German class in Mumbai

1. German is easy to acquire

Let’s start off by debunking the myth that German is especially hard. Despite all the jokes that are being made about it being an impossible language, if you are an English speaker, you are actually already quite advantaged.

This is because German and English share the same Germanic root. Consequently, there are many thousands of words which are closely related known as “cognates.” For example, the English chin is Kinn in German. Water becomes Wasser and father turns into Vater. Not so hard after all, is it?

Furthermore, unlike Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, or Arabic, there is no new alphabet to learn, only a few letters to add. If you already know Latin script (and if you do not, I am incredibly amazed you have been following the article this far) the only new arrivals will be the umlauts ä, ö and ü as well as ß which is just a fancy German s.

There are more shortcuts for learning German fast. It’s really not the time sink that so many people make it out to be. You just have to learn how to study smart rather than study hard.

The key is to find the program (or programs) that work best for your learning style, and you, too, will soon realize how easy it can be to learn German.

2. German is the language of inventors and innovators

It is said that Germany is the country of poets and thinkers — Das Land der Dichter und Denker. There is definitely no denying the second part. A large percentage of the world’s most impressive achievements were first conceived of in German.

Over one hundred Nobel Prizes have gone to brilliant Germans for accomplishments in physics, medicine, chemistry, literature and other areas. That is not even counting the prizes awarded to people from the other two major German-speaking countries Austria and Switzerland. Plus, many of the recipients from other nations received their training at German universities.

So if you are looking to add a Nobel Prize to your resume, learning German might not be a bad place to start. Perhaps you have slightly lower goals, and are just looking to absorb some of this genius by reading famous publications in their native language.

3. German is an important language in academia

With that big a number of award-winning scientists from its home country, it might not come as a surprise that German is very important in the academic community. In fact, it ranks second as the most commonly used scientific language.

One of the reasons for this is that the German book market is the third largest in the world, right after the Chinese and English publishing industries. Since the percentage of these books that are being translated into other languages is fairly limited, only a knowledge of German will give you access to them.

4. German is the gateway to a world-class higher education

One of the reasons why German has such a high standing in the science community is the fact that Germany’s universities have an excellent international reputation. In the year 2011 ,the country was the fourth most popular destination for students from abroad with more than a quarter million foreigners being enrolled in German schools.

What’s more, the German system for higher education boasts a number of universities with a very low or non-existent tuition fee. No wonder scholars and researchers are flocking there! Learning German to save on student debt sounds like a pretty good return of investment.

5. Germany is an economic powerhouse

German is not only an interesting option for academics, but also those in the business world should consider brushing up on their Deutsch. Germany is the biggest economy within the European Union and the fourth largest worldwide. It is home to numerous international corporations and on the front line of new technologies.

While the schooling system in Germany is set up in a way that every German citizen knows at least some English, communicating with someone in their native tongue is a sign of good faith that is appreciated everywhere. Knowing the language of your German business partners can greatly improve your chances for effective communication and successful professional relationships.

6. German companies are global market leaders

Speaking of German companies: want to work for a business which is an international market leader in its field? Having German skills on your resume might be able to help you get in the door.

Germany is home to a large number of economic global players. Siemens, Volkswagen, Adidas and Lufthansa are globally recognized brands and corporations. The country also hosts some of the biggest international trade fairs including CeBIT, the world’s largest exhibition for information technology, as well as the IFA trade fair for consumer electronics.

Meanwhile the German capital Berlin is turning into a hub for innovative startups. Some go so far as to dub it “the Silicon Valley of Europe.” As a consequence, knowing German has the potential to greatly enhance your career opportunities.

7. German is the most widely spoken native language in Europe

English, French and German are the three official working languages of the European Union. In absolute numbers, German is the second most-spoken language on the continent of Europe. However, when it comes to native speakers, German is number one.

For centuries the language served as a lingua franca (a common language which unifies different peoples) in large parts of the European continent. It continues to serve this purpose as an important second language in central and eastern Europe. In the English-speaking world, German is also the third most taught foreign language. In addition to that it comes in at tenth place as one of the major languages of the world. That’s not too shabby for a relatively small country.

