Are you serious about learning German? If you are, our article is here to help you out. We’re going to share with you our top tips for learning German. These tips will help you get to grips with one of the world’s most commonly-spoken languages.
The Germans really like saying ‘Deutsche Sprache, schwere Sprache’. It means, ‘German language, difficult language’. They usually say it with more than a trace of irony because, while many English speakers believe German is a difficult language to learn, it actually isn’t.
Yes, lots of people have struggled to master it over the years. And, yes, unless you dive deeper into it, it can sound a tad aggressive. But once you get going, you’ll learn that that aggression is actually majesty.
And, okay, so there are 16 different ways just to say ‘the’.
While German can seem utterly foreboding, you only need to take a look at English and all of its inconsistencies to realise that you already speak one of the world’s most bizarre languages. So how hard can German be? Here are our top tips for learning German.
1. Learn New Words In Their Natural Environment
German can confuse you with some pretty complex grammar. But don’t let this bother you early on. The German language definitely has its – shall we say – nuances, but it gets so much easier if you can just negotiate the early minefields.
As you might already know, German nouns or either neutral, feminine or masculine. They are das, die, and Der respectively. It’s essential in my opinion to master all nouns with the article right from the get-go. This means that when you come to learn “table,” for example, you’ll know that it is masculine. As such, it is Der tisch. The mug on the table, meanwhile, is feminine. It is Die Tasse.
If you learn words like this (in their grammatical context), you will avoid inaccuracy and confusion later on. It’s a good approach, but it’s not strictly limited to article-noun collocation. On the contrary, you can use this approach to help you learn every single aspect of the German language, be that sentence structure in subordinate clauses and everything else.
2. Go Modal
Our second top tip for learning German is all about modal verbs. Modal verbs are pretty cool! But what are they?
A modal verb is a common verb – such as may, might, must and can – that express ideas of obligation, desire, permission and possibility.
German modal verbs are similar to the English ones in that they combine with the infinitive and set you on your way to becoming fluent in a language straight off the bat. That’s why I love them so much.
Moreover, if you can master the conjugation of modal verbs alongside the most widely spoken verbs, you’ll soon be able to express yourself like a native.
It’s a good idea to start by learning the verbs “to go” (gehen), “to play) (spielen) and “to learn” (lernen) early on. Because just imagine how you’ll be able to express yourself in German once you’ve combined these with just two modal verbs – “have to/must” (mussen) and “can” (konnen).
3. Don’t Be Daunted By Das, Die or Der
Yes, there are sixteen ways just to say ‘the’ in German. But there’s a method behind the madness. And while many Germans will tell you themselves that it’s very hard to detect which nouns are das, die and der, it’s not quite true. This is another great tip for learning German.
For example, if a word ends with heit or keit – such as “illness” (krankheit), it’s feminine. The same is true of a word that ends with ur, tat, sion, in or ie. Already, you’ve covered numerous words (more than you probably thought). And once you start adding in the masculine noun patterns (words that end with ismus, ling or in), you’ll soon get to grips with those articles that people say are so damn difficult.
4. Getting On Top Of Prepositions
Prepositions are usually small words, such as at, in and on – which pave the way for positional phrases that indicate direction, place and time. They’re not always easy to get the hang of, and you’ll often hear language learners complaining about them. That said, I personally don’t think they should be too difficult to grasp.
What would you say if a student learning the English language asked you what the difference was between ‘I’m in the station’ and ‘I’m at the station’?
Yes, German prepositions can be a bit fussy, but English speakers shouldn’t find them so strange. Just like the English phrasal verb that we’re so fond of, German prepositions work as particles that are really good at adjusting a verb’s meaning.
German prepositions are fundamental when learning the language because they provide a nice little intro that helps you understand (and use) German cases properly. Indeed, most German prepositions collocate with a single case, which means that whenever you use a specific preposition, a specific case has to follow. It can’t be any other way. And if you master the prepositions simultaneously with the cases they govern, it won’t be too long before you’re speaking the language with confidence.
5. Get a Feel For The Language
You can’t get better at a language unless you get a feel for how it works.
The tips I’ve listed so far are very heavy on the grammar, but that’s just the way German is when you first start learning it. It’s very easy to resist at this point, and it’s no surprise that many beginners quit. However, the concepts aren’t that complex at all, and they’ll also help you level up on grammar, which is always a bonus. In my opinion, it’s the speed of your speech that is complex. It takes time, patience and lots of practice to get right. You need to repeat phrases to yourself over and over again. Maybe you could sing to yourself in the shower and internalise the rules before bed. Before you know it, sentences will be popping out of your mouth at will!
Mastering German prefixes will also help you level up your knowledge of verbs so that, eventually, you’ll be able to decipher them with ease. You’ll soon intuitively start guessing what words mean – for example, it won’t be long before you understand that ent + decken = “to discover.” It will fall into place and you’ll get a real feel for German.
Personally, German feels very block-like. Stories have this block-like rhythm to them, while verbs are attached to the ends of sentences. German to me has always been easy to get to grips with. It was easier to learn than, say, the Romance languages and I think this is because the consonants are sharper and the sentences are so assiduously packaged.
And yet I only had a monolingual English education. If I could master German in a relatively short space of time, I see no reason why you can’t, too. If you have something to say about our top tips for learning German, why not leave us a comment below?
