Learning a new language is always advantageous, whether for school, work, impressing someone, or simply for curiosity. However, starting an adventure on your own can be risky… Where do I even begin? Is it necessary to buy a large quantity of books? How should I evaluate my skill level?
Don’t worry, you’ll find all of your responses a little further down the road!
- Tips to learn new German vocabulary;
- How to study grammar efficiently;
- The best ways to learn German.
Auf geht’s! (Let’s go!)
Read, Learn New Words, Write and Repeat Them
German learning books are a gem.The more you read – particularly novels, but also periodicals – the more words you’ll pick up. As you read and come across new vocabulary, try to deduce the meaning from the phrase as well as by looking up the definition in a dictionary. Make a list of new words. Your vocabulary will soar!
Using a word-of-the-day calendar, a website, or creating your own list of words to learn. Numerous people use this method to learn new words. Although you should not feel obligated to learn a new word every day, setting up goals like this is always a nice way to keep yourself motivated.
Also, don’t forget to look at these new words again the next day, after one week and after one month. And, finally, try to use the new words. Indeed, you need to use a new word about ten times before you remember it!
Study and Memorize Grammatical Structures
Grammar is not most learners’ favorite subject to work on, but it is still necessary.
The most rational approach to grammar is not to pretend it doesn’t exist or to obsess over every single rule and exception. It is a matter of finding a happy medium between the two. Here are some way to do so:
Assimilate significant language chunks.
Building your own weaponry of language chunks is a good idea to boost your grammar early on.
By remembering the most important chunks, you can improve both your grammar and vocabulary at the same time. Most importantly, it provides you with something else to work with when you make your first attempts at communicating in a foreign language.
Learning grammar entails more than just deciphering the fundamentals of all the moving parts of the language. It’s as much, if not more, about instilling certain patterns in your mind. And what better way to do so than to use them repeatedly?
To understand a grammatical structure. If you are bewildered by some aspect of the grammar, you can be sure that many native speakers are as well. Nonetheless, they manage to get it right.
Put your grammar skills to the test and get immediate feedback.
After you’ve developed your intuitions through exposure to well-formed language, you would like to sharpen them by exposing them to as many small tests as possible. If you want to learn German online, it is possible, but you need to know which sites to go to and how to proceed. However, bear in mind that not all of them are made equal; most “productive” errors are those that are accompanied by immediate, clear feedback. Which is why you should take a look at our list of the best websites to learn German as well as the best programs to learn German and choose the one that fits you best among the finest selection. If you set up your practice in such a way that such feedback is possible, you will undoubtedly benefit from a phenomenon called the testing effect.
How to Learn German on Your Own: Watch Videos With Subtitles
Have you ever considered watching videos or movies to learn German? If not, here are some pros to it, followed by our recommendations!
- Flexibility: With online learning, your classroom is wherever you are. You also have complete control over who teaches you.
- Uninterrupted learning: You do not have to stop learning if you are away from home for any reason. Your lessons can continue no matter where you are in the world.
- It’s time effective: You will not have to waste time traveling to and from classes. You can learn online at any time and from any location.
- It’s free.
Therefore, while both reading books and using the best apps to learn German are very effective methods, it is very easy to become bored and burned out. Therefore, if you wish to take a break, you can check out our list of the best TV series and shows to learn German, or some German learning cartoons. You can even learn German with YouTube videos!
As a result, TV shows and music offer a fun alternative while also assisting you in improving your listening skills!
We recommend that you begin by re-watching your favorites in German, perhaps with subtitles.
However, whether on Netflix or other streaming platforms, they are also very good German content.
In the TV shows section we highly recommend Dark and perfume, both available on Netflix. And if you’re more of a movie person, we enjoyed Barbara (Christian Petzold, 2012) and 23 (Hans-Christian Schmid, 1998).
The Best Way to Learn German on Your Own: Listen a Lot
You can choose to learn German by podcasts, which is a great way to get started on your German learning journey. Indeed, it will familiarize you with the various sounds of the language as well as introduce you to a variety of different accents. The most popular podcast is probably “GermanPod101,” which offers thousands of podcast-style lessons based on students’ learning objectives, and listening to these tutors greatly improves pronunciation.
If you’re interested in German music (other than operas), you can start with Edo Saiya or groups like Jeremias. The German music scene is diverse, ranging from pop to rap to techno (though the latter will not help you learn the language very well).
Colors (which is, in fact, German!) is also a great place to find new and talented artists….
These activities are ideal because you can listen to them at any time of day, whether on your way to work, while cooking, or even while exercising!
Ultimately, listening to German will help you improving:
- Your listening vocabulary;
- Your Grammar skills;
- Your Pronunciation.
