Learn German : Essentials (2023)

FAQs

How do I start learning German by myself? ›

Yes you can. It's very enjoyable to learn something on your own, since it gives you a fantastic sense of achievement. Learning German by yourself is a great way to take charge of your own learning speed and the way in which you decide to learn.

It is estimated that a total of 30 weeks or 750 classroom hours are necessary to learn German. But you could complete those 750 hours in a matter of months or over the course of many years.

1. Mandarin Chinese. Interestingly, the hardest language to learn is also the most widely spoken native language in the world. Mandarin Chinese is challenging for a number of reasons.

So, how long do you need to learn German if you want to reach this level of fluency? According to the U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI), you'll need about 750 hours of study to become fluent in German. This means that if you study 12-15 hours a week, you'll be able to speak like a pro in just a year!

You need more than 3 months to be fluent. But even with such a short time, if you adjust your strategy, you can actually learn German and get really close to being fluent.

The average language you need to know 2,000–3,000 words to be fluent. That not including grammar and idiums. Therefore if you wish to learn 2,500 words in 6 month (180 days) you need to learn about 14 words per day.

The app guides you to learn in a natural way through exposure, which works well for English native speakers who are studying German because the two languages are quite closely related. Duolingo German is also good for those who like to jump in at the deep end.

Best Way to Learn German. As with any language, the fastest and best way to learn German is through total immersion, preferably through living in a German-speaking country.

Why is it so difficult to learn German? ›

But what makes German so hard to learn? The only reason that German seems so difficult to people is that it has grammar rules that other languages don't. German is a language with relatively high “inflection,” meaning that the words in a sentence change based on their grammatical roles.

The B Levels: Conversational

B1 German speakers have no problem understanding the main points of a conversation when clear standard German is used, especially when the topic is something familiar like school or work.

B2 is the first level that means that you can speak really fluent and understand 80% of the situations that you find yourself in repeatedly. You can prepare yourself for the exam and even see a sample of the language level here.

Hi, B1 is the beginning of the Intermediate level as a Deutsch speaker. So, by this time you should be able to carry out basic level conversations and form simple sentences since you would have already completed A2. B1 takes you further deeper in verbs and complex sentence structure.

The term “polyglot” is often used to describe people who can speak more than three languages. If you speak two languages you're bilingual, if you speak three you're trilingual. If you speak more, you may be considered a polyglot.

Levels A1 and A2: These levels provide you with basic knowledge of the German language. If you have no previous knowledge, attending an A1 course is highly recommended. Levels B1 and B2: Here is where you will learn German at an advanced level.

If you´d like to work in Germany you´ll get by if your German is on level B1/B2 (online test). The certificate issued by GLS is recognized by many employers and even some universities in Germany. More about the GLS German language certificate.

Can I learn B2 German in 1 month? ›

You can't reach b2 level in one month coz for clearing one level it takes 2 months maximum so for clearing b2 level it will take some time have patience.

Long story short: You can survive in Germany without knowing the German language; most Germans speak English, the train usually runs announcements in English and in restaurants or bars, waiters and waitresses often speak English, especially in the city center.

How long does it take to become fluent in German A1? According to the Goeth Institut and as mentioned earlier, it takes at least 2-3 months of learning German A1 on a daily basis.

The Goethe-Zertifikat B2 is a German exam for young people and adults. It certifies that candidates have acquired advanced language skills and corresponds to the fourth level (B2) of the six-level scale of competence laid down in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

As others have said, with excellent motivation, excellent teachers, and 100% immersion, you might reach B1 in four months. That is something like: high intermediate vocabulary, good command of basic grammar, and ability to ask questions about the language, and understand the answers, in German.

Nitty-gritty things like these can make getting started a bit of a challenge – but between the two, French will be a little easier, with (slightly) fewer endings to learn. That said, experts largely agree that the more German you learn, the easier it gets, while French gets more complicated the deeper you dive in.

99.9999% of all of the work that goes into your exam grade should come before you even sign up for the exam. No amount of cramming can make you B2 in a month. For me, it took 2 years of self-study to reach B2. And it's those 2 years—not the 2 weeks of prep I did for the exam—that earned me great scores.

150 hours of lessons. A2: approx. 150 hours of lessons. B1: 300 hours of lessons.

How many words do you need to be fluent in German? To be fluent in German, a speaker needs to know around 10,000 words.

Can we learn enough German language in Duolingo to clear A1 and A2? Yes you can. Duolingo is a great tool for vocabs and basics learning, if you use Duolingo web version you can read grammar reviews written by contributors and there is a discussion space for each exercise.

What level of German is Duolingo? ›

Whether you're a total beginner or you're looking to brush up, Duolingo's German course is definitely one of the best options currently available. The course is now hitting the same heights as the French and Spanish courses — which Duolingo reckon can get you to a B2 level on the CEFR.

In short, yes of course it is. I don't usually subscribe to the exact levels people talk about when they tell you how many hours to study in a specific language (because what is “study” right there?), but reaching C1 level in 4 years doesn't seem overly cumbersome at all.

It's incredibly hard to achieve. There is C1 'on paper' - it's relatively easy to pass an online exam that will tell you that your German is at 'C1' level after X number of hours study. Don't be fooled, it's generally far from that. What are the subjects in German?