It may not have the numbers behind it that Chinese does, but knowing German gives you approximately 100 million additional people to talk to. Not such a small pool after all!

8. German has a big online presence

You don’t even have to meet those 100 million people in the real world. You can do so from the convenience of your own home! German websites make up a huge part of the internet. In fact, in terms of domain endings that are clearly affiliated with a particular country, Germany’s .de is the most popular top-level domain out there. I know, I’m as surprised as you are.

Knowing German gives you access to an additional 15 million websites and that is not even counting the German sites ending in .net, .org and .info. Of course, in terms of absolute numbers .de takes second place to .com which is way ahead of everything else. Second place in the whole worldwide web? Not bad at all, Germany, not bad at all.

9. Germans are everywhere

Even if you are not planning on going to a German-speaking country or are reluctant to stalk German speakers on the internet, don’t worry: they will find you. If you have traveled abroad, you have likely witness this phenomenon firsthand. Germany’s citizens are some of the world’s most voracious travelers. With almost six weeks of annual leave and plenty of disposable income, you can run into them allover the globe.

In fact, German people are record holders when it comes to money spent on international travel. For years they invested more in globetrotting than anyone else. It is only lately that they had to cede the pole position to tourists from China. However, that did not keep them from spending an impressive 84 billion dollars on traveling in 2012!

Those of you in the tourist industry can tap into this market with German-speaking guides and staff. If you are just looking to make friends on the road, a little German can make a big difference when you bump into a native German speaker.

10. German culture is part of the world heritage

Though Germans have a reputation for being left-brained, analytical and in love with logic, the German-speaking world has also produced some of the greatest literary, musical, artistic and philosophical minds in human history. It is the language of the famous written works of Goethe, Kafka, Brecht and Mann. It was the native language of composers Mozart, Bach, Schubert, Beethoven and Wagner. Revolutionary philosophy poured onto the pages in German when pens were first lifted by  Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, and Heidegger.

Learning German gives you the opportunity to appreciate the masterpieces of these artists in their original form. It lets you tap into parts of the world’s cultural heritage in a direct and unfiltered manner. Goethe’s “Faust” alone, which is written completely in rhyme form, is well worth the effort. Wouldn’t it be cool to pick up some of your favorite works in German and discover the true meaning of the original text for yourself?

The Case for Learning German

Let’s face it: Out of the available languages in the world, German is not an obvious choice. There has to be a reason why so many people decide to hop on board the German train.

When contemplating learning a new language, you might be asking yourself if the Teutonic tongue is really worth the time and effort. After all, on a global scale German is used by relatively few people.

However, there are good reasons why this language is a good investment. Not just from a linguistic point of view, but also in terms of economic opportunity, networking potential and cultural gain. German is a worthwhile choice.

Around 130 million people speak German as their mother language or as a second language. German is the most widely spoken mother language in the European Union and an official language in seven countries. In 42 countries there are more than 7.5 million people who belong to a German-speaking minority.

289 million people. According to calculations by Ulrich Ammon, an expert on German language, this is how many people around the globe have learned German at some time in their lives. How well they speak it is another matter entirely. At the moment, 15.4 million people around the world are currently learning German as a foreign language: 90 percent of them are school students and 10 per cent are adults.

German (Deutsch) is the most widely spoken mother tongue in Europe. Germany is not the only country where it is spoken. It is the official language of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Belgium, and Luxembourg. There are sizable German-speaking populations in North Italy (South Tyrol), Poland, Hungary, Denmark, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Namibia, Russia, Romania, Czech Republic, and other parts of Europe.

It is spoken by over 100 million native speakers and a total of 185 million speakersworldwide.It is also one of the most popular foreign language taught worldwide.It is also a lingua franca of Central and Eastern Europe. million speakers and a further 190 million speaking it as a second language says a lot about the reach of the language. Studies by different governing bodies say that 2050, it will be spoken by almost 390 million people.

