We've broken down the different levels of German fluency for you, so you kind of know what to expect.
Beginner Level German
When you first start learning German, you'll learn the basics of beginner German. You can have basic conversations with a German speaker.
This likely includes beginner German vocabulary. You can
- Introduce yourself in German.
- Chat about where you're from.
- Describe the characteristics of people, places, and objects around you.
- Order in bars, cafes, and restaurants
- Ak questions in German to get the information you need.
To express yourself in beginner German, you'll need some base vocabulary, and you'll need to know how to form simple sentences.
Start by learning the 100 most common German words. Then, get a grasp of basic German grammar. Learn basic German verb conjugations (verb forms) and pronouns like I, you, he/she/it, we, and us. The German verbs sein (to be) and haben (to have) will be quite familiar to you as well.
When you learn German for beginners, you'll also learn how German nouns work. Why and how German nouns have a gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter). You'll understand how German adjectives must agree with nouns in gender and number. If a noun is singular, the adjective should be too. The same goes for plural nouns and adjectives.
You'll need to build up your beginner German vocabulary. Start with a solid foundation, and begin with the most common German words. This includes verbs, German adjectives, and German nouns. Our frequency dictionaries provide you with a reliable word list to learn German. They are divided into a general frequency list and an A-Z dictionary, but also into lists of the most common:
- adjectives
- adverbs
- prepositions
- pronouns
- nouns
- numerals
- verbs
Other common beginner German basics you'll pick up along the way. You'll likely learn things like:
- German numbers
- How to talk about the weather in German
- Telling the time in German
- Names of the colors in German
- And much more
Intermediate Level German
When you finished German for beginners, you'll progress into intermediate German. You'll learn more complex German language. Think verb forms, verb tenses, and sentence structures to help you communicate your thoughts and desires in more nuanced ways.
When you're an intermediate German learner, you will probably learn how to form:
- the German past tenses (someone did something)
- the German future tense (someone will do something)
- the German conditional tense (someone would do something)
- the progressive forms (that someone is doing something)
- and the imperative (tell someone to do something).
German words beyond nouns, adjectives, and verbs will become more valuable as you'll get better at speaking German. Prepositions and adverbs will be good areas to focus on now.
The intermediate German vocabulary you'll learn will get you up to conversational fluency. You can express and handle yourself in many situations. When you add in prepositions and adverbs, you'll have brand-new ways to express an idea.
Advanced Level German
If you're past intermediate German up to advanced German level, you'll polish what you haven't learned or practiced much. You'll begin to use the language kind of like a native German speaker. Vocabulary-wise, you'd learn German expressions used often by native speakers.
- German idioms,
- German slang,
- play on words and other linguistical jokes in German
A primary grammatical focus of more advanced German lessons:
You'll learn the difference between the German indicative mood and the German subjunctive mood. This mood helps you express desires, wishes, doubts, possibilities, or ideas that aren't concrete facts. This mood can appear across all the German verb tenses.
If you have advanced-level German knowledge, you'll learn how to use the German language more richly and poetically. You can form layered sentence constructions. A layered sentence has another phrase, like I'm showing you here, embedded inside it. You'll also start using relative pronouns more, like "that which, the one who".
You'll also expand your German vocabulary by a lot. The types of German vocabulary you'll learn in the advanced German path vary. Ideally, you would know the most used 5000 German words. Now is the time to learn relevant vocabulary specifically tailored to your situation. Words that might not be in the top 5000 most common words, but you would use them because they apply to your hobbies and interests. Do you like sports, or love talking about politics? Learn relevant vocabulary related to these terms. And it's not just hobbies or interests either. It could include German vocabulary for business, or medical terms. Do you work in a hotel? Learn relevant hotel-themed vocabulary. Carpenter? Learn related woodworking words.
There can be so much vocab to learn. You'd want to create your own German vocabulary lists, depending on what's important to you! You should tailor your German vocabulary to your interests and fill in the gaps where you want more words.
Learn German For Beginners: Basic German Lessons
German Vocabulary
German is a member of the Germanic language family. English is a Germanic language too. That means it shares a common linguistic ancestor with other Germanic languages. Other Germanic languages are English, Dutch, and even Danish and Swedish. You'll find a lot of cognates across both languages, in both German and English. Cognates are words that sound the same and have the same meaning. You probably don't need to grab a dictionary to find out the English translations of terms like:
- Wasser (Water)
- Katze (Cat)
- Apfel (Apple)
- Vater (Father)
- Eis (Ice)
German Pronunciation
German pronunciation can be a bit tricky for beginner German learners. With enough practice, it's pretty straightforward. Many sounds in German exist in English and vice-versa, with a few exceptions.
