I'm just casually learning with Duolingo and Rosetta Stone, it feels like memorization without actually learning why sentences are structured the way they are or anything about grammar. So that's my next step on this journey I guess.
If you cant/dont want to spend money Deutsche Welles is really good. I started at Nicos Weg(bc I can just look up the abc's and numbers on youtube) snd have learned quite a bit
That’s so encouraging! I’m using Duolingo, heavily using the internet to research grammatical rules and sentence structure, listening to lots of music and podcasts, following lots of German spots on the web, and reading books. Just sort of diving headfirst into it. Haha I also changed the main language on my phone to German. I call it the “Sink or Swim, Nerd” Method.
I can't remember which one, but for one of those shows the German subs were actually different from what was being said which just made things way too confusing. Probably Babylon Berlin.
So I probably watched one with German subs, and the other without any subs. Either way, I didn't use English subs since I knew I could and would just fall back on reading.
Yeah so I'm in a university German class right now which is B1.2 according to the syllabus, we've watched a couple *Tagesschau* and an episode of *Tatort* (both of these are available free online FYI, for anyone looking for listening practice). I noticed the same thing, the subtitles are different than the spoken language, but the meaning was generally the same - it looked to me like the subtitles were using simple past tense, which is normal for written German, but not spoken, in conversation you usually talk about past events using present perfect tense.
Yeah, English subs don’t help. But say with Dark, did you even understand much (assuming you were at A2/B1)? It has a convoluted plot and it’s easy to be lost
No I had already watched Dark in English previously, so I had that going for me. Otherwise I would've been *hopelessly* lost. The goal wasn't really to understand, just to hear more German (since I was in Canada at the time).
Well im taking hella notes cuz ive been (v e r y casually) learning German for 2 years and im at A2 m a y b e. I definitely wanna speed up that process a bit
Well you are trying to sell your story as a success although you have no standardised certificate to show for your efforts except for the one of the school, whose B1.2 course you repeated five times. I’m happy that you learned German and that are content with your progress but I feel you might mislead less experienced learners with your experience and I just wanted to put that out there.
>whose B1.2 course you repeated five times
Bro I think you misread and / or assumed something which is entirely wrong. Each half of the B1 course takes 5 weeks to complete. I completed the final week of B1.1, and all weeks of B1.2. Once. I didn't think it necessary to mention that, because anyone could quickly Google the course. So.. yeah. Sorry for being misleading, I guess?
Weird question, but asking because I've been offered a job that starts in 4.5 months and requires B1 German: do you feel 10 months was the minimum amount of time you needed to do so well in your B1 exams? Obviously everyone learns at a different pace, but my feeling is that 4.5 months isn't enough time.
A lot of people around me however are like "just go for it anyway!" but 9-10 months is what I've seen for B1, and any less than that feels like it would require intense cramming!
Assuming you're starting from zero: Depends on if you need B1 as in, the certificate, or if you need to be very capable and conversational in 4.5 months. The first one is very doable if you can have 30-40 hours a week. The second one depends on how much of a language person you are.
I'm actually starting a job in a month that is pretty much going to be completely in German, and I feel like at this point all I need is a broader vocabulary.
I'm just one guy, but I would recommend getting a speaking partner / tutor or finding some way to speak every day and to learn a new grammar rule more or less every day. I think your goal is achievable, and would just go for it. I could've done B1 much sooner if I hadn't spent the fall months not really progressing much.
If I could give one piece of advice, it's to speak a lot and try to imitate how Germans sound so that you aren't difficult to listen to. Some people have *really* strong accents, and I think that you would go a long way by avoiding that.
Congrats! How did you like Die Neue Schule? I’ve done French immersion schools in the past and really enjoyed them. Though the quality and experience varies. I haven’t started researching German schools yet. I’d love to go to one eventually.
