9 ways to make yourself fluent in German

Time is a precious commodity, whether we are learning German or any other language, whether for business or pleasure. Hence learning five words per day related to your purpose would be a great process for self-learning. Over a period of time, these words will not only help us in speaking but writing as well. It’s an exercise that can easily hit two birds with one arrow.

1. Focus on the easy parts of German 

When learning German, the trick is to focus on those parts of German that are easy to pick up.

German is an easy language to learn because it has:

No tones, as there are in Chinese or Thai

No liaisons between words, as there are in French

Many of the same letters as English, unlike Japanese or Korean

No postposition or preposition suffixes, like in Hungarian or Turkish

No strings of difficult-to-pronounce consonants like in Czech.

2. Find German songs you like and sing along with printed lyrics

There should be something to suit all musical tastes. Once you’ve found a favorite song, find the lyrics and try to sing along.

German music will fit into one of your key areas of mental downtime: exercise time. You probably won’t want to listen to podcasts while running, walking your dog or lifting weights. But you might find a reggaeton playlist is just the thing to keep you motivated during your weekly run.

3.Get a German Dictionary

When you begin to learn a language and start trying to say or understand things, you’re always going to have more questions than answers. A dictionary helps you make progress in this area and allows more spontaneity in your learning. You can always look up words that catch your fancy, regardless of whether they relate to a structured teaching unit or not.

4. Read German Children’s Books

Reading comprehension has to start somewhere. Children’s books are charming and fun – plus you’ll gain cultural insights by learning the stories which Germans experience as kids. Some, like the Grimms Märchen (Grimm’s fairy tales) you may be familiar with in their English versions.

5.Watch movies in German 

Watching a series on Netflix might not exactly improve your debating skills or formal register, but it helps you to understand the language better, get used to colloquial, conversational forms of German and implicitly get a feeling for the language. Also, you could try to pick out words that sound highly informal and look up their more scholarly counterparts.  Being exposed to a language for the length of a movie might help you to actually start thinking in German      

6.Immerse yourself in German language news        

Try to sample a broad range of German-language newspapers, including broadsheets as well as magazines and tabloids. As well as helping you keep up to date with current affairs, this range of news sources will also expand your vocabulary. Another advantage is that you will also become more comfortable with how words are spelt and the contexts in which they are used.                 

7.Start a vocabulary book of useful words              

Either in a notebook or on your computer, start making a list of useful words and phrases. Every time you hear or see a word you’re not familiar with, note it down. Don’t only focus on the word itself, but search for synonyms and phrases in which it’s used. 

8.Have conversations in German 

As helpful as listening and reading tasks may be, you also need to use German interactively and practice your own speaking skills. If you’re lucky, you’ll be friends with a few native speakers who can help you out, but if not then try to meet up with someone else studying German. Another option is to talk to yourself in the mirror or record yourself. Listening to the sound of your own voice might be a little bit awkward at first, but you will be able to hear mistakes of which you weren’t previously aware.     

9.Curiosity doesn’t always kill the cat        

In order to improve rapidly, you should ask a lot of questions and resolve them. Don’t just read phrases. Ask why they are used in a particular way, whether other constructions are possible as well and don’t trust everything you read online. Of course, it is tempting to be content with the first answer that pops up on Google, but you’ll find more rewards if you show a bit of curiosity.

Review again and again

This is the key to perfection, and we can’t emphasize it enough. Most learners don’t review! If you review and repeat lines again and again, you’ll be speaking better, faster and with more confidence. Join Multibhashi to learn German for outstanding results!!