Travel or Move to Germany for Speaking Live a Native
Regardless of how much time you spend studying at home, you must use German in everyday situations if you want to progress beyond the fundamentals. It takes time at first to form a sentence; you must think before deciding on the appropriate sentence structure. This is why traveling is one of the best ways to learn a new language! Even better if you go on a study trip with a host family.
Furthermore, dictionaries can tell you what a word means but not when it is used. However, while traveling in Germany, you will hear different types of German and use the language right away, putting you in a variety of situations, passing through different regions, and possibly with different accents. Hearing these things helps you become accustomed to and comprehend them.
Finally, traveling will help you improve not only your speaking skills but also your self-esteem. When you return home, you will undoubtedly notice that you know a lot more than before and that everything runs much more smoothly.
Find a Good Native Speaker to Converse in German
We’ve said it before: learning German should not be a dreadful process. As a matter of fact, you could even make new friends in the process!
How? Well you can start by attending events if your city has a German-speaking community! Aside from meeting new people, which is always fun, this method is probably the most straightforward way to learn German slang, intonation, and mannerisms. Making friends who speak the language (or are learning it with you) allows you to practice freely without feeling self-conscious or rushed!
We also highly recommend you to try and find a native speaker with whom you could exchange. There are many apps offering those services today, where you could meet a German native who is looking to learn English for instance!
Amplify Your Vocabulary by Reading Various German Books
It could be a romance novel, a sports magazine, or a neighborhood newspaper. It is anything you choose to read because you want to, rather than because you have to for a class or work. Reading encourages vocabulary growth because it exposes you to new words and allows you to decipher their meaning through the context of what you are reading. The more diverse your independent reading, the more vocabulary you are likely to assimilate.
Here are some tips:
- Read a variety of book genres. Variety is the spice of life, as well as the key to expanding one’s vocabulary. All genres, including mystery, science fiction, biography, how-to books, and history, have their very own lexicon. Each topic area has its own set of words to describe both the objects that comprise that world and the methods or actions that take place.
- Read a variety of authors. Each person has a distinct vocabulary and way of communicating ideas through language. Reading articles and books written by different individuals will expand your German language skills and incorporate new words that will help you expand your vocabulary.
- Keep a notebook and write down unfamiliar words. Look them up and make a note of the definition. This is a tried-and-true method. Knowing the meaning of a word by looking at the context in which it is used is only a first step.
Play Different German Games Online, Alone or in a Group
German learning games are one of the most effective ways to promote language learning. Rather than homework or memorization, they engage you through socialization. They will also assist you in improving your phonetics, pronunciation, sentence structure, syntax, and written comprehension. As a result, games provide an active learning environment, flexibility (because you can play whenever it is convenient for you), and a good time.
If you’re still not convinced, consider the following advantages of learning German through games:
- It’s always a welcome break from the traditional method of education
- Games are fun and enjoyable
- They provide contextual relevance for the use of language.
- They help increase your motivation for studying the language
- They promote communicative competence
- Games reduces the anxiety associated to making errors
Set Your Computer and Phone Languages in German
We’ve always said that total immersion is the key to quickly learning a language, and this is true for German as well. Even if you live in the country and watch TV, socialize, and do everything else in the local language, you may be exposed to too much English on your computer. And if you can’t travel to practice the language right now, wouldn’t it be great if you could at least “virtually” immerse yourself? You certainly can!
If you want to take things a step further, you can also change your phone language! You will most likely struggle at first, but this will allow you to quickly learn new vocabulary.
Talk to Yourself Every Day in Front of the Mirror
Self-talk practice entails speaking aloud to oneself in the target language.
Does that sound strange? Consider it again. Because it is actually a very powerful tool that can help you not only improve your language skills, but also other aspects of your life. Self-talk can assist you in the following ways:
- You can practice the language whenever you want;
- Discuss anything you want;
- Improve your ability to remember new words and phrases;
- Get acquainted with the language;
- Speak more quickly;
- More natural sounding;
- Look for new words and phrases to learn.
If you follow all of these steps you are sure to learn German easily!
Learn German on Your Own With Global General by GlobalExam
You’ve read every single one of our German study tips, which is fantastic. While learning is important, it is also important to test your knowledge in order to determine which areas of your knowledge are still problematic for you. Global General is a one-of-a-kind solution from GlobalExam that allows you to test your knowledge, exercise, and achieve your goals more quickly.
You can train exactly what you want with our method and consult your statistics to see where you struggle the most and work on a specific skill. Because it is intuitive, simple to use, and effective, Global General is the ultimate tool for learning German; you will even be able to learn German while you sleep!