German pronunciation is pretty straightforward. In the German alphabet, each letter only has (almost always) just one or two sounds associated with it. Almost always. These sounds stay the same across all the words in the German language. That means it's straightforward to read a German word and know how it's pronounced on your first try. In that sense, it's way easier to learn proper German pronunciation than it is to grasp English pronunciation. In English, many words sound nothing like they're spelled.
- though vs. cough
- layer vs. prayer
- knight vs. night
- pear vs. smear
How To Improve Your German Pronunciation?
Don't worry if you can't get a typical German accent down or have flawless German pronunciation immediately. Getting it right takes some time and practice. The best way to remember these pronunciation rules is to practice them over and over. Reading texts out loud and recording yourself helps greatly. Listen back and hear where you need to improve. On that note, watching German TV, movies, or listening to German podcasts and radio can help you teach you correct German pronunciation. Soon, you'll sound like a native German speaker!
Basic German Phrases For Conversational German
If you want to speak German fluently, you must know certain expressions. These will help you navigate through a German conversation on auto-pilot.
The best place to start is with a simple "hallo"! There are many common greetings in German to choose from.
- Guten Tag - good day
- Guten Morgen - good morning
- Guten Mittag - good afternoon
- Guten Abend - Guten abend
- Guten Nacht - Good night (Said when going to bed only, like English
You'll get familiar with basic German phrases like
- Wie geht's? - How are you? (informal)
- Wie geht es dir? ("How are you?")
- Wie geht es Ihnnen? (formal and/or plural)
Now for the game, set and match, try:
Freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen. Wie geht es Ihnen? - Nice to meet you. How are you?
If you meet someone for the first time, you'll probably want to make small talk. You introduce yourself and exchange where you come form. To say your name, you can say
- Ich heisse [your name] - My name is ..
- Ich bin [your name] - I am ..
To find out the names of other people in German, you can ask:
- Wie heisst du? (informal)
- Wie heissen Sie (formal)
The way to say where you come from in German is "Ich komme aus ..". If you want to ask where someone is from, you can say:
- Woher kommen Sie? (formal)
- Woher kommst du? (informal)
To say goodbye in German, you can say
- Auf Wiedersehen - (formal)
- Tschüss - see you (informal)
- Bis Bald - see you soon
- Bis später - see you later
There are many other useful conversational German words, phrases, and expressions you'll get to know as you learn German. Good manners come a long way in Germany!
- Bitte - please, you're welcome, come again?
- Dankeschön - Thank you.
- Bitte sehr - You're welcome .
- Kein Ursache - Don't mention it.
- Entschuldigen Sie - Excuse me, I beg your pardon
- Wo ist ..? - Where is ..?
- Sprechen Sie Deutsch? - Do you speak German?
Learn these German phrases and expressions. Then learn some more like them, you can communicate with native German speakers with ease.
What's The Quickest Way To Start Learning German?
There is no single right answer on how to learn a new language. People usually fall into four categories of learning styles. If you know your learning style, you can adapt how to learn German best.
Visual Learners
If you learn information best when it is presented to you in pictures, meaningful symbols, or videos, you're likely a visual learner.
Auditory/Aural Learners
Auditory or aural learners learn best when they hear information.
Auditory learning is a two-way street. If you fall into this learning category, you will do best in group activities where you can talk about what you're learning with other students. You may benefit from reading your written work out loud to yourself to help you reflect and think it through.
Reading/Writing Learners
Students who learn best in the reading/writing category show a strong learning preference for the written word.
This type of learner also prefers to do research online. Many information-rich sources on the internet are made out of relatively a lot of text.
Kinesthetic Learners
Kinesthetic learners are hands-on, participatory learners. They need to take a physically active role in the learning process to achieve their best educational outcome. Sometimes, people call them "tactile learners". It might be a bit of a misnomer. Rather than simply using touch, kinesthetic learners tend to engage all of their senses equally in the learning process.
Now you know your learning style, you still have a lot of options to choose from. Choosing a good method to learn German can be overwhelming! You'll discover that the fastest and easiest way to learn German is the way that comes most natural to you. Maybe you hate having to learn from a textbook. Or maybe you get bored by learning from flashcards. You'd want to find, and stick to, a method that's more exciting or engaging. Knowing yourself first, is the key to success.