1. Grammar

Grammar is generally considered to be the hardest challenge for native English speakers learning German. Hence, it is not surprising that the most frequent mistakes German learners make are a result of poor grammar. German uses four cases which is not too many. But in order to use them correctly it is not enough to know just the declension rules. Many German learners underestimate the importance of grammatical genders. Without knowing the grammatical gender of nouns you will never be able to correctly apply the grammar rules. In addition, some nouns have more than one gender while different genders may have different meanings. For example, das Gehalt means salary whereas der Gehalt means content. Therefore, when learning a new noun always learn its grammatical gender (the definite article that goes with it) as well as its plural form. Also, you should learn by heart which case is used with each preposition.

Formal and informal speech is yet another source of confusion for German learners whose native language is English. Unlike English, most other languages have at least two forms of address (long time ago English used to have them too). As a result, there are two different forms of “you” in singular (du and Sie) and plural (ihr and Sie). This is reflected in different conjugation of verbs that follow these pronouns.

2. Word Order

German word order may appear similar to English and, therefore, some English speakers think they do not need to learn it. However, wrong word order actually is one of the most common mistakes English speakers make in German as there are some major differences between the two languages. The most typical examples include the placement of the verb at the end of a subordinate clause and the placement of separable verb prefixes at the end of a main clause. Learn it, you will definitely need it.

3. Pronunciation

The first thing you should learn is how to pronounce individual letters and sounds. Many native English speakers are careless with vowel pronunciation and/or have problems pronouncing German umlauts (ö, ü). Some also tend to enunciate the final consonants “b”, “d” and “g” as they are spelt instead of pronouncing them like “p”, “t” and “k”. In addition, make sure you know which verb prefixes are inseparable as these are not stressed. In most other German words it is usually the first syllable that is stressed. However, German is known for its long compound words that can have a secondary stress which is very difficult to predict.

4. Spelling

Many learners believe that it is a waste of time to bother with German spelling because they can use free spell checkers whenever they need to correct their texts. However, German spelling and pronunciation go hand-in-hand. German spelling is phonetic and therefore indicative of pronunciation and vice-versa. If you do not know how to spell words, you may end up learning the wrong pronunciation of some words.

5. False Friends

German and English are both West-Germanic languages, and so they share many words that have common lexical roots including loanwords from French and Latin. In addition, German has also absorbed hundreds of loanwords from English. But this may sometimes be confusing rather than helpful as some of these words can have a completely different meaning in German and in English. For example, a handy is a mobile phone, sensibel does not mean sensible but sensitive while sympatisch means likable rather than sympathetic. Here you will find a comprehensive list of German-English false friends. Review them from time to time as knowing their correct meaning may save you from some of the most embarrassing mistakes in German that English-speaking learners tend to make.

6. Speaking

One of the common complaints of many native English speakers learning German is a lack of opportunities to speak German, even when living in a German speaking country. Yet, oral communication is probably the most important part of the learning process. It is natural that those who live in the US or UK may not have too many opportunities to practice German conversation. But many English speakers also complain that in large cities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland locals tend to speak to them in English whenever they realize they are foreigners. It is therefore important to use every little opportunity to practice your German communication skills so that you quickly become fluent. If you need somebody who will teach you some local slang and will correct the most frequent mistakes you make, try to find a tandem partner in your neighbourhood. This service is free.

Yet, it happens that even after many years of living in a German speaking environment and being fully fluent in German there will still be some people who know you from your early days in the country that will only talk to you in English. It is a little bit upsetting but you will have to learn to accept it. Some German-speakers like speaking English to anybody who has any trace of foreign accent, especially if it is a native English speaker.

7. Accents and Dialects

Even if you are a fluent German speaker it may be a challenge to get used to different accents and varieties of standard German, especially those from Switzerland and parts of Austria. If you wish to improve your comprehension of various accents, listen to the local German broadcasts on TV or radio. But do not confuse accents and regional varieties of standard German with German dialects. Many dialects sound like a completely different language and are also unintelligible to most native German speakers. Therefore, you should not worry too much about them.

German is spoken by over 100 million native speakers and a total of 185 million speakers worldwide. It is also one of the most popular foreign language taught worldwide. It is also a lingua franca of Central and Eastern Europe.

