How to Learn German Fast (7 Steps Guide)
Have you ever thought of a country that works less but is known for Europe’s powerhouse Economy and again, it is a country where children spend very less time in school as compared to their counterparts in other parts of the world? Impressed?!! Yes, my friends, that’s Germany for you in a nutshell. It is a conveyor belt for creating highly skilled employees and such skills echo in its language as well. So, let’s learn the seven fastest techniques of attempting German. Consistency and determination will make you sail through.
Let's have a brief look at a few German greetings and words
1.Basics first- In case you are planning to visit Germany for your Career prospects, it would be a great idea to memorize the basic greeting techniques and numbers first, so that your commute to the office becomes easy. At the same time, you may also make a habit of carrying a pocket dictionary as it will not only be handy but also you will help yourself catching words without putting in much effort. Before you start your journey you may start with this word-
Hallo | Hello |
Hi | Hi |
Guten Tag | Hello (lit. Good day) |
Guten Morgen | Good morning |
Guten Abend | Good evening |
Pardon me? | Wie bitte? |
Please. | Bitte. |
Thank you. | Danke. |
I’m sorry | (Es)Tut mit leid. |
Really? | Wirklich? Echt? |
Gladly! | Gerne!Mit Vergnügen! |
Nice to meet you. | Sehr erfreut / Freut mich. |
Take care | Mach’s gut. / Pass auf dich auf. |
Is the route to learning easy for an English Speaker?
2.The advantages for an English speaker-Just like in our country English has penetrated almost all cosmopolitan cities, the same goes for Germany. Even if you can speak Germany in limited words and knowledge you can survive in their main cities as they mostly understand English and they may also correct you while you are speaking ‘broken’ Germany. Secondly, Hollywood movies have a huge market in Germany and they are all invariably dubbed in German. So if you are an ‘Avengers’ fan (like me) you may start watching them in Germany and you will surely find loads of English words echoing into them.
3.Travelling is a route to learning- Even if you are looking for learning Germany for Career prospects, I am pretty sure that travelling must be at the back of your mind. And if my guess is true then let me tell you that Germany is the eighth most visited country and it has the most breath-taking sights to offer. So, what are you waiting for! Start buying books or downloading info related to the picturesque towns of Germany. Travelling itself can enhance our vocabulary starting from places, cuisines, routes, people, clothes and phew! The list is endless.
Reading and Writing
4.Newspaper reading- This is a great exercise for learning German and also getting a thorough idea about the current affairs. A word of caution would be, a lot of trainees start with reading in a bulk and what happens, in the end, is that they get overwhelmed and then they give up. Please fit realistic targets in your busy schedule. Read one small Article related to your Career or your liking per day and try to understand the gist of it. Try not to follow word by word and review yourself with the English translation whether your comprehension is mostly correct or not.
5.Writing physically- Thanks to our over-dependence on gadgets, our habit of maintaining a diary or a notebook or writing a journal on a piece of paper – have become next to none! So, when you are learning German, please bring back this habit of writing physically even if you learn one word per day. If you want your retention power to be permanent and rapid, then there is no substitute for writing physically.
Creating a sense of immersion and Speaking!
6.Create a mini-Germany in your comfort zone- In order to immerse yourself in German, firstly you can change the language of your device into German. It’s a courageous step though less taken! But this step will leave you no choice but to learn the language. Secondly, you may start labelling the furniture or the artefacts around you in German and then while commuting to your office you may start writing on a piece of paper as to how many words you can retain.
7. Last but not least- start speaking- Multibhashi happens to be one of those platforms from where you can hire professional trainers. However, if you don’t have it on your list, you may join a community or a club on Facebook and start chatting with a native German. An ideal scenario would be to speak at least for 30mins per day with a native speaker.
Germany gives us focus goals in life!
Germany happens to be one of the revered languages of this world, thanks to its magnanimous history. After watching some powerful documentaries on Germany and Hitler, it is rather astounding that the country, having fought world wars, has a powerful economy- standing taller than ever! I am sure that in due time and consistency you too will not only fall in love with the language but its culture as well.