Millions of people have learned, and became fluent in, German as a second language. You'll find folks who have used all sorts of resources to learn the language. Some source materials are free, some reasonably cheap. Some other are more expensive but might yield faster results. There's no "absolute best" combination. It's up to you to decide which German learning methods work best for you in particular.
Here are some ways to learn German quickly. Use the 80/20 rule.
- Start by learning the most common words first.
- Get a grasp of basic grammar.
Then get some more in-depth knowledge to practice your skills:
- in a classroom setting or with one-on-one instruction from a private teacher or tutor.
- with paid or free online German courses, classes, software, or apps
- with German media resources like podcasts, playlists, books, movies, and TV shows
Ways To Learn And Practice German
Learning German In The Classroom
The German language is among the top studied languages in schools and universities worldwide. Learning in a classroom setting is the most popular option for students in grade school or university. If you're taking German classes, it allows for more intensive, regular study. You also get feedback from teachers who know the language well. Teachers can correct mistakes as they happen and interactively teach the language. Having other students who are learning German to talk to and practice with is a valuable resource for any language learner.
Younger students make up a large proportion of classroom learners. Many adults enroll in German language classes, too. You will find that many free or fairly cheap language classes in most cities. If you're studying a popular language, like German, you're bound to find them in any major city. A full-time job might limit your availability, which we understand. However, going to a German class after work or on the weekends can quickly improve your German language skills. Even if it is just once or twice a week.
Learning German With A Private Tutor
Private tutoring offers a more flexible and tailored learning experience than classroom learning. It has many of the advantages of classroom learning. If you have a skilled German tutor at hand, you'll progress real quick. Your teacher can help you perfect your pronunciation. Specifically, your tutor can focus on the aspects of German that cause you the most trouble. Having access to such a resource is a great way to improve your skills fast. The big drawback of group learning is that a teacher needs to split time and attention among many students. German tutoring doesn't have to be inconvenient at all. Nowadays, many sessions take place over video calls instead of in person.
The drawback of private tutors? They can be expensive. The (often) steep costs of private instruction can be a barrier to many German students. Well-trained master tutors often charge high hourly rates for their lessons. Finding a top-quality tutor who doesn't break the bank can be challenging.
German Language Courses, Apps, And Online Software
There are many excellent, expert-designed online German courses and programs available in 2021. (The opposite is, unfortunately, true too, so always read reviews first!) The prices run from reasonably priced to very expensive. These German courses allow you to learn on your own time. The paid options are often more interactive and engaging than many free German courses and resources. The money invested is usually well worth it. I'd instead advance quicker than spend a lot of time learning irrelevant things. Plus, many of the best products out there are constantly updated with new, fresh material. This way, you get the most relevant learning experience available.
Can You Learn German For Free?
In short: Yes. But it will probably take you a lot longer, and it will likely be more tedious. Maybe you're a learner on a shoestring budget. If you don't mind spending more time finding and working with cheaper or free content, you still have plenty of options!
Language Exchange: Learning German With Tandem Partners
In tandem learning, two people who speak different native languages meet up to help each other. They are swapping roles as teacher and student, teaching each other their native language. A language exchange is an effective method when both people can commit significant time and thought to the language exchange. However, keep in mind that not everyone is a good teacher. Explaining why your native language works the way it does is often easier said than done. You might understand English grammar subconsciously and use it flawlessly all the time. This does not mean that you can explain the grammar rules to a non-native speaker.
Full German Immersion Programs
Total German immersion is the most extreme and intensive option, and it's not for everyone. It is also the best way to learn German fast. You'll be exposed to German 24/7. And if you force yourself not to use English, you'll pick it up in no time. Fully immersing yourself in a new culture and a place, like living in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, will force you to make rapid progress. If you take it upon yourself to not speak English, you'll struggle to communicate and understand those around you in German. And nothing improves your skills faster than necessity.
Unfortunately, it's also one of the most expensive options. Think about airfare, rent, and all the costs of living associated with traveling. You can choose to take part in a German immersion program or just by booking a ticket and finding an Airbnb.
That said, you'll want to start with at least a little foundation in German before moving. Using resources like the ones below can all help you prepare before you make a big transition.
- Learning the most common words with the MostUsedWords German Frequency Dictionaries.
- Understanding the most crucial German grammar with Quickstudy charts.
- Getting the hang of speaking and listening with an audio method like Michel Thomas or Pimsleur German.
- Doing an (online) language exchange with native German speakers
- Perhaps even taking some German classes.
