Any of y'all native German speakers? 🇩🇪

[Tude]

Hi! I took two years of German in high school but didn't buckle down the way I should've. Also, high school was long ago and I know I've forgotten the little bit I did learn.

How can I actually finish learning the language? I would like to be fluent but I realize that's a lot to ask. For the record I specifically want to learn everyday German, not formal textbook stuff real Germans don't use. Maybe that's not a thing for German, but with Spanish there's "real Spanish" and then there's "formal Spanish," which is words people don't actually use in conversation for some reason but that's what they teach you in school. I hope I'm making sense.

I've tried Duolingo in the past but it didn't help. Does that mean I'm unable to learn another language? Please be honest, my feelings won't be hurt. There's things some people aren't good at and I'm totally fine with it if that's what I'm up against

Assuming I still have a shot, I've read that the best way to learn is to immerse yourself. What should I listen to in order to start picking it up? I don't have anyone who speaks German irl for me to practice with.

I'm hoping somebody here is a native German and can point me to stuff I can listen to in order to learn? Or is listening to stuff not a good method and I should be looking for books? I was going through my storage last week and found my Langenscheidt. Can I do anything else with it besides read it and hoping it sticks? How would I go about grammar with this?

Any feedback is appreciated!

 

[thatawkwardkid]

I don't know anything about German, but I'm learning Spanish right now and I plan on learning Portuguese soon after and know a decent amount of Japanese. Try downloading an app called HelloTalk. You can meet people from around the world on that app, and you can basically help each other practice speaking in that language (e.g., a native Spanish-speaking person learning English would look for a native English person learning Spanish so they can help each other conversate).

Immersing yourself definitely helps. I found that immersing helps with retaining vocabulary. I've been watching Bob's Burgers in Latin American Spanish a lot recently.

I would try to speak as much as possible, even thinking in your target language if you have to. It's easy to listen to your target language and understand everything, but speaking is the actual hard part and honestly requires a lot of brain power putting words and sentences together.

Edit: I don't know if German is on there (honestly it probably is) but you can also give an app called Busuu a try. For me, it has Spanish lessons and you can get corrected by native speakers (speaking/writing) of that language as you progress through your lessons. You can also do the same with helping people with English.

 

[xSuperMario64x]

I'm not a native speaker, but I took four semesters of German in college and my comprehension is decent enough (speaking it, however, is a whole other story lol).

I'm currently reviewing grammar and building vocabulary by playing Animal Crossing on the Gamecube, auf Deutsch! I've been playing it off and on for the last month, and it has actually helped a decent amount. I will say that it definitely helped to learn most of the grammar in college, so that my comprehension is good enough that I can understand sentence structures. but playing a game that I'm already familiar with (as I've been playing it for nearly 17 years now LOL) helps a lot. I've been reading text aloud too, to help with pronunciation and also so I don't sound like I'm stumbling hehe.

I can attach a few screenshots to show you what I mean!

Spoiler

translation: "Under your simple exterior clearly beats the heart of a master!"

translation: Ahhh, snow! You just have to love it! A soft, fluffy, frozen gift from the heavens..."

translation: "That is my favourite outfit, but you can have it, gruff! I bet it looks great on you!"

translation: "'I'll bring it right back. Definitely! Trust me!' Yeah, sure, Biskit! ...And it was never seen again."

I've heard that watching TV shows and movies in your target language helps a lot too, but I would personally need captions because I struggle to understand movies even in English without captions sometimes plus I'm just not a fan of watching TV/movies. I find that playing Animal Crossing auf Deutsch works well for me.

 

[Romaki]

Hi, I'm German! It's a tough language for sure, I learned French in school and I assume that's just as annoying. Maybe a little less.

Personally I got fluent in English because I honestly was too impatient to even wait for subbed versions of my favorite tv shows online. No, I had to watch it immediately after it aired in the US and no I just could not wait 24 hours for subtitles. And I did all that for the final final season of Scrubs. I understood like 40% of what they were talking about, 14 years of that makes me a faux bilingual person in my eyes.

So yeah, watch your favorite shows in dubbing, I guess? Germany has a big dubbing culture, so you're in luck. I think hearing it without "subtitles giving away the answer" is the most effective way. That comes closest to actually living some place and having to use the language in real settings. Like, learning how to swim without floaties. Doing something on your own is the best way to master it.

But genuinely though, focus on what matters. It doesn't matter if you get der/die/das wrong, just keep listening to it until you know what sounds right. I barely remember any grammar rule in English, but I know for sure what sounds right and wrong. Perfection is not the goal.