German from scratch: how to learn a language up to B2?

how to learn german from scratch

How can I start learning German?

There are different ways to start learning German from scratch: on courses, with a tutor, on one's own.

Start with the alphabet

Start by learning the German alphabet, watch videos with native speakers. Pay attention, that letters can be pronounced in different ways.

The first step in learning any language is learning the alphabet, or, in the case of German, “German alphabet” or “ABC of the German language”, what is it called in German. Knowing the alphabet will make it easier to learn new words and help you pronounce words correctly when reading.

Next, take up your German grammar.

Knowing the basics of grammar will help you unlock the secret, How to speak and understand German fluently.

Start with topics like these:

  • go through how the present tense is constructed and learn basic verbs, such as das, the and the (the), bin (am), are (are), have (have) и be (to be)
  • Having mastered them, go to past tense conjugations, such as war (was) и been (was).
  • Next, take the future tense.

Understand how words are used together in German. Once you understand the rules, relating to cases and tenses, you'll soon be able to easily navigate the more complex aspects of German grammar.

Vocabulary. What to learn from vocabulary at the beginning of learning German?

Getting started learning German, It's important to familiarize yourself with some keywords, which will make learning easier. Such as:

  • Greetings. Expressions like guten Tag (Hello) и goodbye (Goodbye)
  • Studying such nouns, like he/she/that (the), as well as number words, such as, two, three (one, two, three), also useful for understanding.
  • Besides, such verbs, also play (“play”) и come (“is coming”), are fundamental in the study of sentences and conversational structure. With these basic words you can quickly gain confidence as you start learning German!

German spelling

Getting started learning German, one of the most important elements is understanding its spelling. Understanding spelling is fundamental to almost any task, language related.

Keep an eye on it, How are words written in German?, extremely important, because it allows you to pronounce correctly. It also makes it easier to choose the correct conjugation form or derivative words, which fit better into the sentence from a grammatical point of view. Besides, it helps improve reading speed and reading comprehension, reducing time, necessary to decipher individual words and lines.

How to practice speaking German at the beginning of learning?

Even when you are just starting to learn German, It’s important to start practicing right away. But how can I practice it if my vocabulary 10 words? Ekol teachers will tell you - practice with those words, who do you know. When did you learn greetings in German?, present time, numbers and colors, let's say, this is already quite enough to make the first proposals.

If it is not possible to go to German courses, just try to make sentences yourself at home, primitive stories and say it all out loud. Just don't be shy! If you don't try to speak the language, then this magical ability will not fall from the sky out of nowhere, unfortunately. It is necessary to try and train German speech through mistakes. It is important to exercise little and often, so that new language skills become automatic over time.

What about German pronunciation??

When it comes to practicing German pronunciation, best way to start – listen to this. Try to find a variety of audio materials, for example, radio or podcasts with native German speakers. Try to imitate what you hear – compare your pronunciation with what you heard, don't rush to talk, take your time and focus on it, how individual sounds are pronounced.

Be sure to practice whole sentences, since individual words cannot reflect real speech in German. Once you get comfortable with the individual sounds, try practicing using online tools, such as Mimic Method and LingoDeer, that offer reading exercises, as well as imitation of real dialogues. With regular practice and dedication, you can master the perfect German accent!

Free resources for learning German:

DW

DW offers free German lessons and exercises, from teachers from Germany. The resource is suitable for beginners, so for those, who wants to improve their level.

GoetheInstitut

IN GoetheInstitut you can find many useful exercises, applications and tasks, to improve your German level.

Netflix

Netflix – everyone knows about him, but not everyone knows, that there you can choose the language of the audio track and subtitles yourself. First month free, so you can constantly register from different emails and create new accounts, if you really don't want to pay. But if you buy a family subscription, until the amount is quite small. For language immersion through films, this is the best option.. language offering a wide selection of German films with English subtitles. Hundreds of popular artistic, documentaries and short films, various shows in original language with English, German, Ukrainian subtitles (yes whatever you want!), which allows viewers to get acquainted with the culture of Germany, without leaving home.

The subtitle feature makes it easy to understand difficult topics or scenes without having to pause and rewind the movie, to hear the meaning of what was said. The site presents all genres – dramas, comedy, action films, thrillers, Horror – so you can learn German with your favorite movie genre.

Also, read our article about the best cartoons in German for learning the language.

Greetings from Germany

Greetings from Germany – This is also a free online resource.. It provides extensive materials for learning German, including grammar, pronunciation in an interactive and fun format. Thanks audio, visual materials and text lessons as in modern standard German, and in regional dialects, GrüsseausDeutschland offers a fun way to improve your language skills.

Well, of course, Youtube channels for learning German

One of the popular free resources for learning German is German for you, what does it mean in English? “German for you”. This channel offers lessons for beginners, intermediate and advanced levels of listening, grammar, pronunciation and conjugation, as well as storytelling lessons, where users find out, how stories are structured in German. The videos also contain cultural notes with tips on how to, how to behave in Germany.

Channel Simple Club – another useful channel. There are also various training videos here, explaining how basic grammatical structures, as well as common phrases and expressions combined with funny dialogues between characters.

Them, who are looking for even more interactive content, suitable specifically for children, those who want to learn German through games and songs, worth a look at Kiddin – Learning with fun. There you will find a variety of creative activities for children aged six years and older, so that they can become bilingual during their formative years. All videos are short, made in a fun way with catchy musical melodies, educational rhymes, which are ideal for immersing young minds in language, while practicing correct pronunciation.

Facebook groups and Telegram channels

One of the most notable groups Facebook – Learn German (Learning German). This group is designed specifically for beginners and offers useful lessons from native speakers, that help you learn the basics.

