Learning a new language can be tricky, especially if you have many responsibilities at work and a limited amount of free time at your disposal. It’s also very easy to get distracted by other things as well, enough to make you lose track of your language learning goals!
To help you level up your German language skills over time, here are seven simple tips that can take you from beginner to intermediate faster than you think:
9 Simple Tips for Beginners to Successfully Learn German
1. Master the Basic, Everyday German Words
In the world we live in, learning a new language helps your career and gives you a vantage point in the job market. You can learn words in different languages anytime and all the time – but how many of them do you really use?
Well, there are so many useful words and phrases that you’ll definitely come across at some point in your life, and without some of them in your vocabulary, you could easily get lost in the big city, perhaps without any food or a way to reach home.
So it makes sense to get used to the basics first, and then add more to your vocabulary as time goes by. Learn two or so basic everyday German words per day, and you could be fluent in German in no time!
2. Get Acquainted With the German Alphabet
While learning a new language, you often feel that you must spend hours on just one letter. In GERD, the German alphabet is quite easy to learn, perhaps because it also has 26 letters like the English alphabet.
But your brain can’t possibly absorb all of the different sounds at the same time as a native speaker of another language such as English, French, or Spanish. Either way, there’s no need to feel ashamed; you can always learn one basic letter a day.
3. Learn the Language Through Music
In the professional and social realms, the one new language you learn to speak could open many doors of opportunity. And if it hasn’t occurred to you yet, listening to music can help you learn a new language without actually struggling to do so.
Your brain has a unique way of absorbing the rhythm and the rhythmical structure of music and storing memories from it. So, just as you would memorize a set of numbers, you can memorize entire sentences from German music in your native language by just listening to it.
Moreover, some sentences from great music will prompt you into finding their meaning, perhaps using the most basic tools like Google Translate.
Point in case, habitually listening to your favorite music in German can help you get better at the language. Among the many things that you may learn from music to improve your German prowess may include:
- German language sentence structure
- New vocabulary
- Sweet and common German words
- Some German culture
For many people, watching translated German movies, series, or YouTube videos can have an equally helpful impact if not more.
4. Consider Taking a Live Course Online
There are a few courses online that allow you to learn German and practice in your own time. For the most part, they won’t even require you to leave the comfort of your couch. And just like with any online course, you can learn at your own pace.
Better yet, you can use the vocabulary from the course as a jumping-off point, then follow up with your own German vocabulary and phrases.
While many of these courses are available as tutorials, recorded videos, and other study resources, taking a live online German course can even be more rewarding. Most importantly, it gives you a chance to improve German grammar and vocabulary by interacting with your German language tutor in real time. A live online course when learning German may also grant you other benefits, including the following:
- Interaction: The chance to interact with other learners means that you can have fun while at it. Learning a new language doesn’t have to be boring!
- Clarification: You can ask questions to your tutor in real time. This alone can help you become a great communicator in German.
- Correction: Your instructor can correct you whenever you go wrong in terms of sentence structure, vocabulary, and such. More often than not, they’ll do it politely though.
- Assessment: As opposed to apps and online bots, a live, online session with a real-life person can help you determine your exact standing as a learner or new German speaker. Since they’ll possibly be a native speaker, they are more likely to provide honest feedback that you can use to better your skills on things like pronunciation and accent.
5. Regularly Talk To Native Speakers
Learning a new language is all about practice. Talking to a native speaker of German isn’t just a good way to practice your German, but it can be a great way to learn it at a personal level.
You will be surprised at how quickly you can get a grasp of the grammar, accent, and pronunciation of the language. And thanks to social media, you no longer need to visit or live in Germany to interact with native speakers of the language.
6. Stay Focused and Be Consistent
One of the most challenging aspects of learning any new language is that the world around you changes over time. If you are constantly surrounded by other language speakers or constantly doing language-related activities, your brain will be constantly distracted.
The same goes for the learning process of German as a second or third foreign language. So even though many will recommend that you should stay at your target level at all times, some kind of “reserve level” is absolutely necessary, if only to keep you on track and on task. Don’t, at any time, forsake your goals when learning German. Avoid distractions!
7. Test Your Progress Regularly
Learning a new language is a very social experience. It’s impossible to keep your head in the game if you don’t make sure you are constantly assessing and improving your progress.
Each day, create a daily study schedule and stick to it. Some people use daily time goals, while others use specific spaced-out study periods.
Make sure you keep track of your progress, specifically noting the leaps you take forward. For instance, are you able to construct a satisfactory or grammatically-correct sentence every time you’re asked or told something in German?
Finally, you shouldn’t be afraid to make mistakes in speech when learning German, or any other language for that matter. Even a baby has to fall several times before they learn how to walk, right?
