15 Simple and Useful Tips to Learn German
Introduction
Learning a new language is a slow process. You cannot expect to make massive amounts of
progress in just one month or so. You need to be patient in the initial stages. Don't let the
struggles discourage you!
German is often considered as a difficult language. Yes, there are some really long words to
learn and even grammar can be intimidating at times. But instead of just studying a lot, if you
practice German efficiently and smartly, then you can learn the language quickly.
In this book, I have covered various useful tips to learn German. These tips will help you to
overcome a few difficulties you might encounter when you start learning the language. I have
put together these easy hacks from my own experience.
Applying these tips is easier said than done! However, they'll definitely simplify your language
learning process.
Useful Tips to Learn German
From what I've observed, these are the most helpful and practical suggestions to improve
your language. Give these tips a try and you'll be speaking German fluently like a pro.
1. Don't expect to be perfect all the time.
2. Stop translating.
3. Always learn German nouns with their articles.
4. Color code the nouns.
5. Get a good German-English dictionary.
6. Label your surroundings.
7. Try to use modal verbs more often.
8. Be consistent and study regularly.
9. Learn at least 2 new words every day.
10. Use flashcards.
11. Make use of online learning resources.
12. Watch movies or TV series in German with subtitles.
13. Try reading out loud.
14. Practice listening.
15. Practice speaking.
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� 1. Don't expect to be perfect all the time
Do you remember the days when you had to learn how to speak your mother tongue?
You didn't learn the language overnight, right? Similarly, when you start learning
German, you are bound to make mistakes. But don't be embarrassed by them!
Mistakes are human. What's more important is that you should be willing to learn from
your mistakes.
Don't hesitate to ask your teacher where you went wrong. Once you find out the
errors, try to analyze and correct them in future. When you understand the reason and
logic, it will be easier for you to avoid the same mistakes in the future.
2. Stop translating
There are a number of words that are similar in both English and German. For
instance:- house - das Haus, singing – singen, park – der Park, ball – der Ball etc.
However, a few words have completely different meanings in both the languages. For
example:- das Gift means poison in German. Learning German can be similar in some
ways to learning English or your mother tongue, but there are always going to be
differences.
What I am trying to say here is avoid language interference as much as possible. Your
brain tends to think in English first and then write or speak in German. Don't develop
this habit of translating. It should only be temporary. If you keep translating, you will
surely make mistakes.
Let's have a look at this sentence. In English, we say “Speak in German.” but in German,
we say “Sprechen Sie auf Deutsch.” We never use the preposition in. As your
vocabulary grows, stop translating and start thinking in German!
3. Always learn German nouns with their articles
German is a language of gender. Every German noun is either masculine (der), feminine
(die) or neuter (das). These are known as articles. You must be aware that articles are
very important in German. There are various ways to say 'the' and 'a'. Also, many
grammar concepts depend on your knowledge of articles.
Always learn German nouns with their correct articles. If you develop this habit right
from day one, it will save you a lot of work afterwards. Don't let der, die and das haunt
you! There are a few tricks to remember the correct articles. You can learn about those
in our lesson on German articles. Click here to know the simple hacks.
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� It is highly recommended that you also learn the plural forms of the words when you
learn the vocabulary. In English, it is easy to guess the plural forms of the nouns,
because we simply add 's' at the end. That is not the case in German. Different words
have different plural endings. Example:- der Stuhl – die Stühle (chair – chairs), das
Zimmer – die Zimmer (room - rooms), das Glas – die Gläser (glass – glasses) etc.
4. Color code the nouns
There are no fixed rules for identifying the gender of a noun. Even though there are a
few endings which are associated with a specific gender, there is always an exception.
The easiest way to remember articles is to color code the nouns.
Assign 3 colors to the 3 genders. For example: der – blue, die – red and das – green.
When you learn vocabulary, write down each word in the color assigned to its gender.
This will add a visual aspect to your learning process and help you to remember the
articles in an easy way.
When you learn a color-coded noun, your brain associates the noun to the color. You
might not remember the article the next day, but there are high chances that you will
remember the color of the noun. If you can think of a green house, then you can
immediately guess the article as well – das Haus because green means 'das'.
5. Get a good German-English dictionary
You should have a good dictionary at your disposal and learn how to use it. While
reading a text, if you don't understand the translation of a particular phrase or word,
check its meaning in the dictionary right away and write it down. You can also note
down a few synonyms.
Most words can mean more than one thing. So, don't blindly accept the first translation
you see. Try to understand the context and then look for a suitable translation. I would
recommend you to refer to the Langenscheidt dictionary. It has an adequate number of
words and is extremely easy to use.
6. Label your surroundings
You don't need to live in a German-speaking country to immerse yourself in the
language. You can do that at your home itself. Make your computer bilingual by
changing its settings to German. You can also choose a place in your room and paste a
list of important phrases, grammar rules, difficult verb conjugations or whatever you
feel is essential.
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� One of the easiest ways to immerse yourself in the language is to label the things
around you. While creating labels, make sure that you include the articles and plural
forms as well. Color coding the nouns will be helpful even in this case. For example :
das Wohnzimmer | die Wohnzimmer (living room), die Wand | die Wände (wall), der
Vorhang | die Vorhänge (curtain) etc. You will be surprised how well it works and how
quickly you master the vocabulary.