How Do I Learn German By Myself? — Useful Resources To Learn German
Maybe don't have access to German classes, tutors, or even native German speakers. There are still a lot of German learning resources to help you get fluent in German. You can access most of them online or from a library. They do not have to be expensive. You can usually find them for cheap. Even a subscription to a streaming service like Netflix or Spotify can help you improve your German skills. You might already be paying for these anyway!
Books To Learn German
If you like reading, you're in luck. There are a lot of German books that can help you learn the language. There are literally thousands of German books that make great learning resources. They range in difficulty. You'll find everything from beginner-level short story collections and comics, to more advanced works of literature.
Reading books to learn German is a great way to sharpen your reading skills. You will broaden your vocabulary by learning words from context. It helps you understand how the German language is used in a whole wide range. From historical fiction to fairy tales, from essays to short stories, nonfiction, and everything between.
Reading books in German can help you learn at your own pace. Look for graded books. If you read a book near your own difficulty level, you won't have to stop and consult a German dictionary to look up German words.
You can also look for bilingual books. These are also called parallel text books. They have both the German and the English translation side to side. This way, you don't have to waste time looking up unknown words in a dictionary, and you can read whatever book you'd like to read.
What to do if you encounter words you don't know yet? Keep a language journal of unfamiliar words and expressions. Decide if they are important enough to learn, and then review these from time to time. It helps you build your vocabulary.
Here is another little hack. You can get some extra speaking and German pronunciation practice by reading the book out loud. Record yourself and listen back for extra listening practice.
Learning German With Podcasts, Songs, And Audio Methods
Listening to German podcasts to practice German is a great way to hear the "real" language spoken. You'll listen to the natural patterns, accents, and inflections a native German speaker would use. Learning from textbooks is often too formal and can sound constructed.
You have beginner-level German podcasts that focus on building the basics of German grammar and vocabulary. There are also more intermediate and advanced narrative storytelling podcasts. You can find more than enough German podcasts to pick from — and many of them are free. German podcast tips for learners: To build up your listening skills, you can slow down a podcast. You can also try active listening. Focus actively and attentively on what you're hearing instead of just playing the podcast in the background.
I love passive learning. Listening to German songs works in much the same way as tuning in to German podcasts. You can listen to both passively while you're on driving or walking somewhere. Put it on in the background while preparing dinner, walking the dog, or while exercising. With songs, the chorus or the hook is often repeated more than once. This gives you a lot of exposure, hearing lyrics over and over.
Life pro tip: You can find many playlists of German songs on Spotify organized by skill level. You'll find beginner German playlists to more advanced ones.
But remember the following. If you want to really master a language, you've got to do more than just listening to it. You'll want to supplement audio learning with other methods. Look for podcasts that have transcripts. Find the song's lyrics for extra reading practice. Keep a notebook to write down unknown words and phrases. Reviews these terms later.
Learning With German TV Shows And Movies
Try watching German movies and German TV shows. It is an excellent and effortless way to practice the German language. You can find a lot of good material in all types of different genres. There is content for all skill levels. You'll find plenty on streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. Animated movies are perfect for beginner German learners. More adult audience-orientated films are best if you like to follow complex, plot-heavy narratives. The dialogues often consist of more advanced German, too.
When you're watching videos, you'd want to display subtitles in German for some extra reading practice. Don't watch media dubbed in English (or your native language), as you won't end up hearing any German! If the dialogue is too fast, just pause what you're watching. Give yourself a chance to process and understand what you're hearing. Write down unfamiliar words in your language journal, and look them up later. When you watch movies and TV series to learn German, don't be afraid to break them up into chunks. This helps your brain by getting some rest.
Where to Find Free Online German Classes, Software, And Apps?
There's quite a lot of free German content you can find on the web. The same goes for apps on your smartphone. There a wiki's related to German grammar and vocabulary. You'll find plenty of forums, and there are free even German classes online. There is something out there for everyone. Out of all these opportunities, you're bound to find hundreds of options that might be suitable to your specific wants and need.
Some of these options are better than others. They differ in the way the method is organized and how well it explains concepts. Read reviews first before you commit to something. Don't just start because it looks useful at first glance! (I'm talking to you, random vocabulary lists on Pinterest!)
Buyers beware! The tradeoff of products is that they usually sacrifice your time, or the quality of the product itself. Almost all of the source material in free German apps comes from user-generated translations. Another large part comes from freely available sources. They are typically useless for learners. I know because we looked at various sources for the example sentences in our frequency dictionaries. These are rarely checked for accuracy. Often they have been translated very loosely, or they are rife with errors.
