Learning German on your cards? Conversing in German is on your wish list, but the thought of a rigid, scripted (and costly) formal class makes you apprehensive of this idea. You want to give it a try at learning German sitting at home without any coaching. But you are still wondering how to learn German all by yourself as there are multiple options, and you are not sure which is worth your time.
As it has been said that learning any new second language takes a different time depending on many factors like your prior experience of that particular language and your exposure to the language, your resilience, how much work you are ready to put into the learning process, your motivation level and many more. But, if you practice continuously and consistently on a daily basis, you will probably be able to have a daily conversation with a friend who also knows German. Regardless of these factors, there are still ways through which you can learn German in your way and at your own pace.
It is very satisfying and enjoyable to learn something on your own since it gives you a fantastic sense of achievement through your own efforts. Learning German all by yourself is a great way to take charge and control your own language learning pace and the way in which you decide to learn. There is a multitude of ways which you can choose from to learn German on your own.
Simple ways to learn German by yourself-
Repeating what you learn:
When you learn anything which may include learning the German language, the connections between certain neurons, called synapses, are strengthened. Repetition, of what has been read or learned, is important to establish a network of strong and long-lasting synapses so that you can effectively and efficiently learn German languages. The easy way to get success in learning the language is nothing but practice, practice, and more practice. To learn and speak German fluently, you will have to practice the same words and phrases over and over again. Your brain needs to get used to thinking spontaneously in German. Read aloud words when you are doing any German exercise, especially the words which have an umlaut mark on the letters as it changes the pronunciation of a letter. It helps in acquiring better pronunciation.
Learning Vocabulary:
We want to learn maximum vocabulary. Well, we can read and learn vocabulary but how long does it stay with us? It is important to retain vocabulary to get the basic purpose solved i.e., to use it while conversing. It is much required to build a solid German vocabulary foundation. You can go for an approach, ‘Fewer words but daily’.
Mark the number of vocabulary you will learn on a daily basis. Keep that number fixed every day. To learn more German words, associate learning words with actions, this way our brain is tricked into learning more and more words. Also, with every word learned, we can learn a simple sentence too, with this we will get to know about the use of the word in a sentence. So next time when in the cafe, order your coffee by not only saying Kaffee but Einen Kaffee, bitte!
Talk to yourself:
Do you talk to yourself? Does it sound funny? Well not if it is a matter of learning any language. Yes, you can talk/converse with yourself in front of a mirror, or you can talk within your mind. Think in German. Then you can start jotting down what all talk you enjoyed with yourself. Write down in German what you are thinking. When checking what you have written down, it will give you a chance to correct your mistakes, if any.
This practice will improve your writing skill too. It suggested and if possible, that such activities be done with any partner who knows German. Self-talk is very helpful in talking and writing about anything you want and get comfortable with the language.
You don’t have to be fluent in German to start speaking to yourself.
By Entertaining Yourself:
Kids learn as they are surrounded by constant and consistent inputs by elders. An adult manifolds those learnings in varying contexts by exposing themselves to more and more inputs. In the same way while learning German surround yourself with the German language as much as possible. Watch German TV shows. It doesn’t matter where you live, you can watch German shows at any time and use them to improve your German language skills. A good start is with shows that are easy because they are meant for children like Peppa Wutz, which is even available on YouTube. You can watch dubbed shows which you know, and you like. It will help you to focus more on words, phrases, or pronunciation as you already know the content part.
Listening comprehension:
Listening comprehension leads to better communication. Plenty of resources in German are available online. Train your ears to hear more of German vocabulary and phrases and moreover their pronunciation. Your aim should be to learn and understand basic colloquial phrases used by native speakers. Do not restrict yourself in pertaining to the content for listening. Listen to whatever you can. Many of the listening resources have transcription and translation too. This will assist you in connecting the things you hear with the things you see/watch, allowing you to hone your reading and listening skills at the same time.
Immerse yourself fully to learn German by following any of the above discussed ways or combining them suiting your requirements.
Conclusion:
Hope my tips will help you in learning German. If you are genuine about the learning, you need professional help and you can find it offline as well as online. You can learn all of the patterns in the online classes provided by Multibhashi. The classes are exclusively online and you will be taught by a trained professional. All the details of the class and fee structure are available on their website.