From my personal experience, learning any language works best when you learn it like a child. By listening to it and speaking whenever and wherever you get an opportunity to speak. If you try to learn it by sticking to its rules and grammar, you might end up stressing yourself more than needed and eventually losing interest in learning it at all. Grammar is essential, don’t get me wrong, but it can be daunting most of the time. German grammar is the same. It brings new rules and due to several different complicated rules the brain gets twisted and lost in them.

I learned A2 level of German in a traditional manner: going to classes, learning the grammar in bits and pieces, remembering Nominativ, Akusativ, Dativ…and so on. Since I did not try to speak to anyone in German, I ended up knowing rudimentary grammar and a tiny set of vocabulary. I soon learned this is not going to work, so I began to teach myself German once in for all. Here are some quick tips for you to implement if you’re learning the German language or any other language. Whether you are learning a language from scratch or resumed it from where you left in the past these tips will prove beneficial for you.

1. Know all the alphabets and their individual pronunciation.
2. Know how it sounds when different alphabets are put together.
3. Begin with basic vocabulary – Hello (Hallo), Bye (Tschüss), See you (Bis später, bis dann) Dog (Hund), Cat (Katze), Bus (Bus), Day, Night (Nacht) …
4. Try to use German words in daily routine (breakfast, lunch etc.) to get practice on your own.
5. Speak as much as you can.
6. Incorrect sentences are better than no sentences.
7. Buy any kind of ‘Meine erstes Wörterbuch (My first words)’ book in German.
8. Listen to German radio.
9. Try to listen when people around you talk in German and focus on what you know.
10. Remember, it is just a language. It will take time to get used to it and being skillful at it.

Learning a new language, independent of your age, is in itself a huge win. Once you begin, you will have a plethora of challenges to face and conquer but never forget, if the German language is tough, then so are you!

Muchlove & strength