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Veruca

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Hello everyone!

I started German lessons a few months ago and I'd really like to improve on my command of the language by corresponding with someone who speaks/writes it well.

Would anyone like to give it a try? :)

Otherwise, does anyone have any tips on how I can improve?

Thank you!!
 
I don't know German language but I can tell ya what I've done when I was learning English... Keep in mind I was 14 years old when I came to U.S. & I didn't speak a word of English... They say younger the person is, easier it is to pick up another language... That was almost 30 years ago... I could tell ya what I did to pick up English... I watched a lot of TV... News helped me with proper English & other shows helped me with expressions, slangs & socially situated terms... When you're speaking in another language, it's not just translating word for word but you're translating their culture as well... Expressions & slangs in English may not work well in German... If you're looking for proper German instead of informal conversational German, you might wanna look into News or TV programs in German... I'm sure you can find them in youtube or online... Try to learn common words & see how they're used in everyday life & conversations... See if you can pick up the words you've learned in the shows... Once you're comfortable with certain words, then start adding other words to your vocabulary & before you know it, you'll start to understand certain phrases...
 
Veruca said:
Hello everyone!

I started German lessons a few months ago and I'd really like to improve on my command of the language by corresponding with someone who speaks/writes it well.

Would anyone like to give it a try? :)

Otherwise, does anyone have any tips on how I can improve?

Thank you!!

Same here. I find that language fascinating. I wish I could find someone who'd help me learn it.
 
As a native speaker of German I have to admit I've never seen it as very fascinating. But I guess that goes for native speakers of all languages...

But apart from it has always been a coarse-sounding language to me when I compare it to the smooth-sounding English for instance. Raw and powerful. A language to conquer countries with *cough*.

sk66rc already brought up the best tips applicable to all learners of new languages. You'll pick it up easily when you're in constantly in touch with it. You'll need a bit of theoretical knowledge of course...German has a lot of detailed rules for everything. Sadly there are just as much irregularities...

I learned basic English in school and improved my vocabulary mostly by playing video games or watching movies with subtitles on...and on the internet of course. Reading and listening to everyday conversations.

I can't exactly offer myself as a learning partner since I think of myself as a horrible (and unforgiving) teacher. :(
If any particular questions come up during your lessons, you can send me a PM though and I'll try to answer them as best as I can.
 
Drama - I'd teach you but I'm barely a beginner myself :)

Rodent - Thank you for the tips and your kind offer
 
god I hated German at school haha

what was it, 3... 4 words for "the"

gahh

My mum once dated a german he helped me with my homework once, the teacher said it was wrong...

As it turned out he was talking german in the way a german would, so using slang terminology. Whereas when you learn it from a teacher/ textbook/whatever you basically learn the formal style, kinda like how in english you have proper english and then the english everyone uses.

So the advice about watching german tv could be very helpful since youll also see it in action and how they use the language
 
I`m in for conversation exercises in PMs and useful tips and resources.
 
I don't speak German, but in relation to learning a language here's what helped me..

Watch a TV channel in German if you can get one .. Something you would enjoy anyway. It can be tough because of the speed of speech and it can be slangy depending on what you watch, but it 'gets you ear in' for the accent, the cadences, the 'music' if you like, of the language.

Get hold of a magazine in the language, I hate to say it but something along the lines of a German Bella or Voici or that kind of thing. Easy language, low reading age! You can progress to better stuff later. 😸

Obviously I live in a country where I am not a native speaker, but joining the Art Club helped a lot as everyone else is French. Probably difficult to do that in the UK!

Good luck .. And can I ask, why German??
 
Thanks Kamya, Jag. All of you guys are so helpful! :D

Jag - I actually wanted to study in Germany but it turned out to be out of my budget range. I had already started on the course so I decided to just make the most of it!
 
Veruca said:
Drama - I'd teach you but I'm barely a beginner myself :)

Rodent - Thank you for the tips and your kind offer

They dont teach in our uni :( but im going so follow a summer program to learn it (hopefully)

Hey, we can just asist each other in learning it. If you're up to it, pm me!
 
Veruca i'm mexican and i speak german, not as native speaker does, but enough to help ;)

See, i lived in Germany for a year, and i did it for love (long story) etc, etc, the first 6 months i was really alone, because i barely had contact with some people, mostly older people, and my popular university mates, no one from an hispanic country, i experienced a lot of bitter situations, i even faced the police (thanks to someonelse who lied and put me in that situation, i was almost paying for this person's mistake), but all this awful things i went thru, at least helped me for 1 **** good thing: i learnt german in just 6 months!, i went from almost none, to pre-advanced level.

