How hard is it to learn German?

[16bha]

I found German o level much easier thanFrench. For northern Europeans, German tends to be easier as a Teutonic language. I love the language.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Is it not the case that knowing 2 similar languages to a high standard, would make learning a third similar language 'easier'.

Do you think learning Russian would have taken half the time of French.

The interesting thing that I found when I came to learn Italian - in Italy, without the benefit of any formal lessons - was that the similarities between French and Italian vocabulary (yet with significant differences) were such that speaking French became much more difficult. I can still read French with relative ease, though, thanks to the 'A' level I went on to study.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I lived in Berlin for a few years in the 90s, and made the effort to learn German. It was an effort, but definitely worth it. I agree with Herr Tubthumper that it certainly isn't the case that all Germans can or will speak English -- most of my German colleagues did, in a professional environment, but if you wanted to deal with everyday life in shops, bars etc, let alone deal with officialdom (tax forms, the health service, getting your car fixed etc) you need to learn the language. It took me about 6 months to get to a reasonable level of fluency, going to regular evening classes (Deutsch fuer Auslaender: German for foreigners) at a Volkshochschule (a kind of adult education college), which were very cheap and very good. I also had to insist that colleagues spoke to me in German (even though it was painful for them at first, given that they spoke good English). Having said that, although I can now understand pretty much everything that's said to me, and can converse well in reasonably idiomatic German, writing correct German is a completely different kettle of fish and sometimes I still struggle with that.

As a Brit, you also get a huge amount of credit/respect for having made the effort to learn the language (this is true elsewhere as well, of course, but I found that Germans really seemed to appreciate it).

It's interesting to know how you did it and how long it took. Thanks.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I have been living in Germany now for almost 10 years... It is a definitely a tough language and the grammar is a lot tougher than French.. I completely underestimated it.. I came here with virtually no German, but managed after a year and a half to get a job in IT doing roll outs and telephone support for the whole of Germany, that 6 month contract sorted me out completely.. Having to think on my feet, I just winged the grammar and concentrated on trying to get my message across.. Not one of my colleagues spoke any English..
Now as I said almost 10 years here, I still don't particularly look forward to writing in German, but can speak it completely fluently..
If you are not going to be out here for a long period of time, forget the grammar, just learn words you need.. If there are phrases you regularly need, carry a notebook with you, write them in English, get help translating the phrases and when bored flick through the book.
I watched a load of German who wants to be a millionaire and bought a footy management game in German, helps learning without feeling like its a chore.. Good luck!

Ha ha. Brilliant, and well done.

 

[withdeanwombat]

I got by with something that sounded like "Noch ein bier, bitte."

I soon learned what an eingangstrasse was.

And shouting a lot helped, as did the Germans' useful command of Englisch.

 

[RexCathedra]

English grammar & syntax basically is German grammar, at the level of structures, though rules tend to be more strictly enforced... verb in the 2-hole, for example.

English vocabulary is often analogous to German vocabulary -- compounds have similar parts, but in English the parts are from Latin, or Latin-via-French.
Un-ab-häng-ig-keit/in-de-pend-ent-ness (i.e. independence)

German morphology is more complicated, but then everyone's morphology, almost, is more complicated, than English. English has just about punted on inflection altogether, certainly on nouns.

Deutsche Welle has really good, free, stuff to learn German with -- the government stresses this when they fund DW. And the Goethe-Institut will test you and certify your progress, for reasonable fees, according to the Common European Framework of language proficiency, if you need papers for a job or school.

Pick a Bundesliga team and follow it on its own website. Controlled vocabulary, high-interest content, all the things good beginning foreign-language materials have. And most of them have a /en directory to serve as an answer key.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

If you're just going for a holiday then buy a phrase book to learn the basics. If you get on well with that, then go on to do a course. I learned German at school but found it more difficult than French.

 

[BensGrandad]

What are the Rosseta Stone language courses like as you can listen to them in the car or on the train and learn while travelling to and from work or college. The added advantage is that they are available in most council run libraries so it doesnt cost you anything to try it, If you like it renew the hire, if not take it back and dont get it out again.

 

[Gwylan]

German is spoken exactly as it is written.

This is true ...

Easy if you know the sounds that letters and the combinations of letters make.

.... which is why the English find Löwenbräu so impossible to say

I agree with soistes: to learn German properly you should avoid people who speak English and discourage those who do.

I'd spent two years studying German for one night a week at night school. But I learned far more when I did a week's residential course in Germany, living in a flat with a couple who spoke no English and socialising in the evening with a group who also knew no English. That's when my German really started to improve

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

I have been making regular trips to Switzerland for work this year and the areas where I work use Swiss German which is a little different. Despite not using any German since leaving school nearly 30 years ago, I found that I can work most things out reading German, can just about pick up the gist of a conversation if they don't speak too fast but find speaking the language a bit daunting. I usually make an effort at which point the locals smile and then answer me in English.

I have got a copy of German for Dummies which I am about to start working through to see if I can get a few more of the basics before my next visit in October.

 

[unklbrian]

This might be of interest to anyone looking to learn German locally in Brighton & Sussex

http://www.languagetank.co.uk/

A friend who offers German tuition privately at all levels

 

[£1.99]

I lived for nearly 5 years in Germany from 74 till 1979 and have a German wife. At the end of my time there I spoke pretty good German but after many years of not
practising I am speak like a beginner again.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Just shift yourself to Dorothy Stringer School, see if Herr Kurtz still works there, and ask to borrow a copy of 'Einfach Toll'.

 

[Return of the Rev]

How hard is it to learn German?

They have ways of making you learn

 

[Nick Rowles]

German is much easier to learn if you are living in the country and have some basic knowledge to build on. I would thoroughly recommend Rosetta Stone as a good starter but it's worth enrolling in an evening class, once or twice a week should suffice. I lived in Germany on and off for 30 years and although my wife had no German when she first moved out there, she went to an evening class once a week and picked up enough to get by in most situations. Viel Gluck!

 

[Seagull Saz]

Just had a week in Munich and surrounds...absolutely fantastic! I studied German A level many years ago and was able to recall some bits...though I found it much easier to understand things I read in Germany than to understand and use spoken German. A lot of people could and would speak English to us...even if their English was not great, we got by. We felt very comfortable in Munich and would highly recommend it. German is a great language if you do decide to learn it. Take your inspiration from Pep Guardiola...we saw him on TV over there, speaking German and he was like a native speaker! Very impressive!

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I have got a copy of German for Dummies which I am about to start working through to see if I can get a few more of the basics before my next visit in October.

let's speak Deutsche next time we meet!

 

[countryman]

Watch 'Allo Allo', listening very carefully to the bits that ZE GERMANS are in.

 

[RexCathedra]

The reading/writing/listening/speaking staircase is typical. My son, after a year at a Swiss uni, scored C2/C1/B2 (just off C1) /B2 (low) on the four skills

 

[GreersElbow]

Spanish does sound nicer. But what's your excuse for being an accountant?

I love figures, statistics and the like. So when financial reasons prevented me from going to university in 2012 to do Financial Economics, I decided to apply for an apprenticeship. I've quit since, and returning to university. It wasn't doing it for me, so going on to do International Relations & Politics.


Watch out NSC, I'm your next Chancellor of the Exchequer.