People say it's all about mastering the basics. So, if you're wondering how to learn the German language if you're a complete beginner, we recommend you start with the alphabet. The German language has 26 letters, just like English.

A major cause of it sounding harsh is the “ch” sound, especially when it occurs far back in the throat, the sort of “ach” sound. Also, the fact that words that in English start with a “St” sound, in German often start with “Scht…” sounding like “sht”, can make it sound harsh.

The longest word in the standard German dictionary is Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung – which is the word for motor vehicle liability insurance. But at 36 letters, it's rather puny. Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften, a touch longer at 39 letters, is the language's longest non-dictionary word.

Pronunciation

The 'r' sound is, to me, the most difficult in German and often the dead giveaway of a native English speaker. If we take a simple word like aber, the tendency of a native English speaker is to say, 'abER', pronouncing the hard 'r' as one would in English.

In all, that comes to about 200 hours total, meaning that to reach a B1 level in German in 3 months, you should study the language for about ~2 hours and 10 minutes each day. It's a high goal, but if you have sufficient motivation, you can definitely reach it.

Yes you can. It is not necessary that one has to appear for the A1 exam first. One can appear for any of the German exam levels directly. I hope that my answer helps you.

Is A2 German hard? ›

German A2 exam pattern is quite simple. As it's a language, there are 4 modules- Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. It is a 60 points exam and you have to score a minimum 36 points (60%) to pass the exam.

The German B1 level, also known as the intermediate level, It will take you at least 80 hours per week (a total of 4 weeks) to finish your German B1. According to Goeth Institut, you'll take at least 350 and 650 45-minute units of teaching depending on what you have retained from your previous A1 to A2 level.

The C2 level exam: Think “very hard” & multiply that by a thousand. The Common European Framework of References for Languages level C2 is one of the hardest possible examinations you can do in any language.

The official German A1 vocabulary includes, according to the German Goethe Institut, 650 words – that's the bad news. Wow, that's a lot, you may think. The good news is: You're already on the way, and we're am here to help you.

They say that you need to have completed at least 350 45-minute German lessons/practice sessions to reach B1, which would take roughly a year and a half since most people can't take a lesson every single day in a row.

The Goethe Institut says you need about 1,300 words for A2 as against about 2,400 words for B1.

Without a doubt, yes. I'm currently learning German myself, and after 4 months or so I managed to get to the B1 level all by myself. Sure, I still make lots of mistakes but that's part of learning.

As per English-speaking people, German language is one of the easiest languages to learn and also the second most spoken foreign language in Europe. You can attend German language classes in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, or any other well-developed city.

Getting Great at German

German might not be as familiar to English speakers as Spanish, but it's still one of the easiest languages to learn. Like Spanish, it's also a phonetic language, which makes pronunciation easy to figure out.

With plenty of straightforward rules, German is not actually as hard to learn as most people think. And since English and German stem from the same language family, you might actually be surprised at the things you pick up without even trying! And on top of it all, it's definitely a useful one, too.

Is German easier than French? ›

Nitty-gritty things like these can make getting started a bit of a challenge – but between the two, French will be a little easier, with (slightly) fewer endings to learn. That said, experts largely agree that the more German you learn, the easier it gets, while French gets more complicated the deeper you dive in.

German is the second most popular foreign language in India after French. One main reason is the “First Move advantage.” It is because their government initiated to promote German in India several decades back. The first “Max Mueller Bhavan” was inaugurated in Kolkata in 1957.

In a country like India, someone who knows both German and English will have better employment prospects. In India, the demand for German language experts is on the rise. The German companies in India pay German-speaking employees premium salaries. It is because of how strong language has become.

Linguistic experts have found several similarities between German and Sanskrit, the language Indian languages such as Hindi are derived from.

The average language you need to know 2,000–3,000 words to be fluent. That not including grammar and idiums. Therefore if you wish to learn 2,500 words in 6 month (180 days) you need to learn about 14 words per day.

It is not at all difficult to pursue B2 level with graduation. I finished my C2 when I was in my second year of graduation. I used to take breaks for the courses only during my exam months and did not take admission during those times.

The longest word in the standard German dictionary is Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung – which is the word for motor vehicle liability insurance. But at 36 letters, it's rather puny. Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften, a touch longer at 39 letters, is the language's longest non-dictionary word.

Pronunciation

The 'r' sound is, to me, the most difficult in German and often the dead giveaway of a native English speaker. If we take a simple word like aber, the tendency of a native English speaker is to say, 'abER', pronouncing the hard 'r' as one would in English.

Which foreign language is in high demand? ›

In fact, it's estimated that around 220 million people also speak French as a second language, and that number is projected to rise to 750 million by 2050, possibly even overtaking English and Mandarin.

The term “polyglot” is often used to describe people who can speak more than three languages. If you speak two languages you're bilingual, if you speak three you're trilingual. If you speak more, you may be considered a polyglot.

Can English speakers understand German? No is the short and correct answer. However, English is largely a Germanic language, or started that way, so there are constructions and words in German that will be familiar. Even so, the present-day languages are very different.