7. Try to use modal verbs more often
Modal verbs are those verbs which are used to express desires, abilities, permissions or
obligations. Just like in English, even the German modal verbs are paired with the
infinitive form of another verb. When you use a modal verb in a sentence, the other
verb goes at the end of the sentence in the infinitive.
As a beginner, learning the conjugations of all the verbs can be quite exhausting.
Wouldn't it be simpler if you learn how to conjugate just the modal verbs? So, try to
use modal verbs as frequently as possible because you'll be able to talk about a variety
of topics without learning the conjugations of other irregular verbs.
Of course you need to learn the conjugations of all the verbs, but this method is helpful
for beginners to gain confidence in speaking.
8. Be consistent and study regularly
Unfortunately, learning German is more complex than we realize. It is not as simple as
reading an article or magazine and remembering all that you read. The key to
improving your language skills is to study regularly. Try to set daily goals, but don't
exert yourself.
Jot down all the topics you want to work on. Choose a topic which you feel is important
and start with it. Do not try to finish it off by studying continuously for 5 or 6 hours.
Instead, divide the topic into smaller categories and study only 2 categories each day.
This way, you might remember everything you studied the previous day.
Make sure you highlight the important points while studying any new topic. So the next
time you wish to revise it, you do not need to go through the entire page. You can just
read the highlighted points. You will be surprised how well these study techniques
work!
9. Learn at least 2 new words every day
Sometimes, it might happen that no matter how hard you try to memorize German
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� words, you forget everything the next day. This can happen when you try to memorize
too many words at once.
Learning any new language already involves learning new phrases, grammar rules etc.
In addition to it, if you try to learn too many new words on the same day, you will be
putting yourself under a lot of pressure. That's why, learn only 2 or 3 new words each
day. They can be either nouns, verbs or adjectives or a combination of these. Your
learning process will surely become more efficient this way.
10. Use flashcards
Each person has a different learning behaviour. Some connect well to the subject just
by reading the text, whereas others connect well by seeing pictures. Visual aspect helps
you to memorize words quickly.
Start using flashcards to learn new vocabulary. Luckily, learning vocabulary with
flashcards is just a click away! You can visit our blog All About Deutsch and browse
through various topics of interest. Or, you can buy different sets of flashcards online
and carry them wherever you go, so that you can utilize even your travel time to learn
German vocabulary.
11. Make use of online learning resources
In the current age of technology, there are endless online resources available to learn
German. With so many interactive quizzes, German e-books, grammar exercises,
YouTube lessons, radio channels etc. you will be fluent in no time!
The best part is, many good quality content sites are absolutely free! They make
learning German more fun. If you are already attending a language course, then All
About Deutsch is definitely reliable for revision and exam practice. You might also end
up learning something new which was not taught in your course.
12. Watch movies or TV series in German with subtitles
Studying while watching TV is possible in this case. Watching movies and TV series in
German can be one of the most useful methods to understand how natives speak.
Search for some German movies or TV series online and turn on the subtitles in
German language. This will not only broaden your vocabulary but will also help you to
work on your pronunciations.
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� 13. Try reading out loud
Reading out loud is a really good pronunciation practice. Before you actually start
conversing with a native, it is always beneficial to know whether you are pronouncing
all the words correctly. After all, your end goal is to speak German fluently.
14. Practice listening
It is extremely essential to train your listening skills while learning German. You must
know how each and every German word sounds. If you don't understand what the
other person is speaking, you will never be able to respond.
One of the best ways to practice listening is to tune in to German radio channels. You
can use the Internet Radio. If you love listening to music, you can buy German music
CDs online. Even if you don't know all the words and phrases in a song that's fine. Try
to understand the context. If you have understood a certain word but don't know its
meaning, use a dictionary. You will learn many new words just by listening to songs!
15. Practice speaking
No matter how hard you study, unless you actually practice speaking, you will never
speak fluently. Try to find some groups or forums on social media that deal with
German as a foreign language and interact with the group members.
You can also try to find language learning clubs in your town online or try to find a
native speaker. Don't hesitate to ask questions when in doubt. Lastly, if you can't find a
conversation partner, stand in front of the mirror and talk to yourself as much as
possible. Talk loudly as if you are conversing with someone. The only way to improve
your speaking skills is by actually speaking!
Bonus tip – Play quizzes or any other language games! Game based learning
helps you to memorize words quickly.
To put it in a nutshell, learning German language is a long journey. Never get discouraged by
your mistakes. Learn from them and keep practicing the language every single day. Once you
recognize which study technique suits you the best, you will start loving this journey.
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�Disclaimer!
Copyright 2020 by All About Deutsch. All rights reserved.
No part of this e-book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author (except by a
reviewer, who may quote brief statements in a review).
The purpose of this e-book is to educate and entertain. The author or publisher does not
guarantee that anyone following the techniques, tips, suggestions, ideas or strategies will
become fluent in German. The author and publisher shall have neither liability nor
responsibility to anyone with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused,
directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.
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