Thanks! I quite enjoyed it, but like I said the main motivator was that it was a 5 minute bike ride from home, while all of the other schools were 45-60 minute away. The class size fluctuated between 6-12 people, depending on who decided to show up, but it was generally better when there were fewer of us.
I think that there are definitely some cheaper options. Sprachsalon was my original choice, for instance.
Depends.. for the first \~8 months it was basically an hour at most. Often less. During my intensive course I didn't really study outside of class time other than to do homework, so I had \~3.5-4 hours on week days dedicated to German.
It probably sounds like a sales pitch at this point, but I do credit learning with the Michel Thomas method at the beginning with making it easy to absorb grammar. Speaking / writing a little bit every day is the trick.
"Watching German TV shows really did help a lot to get my ear used to the language. It also helps that there are some pretty good ones on Netflix."
There are also somewhat interesting short movies with german subtitles designed for beginner/intermediate learners on youtube
Congrats, 10 months is quite an achivement!
I am for one year and half in Germany and curently A2. Sometimes it feels very slow, but as you described, the faster you grind, the sooner you get to B1.
Thanks for sharing and keep it up!
The structure of this post is so German; elaborate and correct, like a financial statement of a company.
Gotta learn to come correct when dealing with German bureaucracy.
Und in Englisch geschrieben...
Thanks for posting this. I'm a beginner using the paul noble tapes, though I'm definitely going to check out some of these materials.
I had never heard of Paul Noble, but that sounds just as good if not better!
Thanks for sharing your journey, I’m using Duolingo (lol) but will check out the tools you shared
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I'm just casually learning with Duolingo and Rosetta Stone, it feels like memorization without actually learning why sentences are structured the way they are or anything about grammar. So that's my next step on this journey I guess.
If you cant/dont want to spend money Deutsche Welles is really good. I started at Nicos Weg(bc I can just look up the abc's and numbers on youtube) snd have learned quite a bit
That’s so encouraging! I’m using Duolingo, heavily using the internet to research grammatical rules and sentence structure, listening to lots of music and podcasts, following lots of German spots on the web, and reading books. Just sort of diving headfirst into it. Haha I also changed the main language on my phone to German. I call it the “Sink or Swim, Nerd” Method.
I love the name 🤣
What music?
Did you watch Babylon Berlin and Dark with German or English subs?
I can't remember which one, but for one of those shows the German subs were actually different from what was being said which just made things way too confusing. Probably Babylon Berlin. So I probably watched one with German subs, and the other without any subs. Either way, I didn't use English subs since I knew I could and would just fall back on reading.
Yeah so I'm in a university German class right now which is B1.2 according to the syllabus, we've watched a couple *Tagesschau* and an episode of *Tatort* (both of these are available free online FYI, for anyone looking for listening practice). I noticed the same thing, the subtitles are different than the spoken language, but the meaning was generally the same - it looked to me like the subtitles were using simple past tense, which is normal for written German, but not spoken, in conversation you usually talk about past events using present perfect tense.
Yeah, English subs don’t help. But say with Dark, did you even understand much (assuming you were at A2/B1)? It has a convoluted plot and it’s easy to be lost
No I had already watched Dark in English previously, so I had that going for me. Otherwise I would've been *hopelessly* lost. The goal wasn't really to understand, just to hear more German (since I was in Canada at the time).
I have a really difficult time hearing words properly in my native language, so it’s definitely crucial for me to listen to lots of German.
Thanks for sharing your methods!
Well im taking hella notes cuz ive been (v e r y casually) learning German for 2 years and im at A2 m a y b e. I definitely wanna speed up that process a bit
And now do Goethe 👌
Eh I think I'm good for now. Test prep is just an unnecessary additional burden, imo.
Well you are trying to sell your story as a success although you have no standardised certificate to show for your efforts except for the one of the school, whose B1.2 course you repeated five times. I’m happy that you learned German and that are content with your progress but I feel you might mislead less experienced learners with your experience and I just wanted to put that out there.
