Beginners Guide to Learn the German Language

A new language will open up exciting new opportunities to you in the employment sector. Particularly, with respect to career, a new language can help you land new jobs or even facilitate your pursuit of higher studies in a foreign destination. If you want to take up a language that is easy to learn, you must proceed with the European languages. Besides, destinations in Europe, especially Germany, are preferred study-abroad destinations.

If you wish to go to Germany to study or even to work, learning the German language would help you easily settle in. You will be able to communicate better, expand your networks, understand the cultural peculiarities, and easily navigate your way. Germany, as such, is a preferred study-abroad destination for Indian students as it offers relatively low costs of education, affordable costs of living, and world-class education at some of the top-ranked colleges.

Although the universities have English as the medium of instruction, few courses may need you to know German while others encourage you to know the German language so that you can connect and live easily in the country during your time of study. Even in terms of jobs, as many native Europeans do not speak English, companies prefer candidates with knowledge of the local language. In that case, if you know German, you already have an edge in the competitive employment market.

First things first, how do you learn German? Like any new language that you are learning, you will have to gain proficiency in the four aspects of reading, writing, listening, and speaking in German. To do the same, follow the simple rules:

1. Start with the alphabets – learn them. Importantly, learn their sounds.
2. Find out the important phrases such as daily greetings and politesse.
3. Practice the grammar – divide the sentence into its component parts and master the rules of the same.
4. Practice sentence construction in all tenses and for all situations.
5. Learn to think in German – do away with the practice of thinking in English or your native language and translating it to German. You will never learn the language that way as translation is not the same as attaining proficiency in a language.
6. Interact with German speakers – You need to speak the language and identify the language. Hence, interaction is a must. Talk to the native speakers as that way you will learn new words, phrases, get used to the sounds, and familiarize yourself with the tone of the language. Even learning the colloquial terms and phrases will add a native touch to your speaking skills, boosting your confidence.
7. Practice listening – Watch movies and listen to songs in German. This will help you practice your listening skills. You can even listen to podcasts in the language.
8. Look up online sources – The many social media platforms have groups for language learning. Join the group to get daily tips and resources for learning a new language. Even YouTube and other such streaming services will have videos that will familiarize you to the language. You can also use apps like Duolingo or Rosetta Stone software to learn German easily.
9. Practice daily scenarios – Practice dialogues for common scenarios such as asking the time, buying something at the supermarket, reporting a theft, asking for directions, ordering at a restaurant etc. These are further ways to boost your vocabulary and make you fluent in the language. These brief exercises can also help boost your confidence.
10. Read literature in the language – Reading literature is the best way to understand the cultural norms of a place and improve your vocabulary in a language. Start with short stories, children’s stories, short poems, or even animés if available. This will gradually help you understand your level of learning, besides adding to your comfort and confidence levels in the language.

How to Learn German Easily?

German, as a language, may seem daunting at first for the long words and hard sounds. However, it is not. Especially, for native English speakers, German is an easy language to learn. Among the West Germanic languages, that is, grouped together with English and Dutch, German shares some similarities in vocabulary with its two partner languages.

However, the form of language that is spoken widely in Germany and also taught is High German or Hochdeutsch, which is considered the standardized form of the German language. Thus, if you learn German and if you plan to visit the neighboring countries on your German student visa, you can use your knowledge in German to interact with people in Switzerland as they speak Swiss German but read and study Hochdeutsch.

While consistent practice and dedication will eventually earn you complete grasp over the language, it usually takes about 36 weeks or 750 classroom hours to learn the German language. To start with, follow the steps to learn the language easily and fast.

Have a plan: You cannot learn a language in a day. Consistency is key. Make a plan for yourself such that you can devote few hours of your day to explore, practice, and learn the language. Break down the tasks into smaller portions. Be realistic with your study plans.

Articles: Unlike in English, the rule about use of articles is more pronounced in German. Memorize the words with articles. This will help you in daily conversations. Make a chart and follow the same to keep track of article usage. For example, you will have to say das Haus instead of Haus (home) or for plural forms, des Haus or die Häuser (the house and the houses).

Build study aids: For instance, have a list of vocabulary, commonly used words and phrases, article rules. Stick it up at your work desk or study table or any place that you can have easy access to. Keep referring to this list. You will be amazed to note how easily you pick up the vocabulary.

Make it interesting: Do not only learn the formal addresses in the language, switch it up, make it interesting. Learn the informal tones, the funny words. This practice helps you to remain engaged.

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