How hard is it to learn German?

October 19, 2008 by  

Im planning on ordering Rosetta Stone-German. But, I heard its really hard to learn. I love Germany and I would love to move there one day. But, how nessary is it to learn the language before I go. & HOw much left is there at the concentration camps? Thanks
yes, spanish is my second lang.

German is actually easy for native English speakers, because English is a Germanic language. The biggest difference is that nouns can be Masculine, Feminine, or Neutral (instead of all Neutral like English), but even that doesn't really matter that much.

Good luck!

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Comments

10 Responses to “How hard is it to learn German?”

  1. Edward on October 19th, 2008 3:08 pm

    Deutscher ist die wundervollste Sprache im Planeten, und es ist sehr einfach, Deutsches zu erlernen. ich spreche vollkommene deutsche Sprache selbst!!!
    References :

  2. coolpinky94 on October 19th, 2008 3:18 pm

    German Is Quite Basic When You Know Things Like Hello, Goodbye, How Are You, How Much Is That, And All The Day-To-Day Questions. Maybe "Where Are The Toilets?" :)
    References :
    Try This : http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/german/

  3. Plaztik on October 19th, 2008 4:04 pm

    German is actually easy for native English speakers, because English is a Germanic language. The biggest difference is that nouns can be Masculine, Feminine, or Neutral (instead of all Neutral like English), but even that doesn't really matter that much.

    Good luck!
    References :

  4. =) on October 19th, 2008 4:30 pm

    sehr langweilig ahahaha
    jk
    :D well to me it's kinda easy coz i learn latin grammar and basics and it helped me a lot!
    and it has some stuff taken from english.. (some vocabulary)
    so yeah.. it's not so hard as i thought..
    but to me , right :)
    References :

  5. FREAK on October 19th, 2008 4:54 pm

    It's hard as poo to learn German. My darn computer chair won't stop moving. Hold on. Ugh. Ok, I'm back, threw the darn thing out the window. So yeah, I tried to learn German too. Turns out it was Porchageese or however thats spelt. Ugh. Whatever. I give up. Much peace! ~ JESSY
    References :

  6. David on October 19th, 2008 5:14 pm

    In my case, I found it very difficult when I took it for two marking periods back in 8th grade (read: a thousand years ago). I found Spanish to be far easier, but then I grew up in a bilingual (English and French) environment, and both Spanish and French derive from Latin, as you undoubtedly knew already.
    References :

  7. xajide on October 19th, 2008 5:29 pm

    German is not an easy language to learn, especially once you get into correct grammar.
    However, to go to Germany for a visit, you don't need to speak German. Most Germans, especially people under 40 know enough English to talk to you, most under 20 will speak pretty fluently, since it's our first and required foreign language in school.
    I don't know how hard the Rosetta Stone courses are, but be prepared for the language to be harder than Spanish or French. Our grammar gives native German speakers a headache in School ;)
    But again… you'll get along just fine without knowing German. If you know some basic German sentences and have learned expressions and signs, you'll do even better.
    If you want to live in Germany, it will be necessary to learn the language, since everyday things like TV, Books, Magazines, Labels and any conversation only comes in German. We don't subtitle our movies or tv – we translate.
    All labels come in German, English and French, but in the long run, you'll find that you need to speak German to live in Germany.
    As to the concentration camps:
    most of them have been preserved as museums to educate visitors and our kids of what happened there.
    I know that Ausschwitz is a museum today as well as one concentration camp in Strassbourg.
    We visited it during a field trip in highschool, but I know there are others I can't think of off the top of my head.

    Here's a link for the full list… how many of them are still in existence today, I don't know.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_concentration_camps_of_Nazi_Germany

    For some info on visiting Germany, check out these links:

    http://www.cometogermany.com/

    http://www.germany-tourism.de/ENG/destination_germany/master.htm
    References :

  8. slash on October 19th, 2008 5:40 pm

    German IS NOT DIFFICULT!! it's actually simple when you think about it, especially since English and German are etymologically related to each other. once you learn the basics and find patterns, it'll get easier for you. I've never tried Rosetta Stone, but i think you should order it and find out for yourself what you think.

    And while YES, Germans can speak English, it's always good to know some basic phrases in the language of the country you're going to visit. Some good ones are Hello, Good bye, Please, Thank you, You're welcome, Where are the toilets, How do i get to…?, How much does that cost?, I don't feel well, and any other phrases you think are significant for the amount of time you're staying.

    As for the concentration camps, i visited one at Dachau, and everything was still intact, just turned into a museum honoring the people killed there. i think that's common with the remaining camps as well.
    References :
    I've learned German for 7 years now, i tutor it, and i've been to Germany.

  9. Wacasassa on October 19th, 2008 6:25 pm

    Before you get Rosetta take a look here.Scroll down to Item # 12.
    References :
    http://softwarewacas.webs.com/familyandleisure.htm

  10. robbie on October 20th, 2008 7:49 am

    rosetta stone is just great, all i would suggest you is to get one and get started, to improve your flency and grammer, watch German movies and shows once done with rosetta, you’ll master it in 4-6 months… if dedicated towards it :)

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