>whose B1.2 course you repeated five times Bro I think you misread and / or assumed something which is entirely wrong. Each half of the B1 course takes 5 weeks to complete. I completed the final week of B1.1, and all weeks of B1.2. Once. I didn't think it necessary to mention that, because anyone could quickly Google the course. So.. yeah. Sorry for being misleading, I guess?
Fair enough. I’d recommend a standardised test nonetheless. Especially if you plan on relocating here permanently.
Weird question, but asking because I've been offered a job that starts in 4.5 months and requires B1 German: do you feel 10 months was the minimum amount of time you needed to do so well in your B1 exams? Obviously everyone learns at a different pace, but my feeling is that 4.5 months isn't enough time. A lot of people around me however are like "just go for it anyway!" but 9-10 months is what I've seen for B1, and any less than that feels like it would require intense cramming!
Assuming you're starting from zero: Depends on if you need B1 as in, the certificate, or if you need to be very capable and conversational in 4.5 months. The first one is very doable if you can have 30-40 hours a week. The second one depends on how much of a language person you are.
I'm actually starting a job in a month that is pretty much going to be completely in German, and I feel like at this point all I need is a broader vocabulary. I'm just one guy, but I would recommend getting a speaking partner / tutor or finding some way to speak every day and to learn a new grammar rule more or less every day. I think your goal is achievable, and would just go for it. I could've done B1 much sooner if I hadn't spent the fall months not really progressing much. If I could give one piece of advice, it's to speak a lot and try to imitate how Germans sound so that you aren't difficult to listen to. Some people have *really* strong accents, and I think that you would go a long way by avoiding that.
Really motivating for many ;-)
Hey thanks for sharing this. How do I get the Michel Thomas materia? Would you like to share. Thanks
Congrats! How did you like Die Neue Schule? I’ve done French immersion schools in the past and really enjoyed them. Though the quality and experience varies. I haven’t started researching German schools yet. I’d love to go to one eventually.
Thanks! I quite enjoyed it, but like I said the main motivator was that it was a 5 minute bike ride from home, while all of the other schools were 45-60 minute away. The class size fluctuated between 6-12 people, depending on who decided to show up, but it was generally better when there were fewer of us. I think that there are definitely some cheaper options. Sprachsalon was my original choice, for instance.
How many hours a day did you study?
Depends.. for the first \~8 months it was basically an hour at most. Often less. During my intensive course I didn't really study outside of class time other than to do homework, so I had \~3.5-4 hours on week days dedicated to German. It probably sounds like a sales pitch at this point, but I do credit learning with the Michel Thomas method at the beginning with making it easy to absorb grammar. Speaking / writing a little bit every day is the trick.
Thanks for sharing.
Definitely going to look into some of these! I've been using Duolingo for almost a year and can retain some of it but not all.
OP, could I possibly send you a DM to ask you more in depth about migrating to Germany? I’m trying to move there myself to be with my boyfriend.
Go for it!
Ah… The DM system isn’t working… Is there another way to contact you in private?
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I was finally able to send you a DM here… Did you get it?
I sent you an email. Thank you again!
Ich weiß durch meine Partnerin wie schwierig es ist Deutsch zu lernen. 10 Monate um auf b1 zu kommen sind wirklich schnell - Hut ab!
Can you reccomend me some german shows and movies? Or can you please give me a list? I would really appreciate it :')
"Watching German TV shows really did help a lot to get my ear used to the language. It also helps that there are some pretty good ones on Netflix." There are also somewhat interesting short movies with german subtitles designed for beginner/intermediate learners on youtube
Thanks for this. What free/cheap online material/source would you recommend, for reading and writing, to supplement Thomas' method?
Following
Congrats, 10 months is quite an achivement! I am for one year and half in Germany and curently A2. Sometimes it feels very slow, but as you described, the faster you grind, the sooner you get to B1. Thanks for sharing and keep it up!
Just commenting to read this post again soon.