Learning German

Naturally one of the major things anyone coming to Germany wants to achieve is learning German, myself of course being included. Two of the most obvious things you can do are quite obviously speaking and listening. Just trying to speak a few words of starting conversations in German can really help you get a couple minutes practice a few times a day, which can add up surprisingly quick and you might even be able to pick up a few words or phrases in the process. Not to mention the help with pronunciation (although a few beers helps with that too). Listening to people can help you likewise…and it is not really that weird to eavesdrop on someone if you can not understand the language (right?). But what you can really get out of trying to listen is a better understanding of spoken German, and if you can pick out words and structures better from spoken German than it only makes speaking that much easier. Trying to get access to some TV or Radio can be a big help too.

The structured learning of German at the Max Weber Haus also offers a good opportunity to make some progress, but with some unfortunate drawbacks. For starters you are placed in your class based on the results of what I find to be a somewhat inaccurate test, which generally means a class that is too easy. And there are also some administrative issues that hurt Heidlberg’s German language program from reaching its potential. But these classes are very important for another reason: socializing. Pretty much all of the friends I have made here have been people from the language program here partly because of language and partly because I arrived here in September over a month before classes actually started. Another thing that I have had the chance to take are directed language course, such as the Business German class that I am currently taking. This has actually been my favorite class here (and by far my hardest). Here you get the chance to have an open discussion in German about economics and you are not put through the same tedious grammatical examination that other classes get caught up in and personally have been a hindrance. There are a few other courses offered here too!

From my experience those these things are a good start, but simply not enough to make the kinds of strides in German that one expects when coming here. One thing that can really be a big help is trying to meet and talk to Germans (who will often just talk English to you). If you can get in a little practice with native speakers they can be a real help telling you how to say things more naturally and be a pretty quick dictionary too. Another thing is you have to make an effort to each yourself more too. The internet offers some great resources for honing and practicing your German and you can find pretty much anything that interests you to do in German. Personally I have been reading Die Zeit online, Harry Potter (books and movies: dorky, but if you know what is going on it helps), and watching Stromberg (Germany’s the Office). For me it has been pushing myself while here to learn independently has where I have made most of my progress. Something I have really found out here, is that just because you are here does not mean that you will just be learning German.