How to learn German from home

Germany is one of the main languages ​​of Europe, with approximately 90 million speakers, according to the Ethnologue language report. The German language is spoken not only in Germany, but also in the neighboring countries of Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg. Since German belongs to the same family of English languages, it is a relatively easy language to learn for speakers of this language. Beginners when they begin to learn, will realize that there is a lot of similar vocabulary, such as expressions and grammatical structures. If you want to speak German for business or pleasure, learning the language for yourself will be a rewarding challenge.

one

Master the pronunciation of German . Study the letters of the German alphabet, paying special attention to the letters "A", "O" and "ü" that are not present in the English alphabet. Be careful with the letters that look the same in German and English, but have different sounds. The German "z" sounds like the English "ts", for example, and the German "s" usually sounds like the English "z."

two

Learn the German vocabulary . Memorize the genre of each common name you find. German nouns can be masculine, feminine or neuter, and this affects the way they use them in sentences. The genre of a noun can not normally be predicted, so it is important to learn the genre of memory when learning the word for the first time. Subscribe to a service such as "German Word of the Day, " which emails a new word or phrase in German to subscribers on a daily basis.

3

Study German grammar Understand the use of the case system, since without this you will not be able to construct exact phrases in German. The German uses the four cases of nominative, accusative, dative and genitive, and all the adjectives and articles, change their form according to the case with which they are used. This may seem difficult for native English speakers, so do not be discouraged if you struggle to understand the use of cases initially.

4

Expose to German spoken frequently. Websites such as the Deutsche Welle German station offer podcasts in the German language that are updated daily. Download some of these to your MP3 player and listen to them when you are driving your car or doing household chores. Even if you do not give the German your full attention, you are increasing your exposure to the sounds of language, and developing an idea of ​​correct accent and pronunciation.

5

Practice what you have learned. Find native German speakers in your area and make an appointment to have a coffee and chat. Ask them to take notes during the conversation and give feedback at the end so that you can improve their use of the language.

6

If this is not possible, use sites like Livemocha, to find Germans who are trying to improve their English and make arrangements to talk to them through Skype. Give them advice about their English in exchange for comments about their German.

• Set aside a regular amount of time each day to study German, preferably at a time of the day when your brain is most active. Study in blocks of 30 minutes, and when possible, review the material you learned the day before.