Fluency in the German language in India has opened up job possibilities in medicine and healthcare, education, logistics, automobile, power and utility, mass media, entertainment, tourism, information technology, financial services, outsourcing, etc. Germany powerhouses like BMW, Volkswagen, Bosch, Daimler, Adidas, Allianz, Deutsche Bank, Siemens, SAP, BASF, and Lufthansa are all established around the world. Having German language skills on your CV can help your career in many of these International corporations.

Several international companies that have set up their businesses in India are looking for those who are fluent in the German language in India. Job opportunities with German and foreign companies in India and abroad. Professional German Translators, Interpreters, proofreaders, and content writers, and trainers are always in demand. One can also look forward to jobs in the German embassy in New Delhi and consulate in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Bangalore. The Scope of the German language is on rising. Many MNCs such as Amazon, Accenture, BMW, Siemens, Volkswagen, HP, Audi, Oracle, Samsung, Hyundai, LG, Thomson, Axa, GE, etc. are employing German language experts for outsourcing and offshore work.

Once you learn German Language, the country offers a wide variety of courses spread across various bachelors, masters, doctoral, and post-doctoral programs. Employers around the world respect their degrees. Germany’s universities have an excellent international reputation and among the best in the world. You will earn an internationally renowned degree, giving you excellent prospects on the global job market.Since the states fund higher education in the country, hence, the vast majority of Germany’s academic institutions are free for students, even international students.

There are millions of German-speaking visits India every year for sightseeing but aren’t fluent in English. The fluency in this west Germanic language increases the Career scope in hospitality travel, leisure, and tourism sector.If the travel agencies, tour companies, tour guides, hotels, airlines, and car rental agencies can communicate with them in their language will win their business. While one can visit Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other Central and Eastern European countries without speaking a word in German. Knowing the language makes travel more meaningful for everyone involved. By speaking the language, you will not only enjoy to the fullest and earn their appreciation but also opens the door to a genuine interaction and connection.

Thanks to the strong economic growth and low unemployment, Germans make good money and are entitled to 6 weeks of vacation a year. No surprise, they are the world’s most significant spenders tourist dollars in the world. They are everywhere and travel all over the world – Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Wherever you go in Europe, North America, and other parts around the world, you are sure to encounter Germans speakers. 

Career is one of the most important motivators for foreign language learning. It is Europe’s largest economy, fourth-largest by nominal GDP in the world, the world’s second-largest exporter, which makes it an essential language to study. They are world leaders in engineering. 

At Learnlanguages.store we have 6 levels in German.

1. Basic ( DAF A1 )
2. Elementary ( DAF A2 )
3. Intermediate ( DAF B1 )
4. Advanced ( DAF B2 )
5. Proficiency ( DAF C1 )
6. Mastery ( DAF C2 )

Goethe-Institute

The Goethe-Institute , is a non-profit German cultural association operational worldwide with 159 institutes, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and relations. Around 246,000 people take part in these German courses per year.

The institute has developed a series of exams for learners of German as a foreign language (Deutsch alsFremdsprache, DaF) at all levels: A1 up to C2. These can be taken both in Germany and abroad and have been adapted to fit into the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFL), the standard for European language testing.

There is also one exam, the GroßesDeutschesSprachdiplom, which is at a higher level than the highest CEFL level.[12] Below is a table of the basic Goethe-Institut exams as they fit into the scheme

Our courses last from 4 weeks upwards and you can tailor them to fit in a number of hours to suit you. Not everyone can spend a month or longer studying in Germany so we also offer an online and offline course  in Navi Mumbai .

It is because their government initiated to promote German in India several decades back.
The first “Max Mueller Bhavan” was inaugurated in Kolkata in 1957.

In fact, The first German lessons in India were imparted in Pune and Mumbai in 1914 (more than a century back).
Since it is the second most learned foreign language in India, you will find a colossal number of study material or resources to acquire this fascinating language.There are 100’s of schools, colleges, universities, and language institutes, including

Max Mueller Bhavan (affiliated to German Embassy), offer German classes in Delhi and other parts of India. Besides, finding a teacher is also not a difficult task, at least in major cities like Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, etc.