Free German lessons like these can often be very basic, poorly made, unorganized, rigid. Even worse, they might be wasting your time by teaching completely irrelevant things. If you're getting a free app, they either sell your data, or they'll spam you with annoying, time-wasting ads. Developing good learning material requires experts, time, and money. How can you give it away for free if you need to spend considerable resources first to create your courses?
I'm not saying these resources can't be helpful. They can be really helpful. However, it's important to know how and where to fill in your language learning journey gaps. Not all content is of equal quality, and you often get what you pay for.
German Flashcards And Phrasebooks
Online and offline, you will find lots of learning material that teaches you basic German words, phrases, and expressions. Offline, you say? Yes, bookstores still exist and usually carry a foreign language education section. German flashcards are pretty popular. You can find these on websites like Quizlet and Anki. You can download these wherever you go. German flashcards are great tools for boosting your memory retention of the terms you want to remember most.
Note
The problem with these flashcards is that the source material used to construct them, is extremely poor. Not always, but out of all the apps available, I only would trust three. That is why we are developing our own Flashcard app. Stay tuned!
Similarly, German phrasebooks are a great way to learn German phrases in chunks. It's a quick method to learn some sentences that native German speakers use in their daily lives. These sentences will help you practice some of the most important things to say when:
- meeting new people
- ordering at restaurants and bars,
- and finding your way around unfamiliar places.
The good part of phrasebooks is that they give you whole sentences, language chunks that you just can learn at once. It allows you to get up to speaking level quickly. The chunking method helps you learn languages in chunks. The sample sentences in our frequency dictionaries help too, but they are not so specific as the sentences you'll learn from a phrasebook.
Tip: Carry around a pocket German phrasebook with you while you travel. It makes your traveling experience more seamless. It's also great to have it as some light reading/vocabulary practice while you commute somewhere, for example.
German flashcards, German phrasebooks, and other similar resources are helpful learning tools. But they can't teach you how to use German in real conversations by themselves. To do that, you'll need to practice these terms and phrases in real German dialogues. Talking to yourself in German might feel odd at first. I wouldn't recommend doing it on public transportation either. However, it is a great way to practice what you have learned.
Learning German With the MostUsedWords German Frequency Dictionaries eBooks.
You're probably learning a language to have real-life conversations with native speakers. A language learning method should be designed to get you to that goal in the most efficient way possible. It's essential to dedicate yourself to practice with discipline. Apart from that commitment, you've got to have a learning method that helps get the most from your time spent learning.
We are all language learners at MostUsedWords. Expert linguists and German teachers design the MostUsedWords German Frequency Dictionaries, with constant feedback from our students. The series is made by learners, for learners. The combined knowledge put in a single book gets you the most out of learning a new language. We want to maximize output (German fluency), while minimizing input (time spent studying). You are guaranteed a top-notch German learning journey, that's as fast and efficient as possible.
Here is how the MostUsedWords German Frequency Dictionaries are made to get you speaking German fast and efficiently. And all for less than 0.012 cents per word.
German Learning On Your Own Terms
You get a list of the most common German words with bilingual sample sentences. These high-frequency words are a great tool for any level of German learner. Because you use some words more than others, it is essential to learn the most common ones first. Our books are made for beginners, intermediate, advanced, and near-fluent students.
One of the best parts of learning with the MostUsedWords German Frequency Dictionaries is that you can fit study sessions seamlessly when you want them, and where you want them.
Learn just 10, 20, or 30 words a day. Bite-sized study sessions lessons take roughly between 10 and 20 minutes per day. You can fit them into your already busy schedule whenever you want. Get some quick studying in while you're on your commute, in a quiet moment at work, or while waiting for water to boil while you're cooking.
With the MostUsedWords German Frequency Dictionaries, you can pick and choose parts of speech you want to improve. Need to know more verbs? Learn from the most common verb list. Want more ways to describe things? Learn from the German adjectives list. Our dictionaries have you covered.
We teach you correct German pronunciation, too. Yes, you can learn the proper way to pronounce a word from a book. The IPA phonetic spelling for German words even helps you get your pronunciation right, too.
Learn German Vocabulary And Never Forget it.
What good is learning a new language if you'll forget it before you even have a chance to use it? That's why you want to use spaced repetition. It takes advantage of some concepts we call memory hacking. You want to bring back information in intervals. This helps you remember it better. Review previously learned material from time to time, to ingrain them into your brain.
For Learning German, Try the MostUsedWords German Frequency Dictionaries
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