Thinking in a Foreign Language: 7 Methods to Help You Train Your Brain
In learning a foreign language, there are four basic language skills- reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
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So, thinking about learning German lately?
That’s great! German is among the most popular languages worldwide.
No matter if it’s because of your partner, job, or personal goals, speaking German is considered a kind of superpower.
But how long does it take to learn German?
Let’s remember this famous Mark Twain quote: “A gifted person ought to learn English (barring spelling and pronouncing) in 30 hours, French in 30 days, and German in 30 years.”
It seems that Mark Twain had some difficulties with learning German.
Even though it isn’t one of the easiest languages to learn, learning German surely doesn’t take 30 years!
To answer this question, we can provide you some solid explanations and answers in the following lines. Let’s first take a tour and see what determines if a language is hard to learn or the other way around. Then, you will understand how long it takes to learn German.
Additionally, you can see some of the ways and methods that can help you reach your goal faster.
Practicing the language with real people is even better if they are native speakers. German tutors are an ideal combination of professional teachers and native speakers, and with them, you can break the record in fast learning.
And now, let’s get started.
The 5 Main Aspects That Determine How Long it Takes to Learn German
Before we get to the answer, let’s see the main facts every German learner has to consider before starting their lessons.
Why Are You Learning German?
If you're not sure why you want to become fluent in German, you should set your goals right now!
Is it because of your significant other? His/her roots go back to Germany, and you want to communicate with him/her and impress them with your knowledge. Or is it because you found a better work opportunity in Germany?
There are many reasons for studying German. When you specify why you want to learn it, you’ll be able to decide which way to go.
Proficiency Level You Want to Reach
The first thing you have to determine is the proficiency level in German you want to reach. Some would be perfectly satisfied with an intermediate level, while others want to go further and become proficient.
Learning German to achieve the B1 conversational level is different from trying to get to C1 or C2 level. Therefore, you have to set your reasons, goals, and the proficiency level you want to reach.
The calculation is simple. The more fluent you want to be, the more time you’ll need to achieve fluency.
Do You Speak Similar Languages?
It is a well-known fact that speaking languages similar to your target language makes your studying process a lot easier. Similar languages that usually come from the same language family share a lot of characteristics.
As for German, let us discover one fun fact about it: German and English come from the same language family, a Germanic family. So, if any of you had any doubts about whether English is a Germanic language, now you know.
Since you are reading this post, it means that you understand English very well. So, use your English knowledge to learn German. You would be surprised how similar they are and how many German words in English we use every day.
So, how similar is German to the language(s) you already speak? Do they belong to the same language group? If you don’t know, find out by looking at the language family tree.
How Many Languages Do You Speak?
It is scientifically proven that people who speak more than one or two languages are able to learn every new language more quickly.
Those people are already used to the way one language is to be studied, and they’ve already mastered some effective learning methods.
Take a look at people who are polyglots, for example. Some would think they have some language learning superpower. But the only superpower they use is that they know some proven and successful ways to learn languages.
Motivation And Dedication Matters
Motivation is a miracle worker. It helps you in rough times when you think you can’t succeed, it pushes you forward and makes you try again and again until you attain a good outcome.
So, if you want to learn German, you have to stay motivated. If you think it can be helpful, write down what motivates you to learn German. Also, try with some entertaining words in German to keep you motivated.
On the other hand, motivation isn't enough without dedication. You can be motivated but still do nothing about it. Dreaming about being fluent in German instead of studying doesn’t help at all.
So, you have to study and practice the language every day, at least 30 minutes a day, and always push your boundaries to achieve your goals.
How Long Does It Take to Learn German?
Before we get the answer to the big question, let’s explain something first.
The Foreign Service Institute classifies foreign languages according to their difficulty. The languages are divided into five categories: from category one belong languages that are easy to learn, and you need up to 600 hours total, to category five, which are languages so complicated to learn, and for them, you need at least over 2000 hours.
This categorization is created for English native speakers, so if you don’t speak English fluently (what we honestly doubt), it may not be relevant for you.
German belongs to category two. Those are languages similar to English. It means that in 30 weeks or 750 hours, you can learn German at a conversational level.
It’s a lot, isn’t it?
Well, yes and no.
As we already mentioned, German isn’t an easy language to learn but compared to other languages like Chinese, Japanese, Hungarian, or Russian, it is easy to learn.
How to Learn German Faster?
First of all, there isn’t a magical formula that can help you learn German in a week or a month.
However, you can combine some ways and methods fluently.
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The immersive approach is among the most efficient ones, but it’s also one of the most demanding methods. When you immerse yourself in the language, it means that you have to speak the language the whole day, every day. Perhaps this isn’t the best solution for those who start learning German from zero because it’s too demanding.
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No matter if you already speak German or you start from the beginning, German tutors are always one of the best solutions for learning the language. Lessons with them are not like those you remember: sitting in a full classroom, reading some boring text, and waiting for the class’s end. Oh, no! With these German tutors, you won’t be aware that you’re actually studying because, with a friendly and casual tone, they’ll learn twice faster than the old-fashioned way.
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Learning with podcasts, listening to the radio, watching YouTube channels is some of the ways that can be quite helpful at the beginning.
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Learning some of the most common German phrases and some casual expressions can help you in many different situations, especially if you’ve decided to spend some time among German native speakers.
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And let’s not forget the challenging German accent and pronunciation many students struggle with. If you want to speak German correctly, practice your pronunciation with German tongue twisters. Besides it can be quite useful, it is also fun!
Final Thoughts
Learning any new language isn’t easy. It takes a lot of time and effort to achieve the proficiency level you want.
German is, undoubtedly, one of the hard languages to learn, but it isn’t half as difficult as some. As you see, there is no universal answer to how many hours to learn German. It depends on many things.
But, roughly speaking, by studying German for about 8 hours a day, in 7 months, more or less, you can get from the beginner to functional German.
It won’t always be easy, and there will be times when you’ll feel like you’ve got stuck in the middle. But, remember, in the end, it will be worth your every effort.
So, the perfect time to learn German starts now!