German with Jacob – Public Facebook group for intermediate and advanced German learners, where visitors can receive personalized recommendations, tips and tricks for learning German, as well as language exchange events.

One more place, where to find support for German language learners, – official Telegram channel of the Goethe-Institut. Find language assignments here, aimed at developing grammatical skills and pronunciation, communicating with other students. Other additional materials on culture and linguistics, developed by teachers of the Goethe-Institut, also included in channel resources.

Chat4German: Another Telegram group for people, those who want to learn German; provides quick support and other valuable information about the language learning process.

The best German textbooks for beginners

1. “German at a glance” by Margaret Ann Ziago and Jürgen Klausener – this is a german language textbook for beginners, where the basics of the language are taught, but the focus is on oral communication. It contains various exercises, making it ideal for beginners to learn German on their own.

2. “Easy German Step by Step” by Monica Schlobohm and Margaret Bonifer designed to, to help beginners quickly master the basic grammar and vocabulary of the language, and also develop listening and speaking skills.

3. “German in three months” from Hugo's Language Books is a comprehensive guide to learning German in just three months. It covers grammar, conjugation of verbs, lexicon, working with text and practicing speaking.

4. “Teach Yourself Complete German” by Paul Coggle offers comprehensive guidance for learners of all levels, allowing them to progress from basic to advanced speaking levels with helpful illustrations and audio for practice.

5. “In less than 30 Learn German for days” by Dagmar Williamson. Purpose of the book – help beginners learn basic aspects of the German language in a short time using diagrams, fun exercises and real scenarios, which will allow you to immediately apply the acquired knowledge in practice.

What to listen and watch in German for beginners?

Listen:

  • A podcast “German vocabulary” from German Wave – it's a great way to learn German vocabulary and phrases, as it covers various topics in a fun and engaging way.
  • “Learn German Podcast” from EASY Deutsch – German from beginner to advanced with an entertaining and informative podcast. Leading – native German speaker, he talks about grammar, culture, slang and other important information for learning German.
  • “German for you (German for you)” from Markus Schmieder is a weekly podcast, in which listeners are introduced to funny stories, learning useful expressions in German. Topics range from current events to anecdotes about life in Germany.

Look:

  • “7 Continental” от DW – this show introduces viewers to German culture, customs, dishes and more through entertaining stories from around the world with a focus on Germany.
  • “Up and away – The adventure trips” – this is a travel series on the ZDF channel, who films adventurers, exploring unique places throughout Europe, including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands and other neighboring countries. Together with their host Anna Will, they introduce viewers to the local culture, history, kitchen and much more.
  • “Rosenheim cops” – crime series from ZDF, dedicated to solving crimes in the Bavarian town of Rosenheim in southern Germany and giving viewers a glimpse into traditional Bavarian culture, where the characters speak local dialects throughout the series.
  • “crime scene” – also known as “Crime scene”, this series focuses on investigating crimes in cities throughout Germany, including Frankfurt am Main, Munich and Hamburg, where teams of detectives are trying to find out, who committed the murder or what brutal crime occurred in each episode respectively.

How to make learning German as effective as possible?

We won’t tell you anything new now, everything is standard: regular classes and constant practice.

1. Start by setting realistic goals, with achievable deadlines and milestones. This will help you stay motivated throughout the learning process..

2. Use German language resources, which we indicated in this article. Watch German films and TV shows, listen to music in German and read books.

3. If possible, communicate with native German speakers. This will allow you to practice your speaking skills and put into practice all that, what did you study from textbooks or online materials?.

4. Create Flash Cards. Review them constantly, which improves memory efficiency over time.

Learning German on your own

Advantages

1. Economical: Self-learning German can cost significantly less, than attending a language course or tutoring.

2. Greater independence: When you study German on your own, you are less limited by a program or schedule. You have more freedom when choosing educational materials, how much time a day do you devote to learning the language and when do you take a break to test your skills?.

Flaws

1. Lack of structure: because it’s not easy to build a program for yourself, then you can just wander around the topics. Learn some passages, then here, then there, without understanding the big picture. Besides, without set deadlines and assignments, you can drag out your studies for decades. And this can lead to, that you will give up learning German altogether after that, how the initial enthusiasm fades.

2. Difficulty with pronunciation: despite , that self-learners can use virtual tools, such as translators and dictionaries, as well as audio tracks, available online, they may still have difficulty with correct pronunciation due to lack of feedback from an experienced person about their accent and intonation errors.

Learning German with a teacher is a profitable option, no downsides

Learning German with a tutor – it is an effective way to learn a language without any disadvantages. A tutor can tailor the teaching approach specifically for you and give you feedback , and also quickly correct all the mistakes you made.

Besides, they provide a more personalized approach, than many other teaching methods, what helps you not give up. It's easy to track your progress with a tutor, so that the topics studied are relevant and meet your needs.

Besides, presence of an interlocutor, fluent in the language, can help speed up understanding of new words or concepts, and also give useful tips on pronunciation or cultural differences, to build confidence in speaking as well.

Summarize

There are different ways to start learning German from scratch: on courses, with a tutor, on one's own. Which of these methods should you choose?, you decide. But, taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of each of these methods, then studying with a tutor is the most effective and practical way to learn German.

And in our school Ecole, with regular classes and homework, we guarantee effective training, Where 1 language level is passed in 4-5 months. Our teachers will create an individual training plan, considering your level of knowledge, goals and needs. Thus, you can confidently move towards your goal and achieve success.

So, if you decide to start learning German from scratch, Ecole is the perfect place, to get started.

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