Learning German

Learning languages has been a hobby for me, fortunately; so it has been a joy for me to learn German. I wish to improve faster, but I have to remind myself that it is important to not get ahead of yourself and just let the process flow. Otherwise, you'd be frustrated and learning process wouldn't be optimal.

While attending a good language course is still the best and most effective method to learn a language, here are some supportive methods you can use to improve your language skills:

Buy exercise books online

You can find plenty of exercise books online that you can do by yourself at home. Some of them even come with audio CDs or audio download links. They usually state the level of each book, so you can choose a level suitable for you. Remember to always choose ones with the answer key included, if you are going to learn by yourself. What would be ideal is a combination of some explanation with exercises. If you're a complete beginner, there are also books that provide English explanation for every grammar point.

Make use of free online resources

Slow German is a good resource to train your listening and reading at the same time. You can try to listen to it first without looking at the text, then read the text, check in the dictionary for new words and make notes. My German teacher also recommended to try reading the text out loud, or follow her pronunciation, to get yourself used to pronouncing words the correct way.

Deutsche Welle also provides a wealth of resources for learning German. There are videos, audios, and exercises for all levels that will surely keep you busy - and well-trained.

Even Goethe-Institut has a section on their website containing some free resources: Deutsch für Dich which is also good for self-learning practices at home!

Install language learning apps on your phone

My two favourites are Duolingo and Memrise. They provide comprehensive lessons with methods that are effective, they make it feel as if you're playing games instead of learning and they're accessible for free. They will train you all aspects of the language: reading, listening, writing and even speaking. You have the option of paying for an even more extensive features, for both, but I have so far been satisfied with the free service. They are also accessible from your computer. Of course you shouldn't solely rely on them to learn a new language, but for daily practice and repetitions, they are really helpful.

You'll also need a dictionary app

The German-English/English-German dictionary app I am using is dict.cc which has been such a lifesaver. I keep it next to me whenever I do German exercises, and whip it out at the store to translate food labels! 

Don't be shy to go out there and practise it

Everyone I've encountered so far has been happy to speak slower to me once they realise that my German command is substandard. They even help me with gestures and wait patiently for me to try build a coherent sentence in German. I was a bit traumatised while learning Chinese because my friends used to laugh at me everytime I tried to speak Chinese, since I have such accent - but here people are much more supportive. I am still struggling to get my pronunciation as German as possible, but overall, everyone has been very nice and it has been encouraging for me. If ever you get stuck, you can always whip out your phone and check the dictionary app!