Learning German can be a rewarding experience, but like any language, it comes with its set of challenges. Here are some common difficulties faced by learners and strategies to overcome them.
In order to cope with the first 4, it is strongly recommended that you take professional language classes which provide structured lessons, with a native speaker, if you are a teenager or adult. Only young children can learn a language by direct immersion.
Grammatical Complexity:
Word Order:
Pronunciation and Accent:
Articles and Gender:
All German nouns have gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter), and articles (der, die, das) and adjectives must match the gender. The difficulty lies in the fact that ALL nouns - animate and inanimate have genders. The inanimate nouns' genders are totally random and must therefore be learned along and memorised as much as possible.
Solution: Learn articles along with nouns to reinforce gender. Use flashcards or mnemonic devices to remember gender. Exposure to the language through reading and listening will help internalize the genders.
Vocabulary Size:
Building sufficient vocabulary can be time-consuming and overwhelming. Yet, vocabulary learning is the most important aspect of language learning. No words - no language. You can't speak with memorised grammar alone.
Solution: in between lessons focus on vocabulary learning if you have only little time.
Focus on high-frequency words and phrases relevant to your interests and daily life. Use flashcards (one box of pre-printed cards usually contains the 1000 most frequently used words in a language). There are also vocabulary apps, and you can label items around your living space with their German names.
But the bottom line is: you need to drill vocabulary. It doens't fall from the skies. Use the list in your book or make lists of your own or transfer words onto blank falsh cards - one side German, the other in your learning language. Then cover one side and test yourself. Then cover the other and do the same. The advantage of flash cards is that you can shuffle them like a deck of cards.
Don't simply read through the list. You need to STUDY the words and know their meaning.
Listening Comprehension:
Understanding spoken German, especially at a natural pace, is quite hard.
Solution: From A2 level regularly listen to German audio materials like podcasts, music, or news. Start with slower-paced content and gradually move to faster speech. Use subtitles or transcripts initially, then challenge yourself without them as your listening skills improve.
Fear of Making Mistakes:
Due to the grammatical complexities, some learners may be hesitant to speak due to fear of making mistakes. But this is a vicious cycle. If you don't speak you won't improve, if you don't improve you'll keep the fear of speaking.
Solution: Embrace mistakes as part of the learning process and push past your mistakes (that doesn't mean should shouldn't work at correcting them).
The initial goal is to be able to communicate your needs and be accepted as a foreigner who one can speak German with, albeit not quite correct yet. Native speakers appreciate your efforts, and making errors is a natural part of language acquisition. Mix with native speakers, preferably those who don't speak English or only poor English.
That said, before you venture out it is indeed quite mandatory that you acquire a good background in the language so that you're not stopping after "Wie geht's?". Then people get used to looking at you as the "eager learner" but not one that you'll get very far with, and as a result get used to speaking English with you. And once you have established a communication language between you and your acquaintences it is very hard to change that habit later.
Lack of Speaking Practice while learning "out of area".
Some learners may struggle to find opportunities for real conversations, especially in anglo-saxon dominated countries.
Solution: Seek out language exchange partners, join language meetups, or participate in online language exchange platforms. Practice speaking regularly, even if it's initially with yourself.
And use the time with your teacher to speak. But that is only possible if you do the hard grind of vocabulary- and grammar revisions at home, so that you are ready to practise with your teacher during class. If you get stuck with looking up words and forgot the grammar at hand, you are wasting precious speaking opportunities in class.
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