Where can I learn to speak German outside of school?
The German language, Deutsch, is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is also a co-official language of Luxembourg, Belgium and parts of southwestern Poland, as well as a national language in Namibia. German is the second most widely spoken Germanic language after English. The language has been influential in the fields of science and technology, where it is the second most commonly used scientific language and among the most widely used languages on websites. The majority of its vocabulary derives from the ancient Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family, while a smaller share is partly derived from Latin and Greek, along with fewer words borrowed from French and Modern English. Modern Standard German is a West Germanic language in the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages.
Let's take a look at how you can learn German outside of the classroom!
- One-on-one German lessons at a local language school. While some of these are costly, I believe they are the most effective way to learn the fundamentals of German because you have a dedicated teacher.
- Learn a language for free by using online apps such as Duolingo, Babbel, Memrise, Anki, and Multibhashi. These apps are extremely useful because you can study from them and use them whenever you want. The apps also keep you engaged in the subject by presenting you with fun quizzes.
- To practise, read comic/storybooks or magazines, books, articles that interest you aloud in front of a mirror with your pet or a plant. Play video games, listen to podcasts, Spotify playlists, audiobooks, and so on to learn it in a fun way. It is not only a fun way to learn, but it also teaches you about their culture.
- Find conversation partners for yourself through online language exchange programmes such as italki, Hello Learner, Tandem, and others; they will keep you motivated by challenging you every day, even if you are not motivated.
- While watching a German movie with English subtitles, use the shadowing technique and speak the dialogues along with the German speakers.
- Choosing to immerse yourself!
- You could also visit Germany or another German-speaking country! Once you have a basic understanding of a language, this is highly recommended. You might feel out of place at first, but it’s a great way to quickly improve your German.
- Take part in exchange programmes.
- Find a third-party company that can help you find a German host family to stay with during the holidays.
- Experiment with a variety of YouTube channels, including but not limited to Learn German with a variety of great channels.
Finally,
German is also widely taught as a foreign language, especially in Europe, where it is the third-most taught foreign language after English and French. One of the major languages of the world, German is a native language to almost 100 million people worldwide and is spoken by a total of over 130 million people. It is the most spoken native language within the European Union. The German-speaking countries are ranked fifth in terms of annual publication of new books, with one-tenth of all books (including e-books) in the world being published in German.
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