8 Effective Tips To Learn German Easy

The path of learning a language can be stony and getting to master the German language can be paved with some obstacles to overcome. Many say German is a difficult language, regarding the grammar and long words. I can tell you the German language is a very logical and well-structured language though, and this is what makes it loved by many.

However, to learn German, it is important to speak, listen, read and write the language. While speaking and writing are productive skills, reading and listening are receptive skills – both categories and all four skills are necessary to master a language integrally and with success.

In this article I will give you some ideas on how to practice the German language and improve your German skills in both an effective and fun way.

1. Challenge yourself and speak German as much as you can. Find a native speaker to talk to. Practicing is the nuts and bolts of learning any language. If you are living in Germany but don’t know any German people, participate in a hobby or join a "Sportverein “ (sports club), or a course at the “Volkshochschule” (education center), where you will come in contact with native speakers naturally. Choose something you are interested in and combine it with practicing German. This will be a big step that will help you to speak the language in contexts of everyday life.

2. Watch movies, TV shows, news and German YouTube content. Watching this kind of content in the German language improves your listening abilities enormously. While you can watch almost every English movie translated into German, I would recommend watching original German movies, as the lip movement matches the spoken words, and this makes it way more authentic. For better understanding you can turn on subtitles either in your first language or in German. While subtitles make your watching experience more enjoyable, they also offer the advantage of connecting spoken language with written words. So, watching German content while using subtitles combines the two receptive skills listening and reading.

3. Listen to German music and learn the lyrics of the songs. This will give you a feeling of the language connected to music, and will make it easier to remember the words and sentence structure. While much music is in English you can always find German songs too, and you can listen to German “Schlager” music or “Deutschpop.” Also, you can find special songs created to help you to master the German language for example by checking the YouTube channel of the “Munich Supercrew” here.

4. Read articles and books in the German language. This will improve your reading skills immensely. Underline words, write them down, and take notes in German while reading a book or an article.

5. Note every little progress in learning German you have already made – write it down in German and add at least one point to the list per day.

6. Use quality content on the Internet that helps you to train your vocabulary and grammar. For example, you can find free online training courses from “Deutsche Welle” here.

7. Get a qualified German teacher. In a time, where almost everything can be found on the Internet, it can be hard to differentiate between quality and low inferior content. Take a second to look and find a personal teacher who helps you to improve your language skills based on your individual level and needs.

8. Stay motivated, as learning a language takes time! Remember “A journey of a thousand miles always begins with a single step.” Enjoy your German learning journey and dive into the language!