How I’m learning German from scratch (again)
My German learning journey in a nutshell
When I was 9 years old, I attended a short German course which made me fall in love with the language. However, after the course ended I didn’t continue studying (I chose to study Spanish instead, due to my beloved Argentinian telenovelas). My second attempt in learning German was 10 years later, when I studied it for 2-3 months before my trip to Vienna with friends. As a result, I could successfully say: “Hallo, ich möchte eine Kaffe Latte, bitte” or “Entschuldigung, wo sind die Toiletten, bitte?”. Unfortunately, I quickly lost interest in learning German after going back home. Then, a year later, I tried again since I was going to visit my friend who moved to Berlin. It turned out I remembered more than I had thought. I communicated with locals in German without any major issues. However, since then I stopped learning German again due to lack of motivation.
Over the last few years, I had lots of opportunities to speak German. I even shared an apartment with a guy from Berlin for 5 months! I feel like the universe keeps sending me signals to learn German (or Germans are simply everywhere in Europe). Now, I really want to learn it properly to be able to have deeper conversations with Germans that I meet. So actually, I’m writing this post for myself, to get motivated, and for my friend who has helped me set up this blog and asked me for some tips to learn German:)
Some tips for learning a language after a long pause
- First of all, you don’t want to dive too deep into learning your target language. Just try to take it slow in the beginning. You could start with finding new music, podcasts, tv shows etc. to slowly immerse yourself in the language. Another good option is to start studying for 15 minutes daily using a language learning app, such as Duolingo or Babbel (Babbel doesn’t have a free version, unfortunately).
- The next step would be to start writing in the language you’re learning. You’re free to write about anything you’d like. At first it would be beneficial to use the help of a dictionary, but after a while I’d suggest writing without any help, and then checking if you made any errors. I’m a huge fan of writing in another language, it helps to both expand your vocabulary and enhance your grammar knowledge.
- When you start feeling comfortable in your target language, you could try speaking with a native speaker. There are lots of free meetings for language learners, both online and offline. I know it can be scary sometimes, but this will really help you make significant progress in learning the language.
- My last tip is to stay consistent. If you devote regular time to language learning and develop consistent habits, you’ll quickly see the effects. Even if you don’t study actively, your brain will hopefully notice some patterns in the language and over time you’ll start to remember the most repetitive words.
Some German learning resources
One of my favorite ways to learn languages on a basic level is to watch interviews with locals using the ‘Easy Languages’ YouTube channel. The ‘Easy German’ videos are especially helpful since there are lots of them on many diverse topics, so you’ll definetely find something for yourself. They always have double subtitles which enables you to see the words and phrases visually, and not just hear them.
If you’re a person who enjoys more structured learning, in my opinion this website is pretty good: german.net. It contains a lot of useful information, particularly grammar explanations. German grammar is no joke, so thank God websites such as this one exist!
As I mentioned before, my main German learning resources are Duolingo and Babbel - probably the most known language learning apps. Other than that, I try to write a lot in German and then make flashcards out of any new vocabulary words using the Quizlet app.
When it comes to books, tv shows and podcasts, I’m still searching for something interesting enough so please let me know if you recommend anything for A2/B1 German learners! I’m currently enjoying watching a Netflix show called “Dark”, but I find the language used in it a little too complicated for me personally. Same goes for online meetings for German learners - I need to find something for beginner learners, so if you know any good ones - let me know in the comment section!
Hi there, I been learning German in high-school and I took a break from it in college for over 4 years. How would you go about restarting to learn it again in my situation?
ReplyDeleteHi, great question! I’d suggest diving into learning German SLOWLY, so that you don’t get overwhelmed in the beginning. You could create your own study routine and do one small activity every day. It all depends on which language learning methods you personally enjoy:) For example, I’d recommend using an app such as Duolingo or writing about your day in simple German for 15 minutes every day. You can also check out some of the resources I listed in this post. Viel Glück!
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