I don't mean you or everyone else should do the same, every person is different, we learn different, we all have our own time and we learn under different circumstances. In my personal case, during those 6 months if i wanted to survive, i had to communicate myself in german, my only choice was to speak, write, read and hear german, besides the 2nd purpose of my year there was the language. Somehow i managed it and did it unthinkable greater than expected, germans ended up asking me why on earth i don't have a foreign accent and why i speak better than german teens, hehe!. Later my situation changed, or at least it was less tragic, i met the mexican community in the city where i was living, and i finally speaked and heared spanish (my native language) after half year of just german, finally some familiar faces and words arrived. Of course, the horrible situations and things that made me learnt it so fast, are by no means advisable for you nor anyone else, i would have preferred to learn it the long way, but it's already in my past, the thing is i did it! ;)

My best tips for you would be to have contact with german people in your country, some language-exchange club or group, make german friends if possible, go to those german grocery stores if available in ur city or any german-speaking place you can go, chat or skype in this language, etc., i mean try to "immerse" yourself totally into the language, as if you actually lived in a german-speaking country, no matter that you don't understang a thing at the beginning, it will get better that i can promise, this is basically how i did it, but in my case i was in Germany and was forced to because of my situation, you can do it freely and actually enjoy the process, no matter you're at home.

Listen to german radio stations online, here in Mexico i listen everyday to "Radio Bonn/Rhein-Sieg" and "WDR2 Rheinland", Wdr also have podcasts and streaming media available for free on its website, you can watch different shows, reports, interviews, etc. Also watch german movies, try those with german closed caption available, this will enormously improve your understanding and listening within a short time, compared to the traditional techniques and almost without using a dictionary, i barely did, i got the concepts and meanings alone and automatically in my head, as if it was spanish.

Read children's books, just remember how you learn your own native language, you never went to school to do that in the 1st place, you simply started talking when you were a toddler, saying basic words and sentences, using basic grammar, so that's exactly what children's books are about, see yourself as a german toddler acquiring your native language, it can make you feel silly to read about a happy bee, a sunny day, green hills, apple trees, etc but it helps quite a lot. There are also language magazines available online, you choose your level and you read texts according to your german knowledge.

Watch little children's movies/music videos/tv shows because they talk very basic stuff, without complicated rules or subjects. In this case i can recommend "Der Sendung mit dem Elefant" (you can learn for example: body parts, colors, days, months, city places, etc) and "KiKa Tanz Alarm" songs, believe me i'm 30 and i enjoy watching all this shows, and i also can tell you this because i'm teaching german to my 3 y.o. little nephew, he already speaks basic sentences, knows numbers, the days of the week, colors, and sings several children's songs, his fave one is Warum bin ich so fröhlich? with a sweet duck on it, people listen him singing it and they are amazed, he also learns and speaks some english cuz he attends a Montessori Children House, which has a bilingual education program.

If you have a smartphone i can recommend you some language apps, or others according to your interests. Me being a woman who completely lacks of outfits and make-up knowledge, to use them properly to attend social events, job interviews, family reunions, etc., i downloaded some german fashion magazines apps, such as Jolie and Mädchen, they're helpful plus! i practice my german reading skills. I'm sure i'm forgetting some other info and tips, but feel free to contact me at any time, PM, email, skype, whatever you might want to use.

And Rule #1 forget that german is difficult, or is this and that, forget all the negative stuff people say. It's just a new amazing language you're learning to speak, period!.

Regards! ;)
 
Beckett...thank you!! That was very motivating. I'm just sitting here doing my German homework wondering what possessed me to take this up and then I read your message, which made me feel better!

(sorry about your bad experiences though..that sounds terrible! :( )

Thank you all for taking the time and effort to help me out. I really appreciate it *mega hugs*
 
Thank you Veruca :) i've lived so many things and have this special story, that sooner or later i'm gonna write my own book, i really want to do it, so i will.

Now back to german, i'm glad to help you, don't give up, think of it as an adventure, that will open many doors and a new world to you. Whenever you need to talk in this interesting language, to improve your pronunciation, etc, i have no problem in having a relaxed and friendly voice chat with you.

Megahugs back! ;D
 
I think I'm gonna take all these tips and suggestions for my own language learning! Thank you all for sharing, and Veruca for starting this thread!
 

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