How long will it take to learn German?
September 12, 2008 by Admin - LearnGermanLanguage.org · 12 Comments
I'm a grad student in history and decided to start learning the German language on my own. How long will it take (educated guess), and how much time should I dedicate a week, to learn the language fluently? What kind of study tips and resources would you recommend (audiotapes, books, etc) This question is for everyone, but especially for those who have learned German.
I think that it depends on your definition of "fluently". In fact, a person will never know everything about a certain language, not even about his own mothertongue – you never stop learning (e.g. not even Goethe knew all the words of the German language). But I think you can get to a level that would permit you to communicate with others in just a few weeks – if you practice a lot (which means: not just learning, but also applying what you have learned by trying to communicate with others).
Some study tips:
The most important seems to me practicing, hearing and reading as much as you can:
Hearing: Right from the start, I would listen to German radio stations (and television, if possible) -of course, you won't understand a word, but you can learn the German pronounciation by doing that. It is very important to do that at the beginning of your studies -it prevents you from getting a strong accent. Or you could see films on DVD in German language subtitled in English and then vice-versa. If you hear a sentence in German, try to repeat it to practice the pronounciation.
Practicing: On the internet, you could practice German by using the German version of Yahoo! Questions or by visiting German chatrooms. As soon as you understand a simple question try to give an answer.
Or you could try to find Germans living in your town and give them lessons in German conversation in exchange for lessons in English.
Reading: You could visit the websites of German newspapers (Frankfurter Allgemeine, TAZ, etc.) or you could do some internet research on topics (history, etc.) that interest you in German (as you certainly know already a lot about these topics this will help you to understand the websites and some of them will also be available in English, so can compare what you understood with what was meant).
I hope that this will help, that you will enjoy learning German and I wish you all the best for your studies!
powered by Yahoo answers
Free German Course
