Introduction:

According to Ethnologue, German boasts 76,9 million native speakers, which makes it the language with the most native speakers on the European continent. It is also the second most spoken language in Europe. German is the official language in Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Principality of Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. This is, without a shadow of a doubt, a great reason for at least considering whether it’s a mistake to not learn the German language.  If you have clear goals such as studying, working, or having a cultural exchange in a German-speaking country, nothing will be able to stop you in your learning process, because you will be constantly motivated to reach your goals.

Becoming fluent in German could open up many career paths for you, but it’s not all about the work. Learning to speak German while you’re in Germany will mean that you meet loads of people you wouldn’t otherwise have met. Learning to speak German is a challenge, but it’s the tenth most-spoken language in the world. It’s, therefore, one which is very much worth learning, so that you’re able to communicate with over 200 million people. In this blog, we’ll discuss the tips and tricks to learn German for Global Communication:

• Know your goal

 The first place to start isn’t with the language itself, but with understanding why you are learning the language. Determine what it is you want to get out of your learning experience. This can range from a school language requirement to a vacation abroad to an interest in the language. Whatever your reason for learning German it should be the focus of how you go about learning the language. Your approach will be much different for a vacation than if you are learning German for work or school.

• Get your own German Dictionary

You need an adequate (minimum 40,000 entries) dictionary and you need to learn how to use it! A dictionary can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Try not to think too literally and don’t just accept the first translation you see. Just as in English, most words can mean more than one thing. Consider the word “fix” in English as one good example: “fix a sandwich” has a different meaning than “fix the car” or “he’s in a fine fix.”

• Turn to learn German into a habit

Taking a free online German language course on an app like Multibhashi is a great way to get started without stepping outside your front door. A quick bit of vocab revision on the bus or reviewing new grammar topics like German pronouns at the airport, for instance, turns lost time into language-learning wins! 

• Use German Culture to Learn the Language

Despite being a single language, German has many dialects depending on where it’s spoken. That means that the German spoken in Berlin is different from the German spoken in Munich, and those dialects are different from the German spoken in Hamburg. This can quickly make things very confusing for German learners. This means looking at samples of the language online, perhaps in videos, or reading about it, so that you know what particularities there are in that particular dialect.

• Make mistakes

With all the different genders, grammar rules, and pronunciation differences, it’s easy to make mistakes. And you’ll definitely make some. And again, let me repeat, it’s ok to make mistakes. The sooner you learn that the sooner you’ll defeat language learning anxiety. So, no German will ever make fun of you if you make a mistake. You’re putting in the effort to learn their language, so they’ll help you whenever they can.

Don’t worry, everyone feels this way, to begin with. Once you plunge in and you’re living the adventure, you’ll get over the hump and learn to love your new life abroad.