Learning German FAST: The Complete Beginner’s Guide

Yes, that is a genuine term in German, or at least it was until 2013. This 63-character phrase meant “law delegating beef label monitoring” in German.

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

It was repealed by an EU rule. You’ve been told that the German language is extremely difficult to master, or perhaps you just had this sense when you heard a fluent German speaker speak. Does the frightening term above validate your assumptions? But…

Is it difficult to learn German?

No, the notion that learning German is difficult is a fallacy. Learning a language requires time and dedication. The same is true for the German language.

It only needs enough determination and hard effort to achieve your objective. And if you’re not sure where to begin,

In this post, I’ve included some recommendations to help you learn German quickly. Let’s be honest. Learning German will be more difficult for Chinese people than for English native speakers.

This is due to the German language being a member of the Germanic languages, a group of Indo-European languages that have many similarities with other Germanic languages such as English and Dutch.

Why Should You Learn German?

There are several reasons why you should study German, and we have highlighted 15 of them below:

EARN

• Germany is the second-largest exporter in the world.
• Germany’s economy is ranked first in Europe and fourth in the globe. Its economy is similar to that of all Spanish-speaking countries in the globe combined.
• Numerous multinational firms have their headquarters in Germany.
• Germany’s direct investment in the United States exceeds 10 billion dollars.

KNOW

• Germany has the most native speakers in the European Union (far more than English, Spanish, or French).

• German is one of the world’s ten most widely spoken languages. It is also a common language in Central and Eastern Europe. And what about the claim that “all Germans speak English anyway”? That is a myth.

• Scientists from the three major German-speaking nations have gained 22 Nobel Prizes in Physics, 30 in Chemistry, and 25 in Medicine, while many laureates from other countries acquired their education in German universities. Eleven Nobel Prizes in Literature have been granted to German-language writers, and the Peace Prize has been awarded to seven Germans and Austrians.

• German engineers are world leaders in their fields.

• German and English have many similarities. Many German words sound similar. Because the two languages have the same “grandparent” and/or appear the same as corresponding English terms Consider the following phrases:

• Haus = house,
• Buch = book, Finger = finger, Hand = hand,
• Name = name, Mutter = mother, schwimmen = swim,
• singen = to sing, kommen = to come,
• blau = blue, alt = old, windig = windy.

• From Fritz Lang through Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Wim Wenders, and a new generation of transnational directors like Tom Tykwer and Fatih Akin, the German-speaking world has produced some of the most acclaimed filmmakers of the twentieth century. German and Austrian directors such as Lang, Billy Wilder, and Ernst Lubitsch affected Hollywood’s history as well.

THINK

• Goethe, Marx, Nietzsche, and Kafka all wrote in German, as did Mann, Brecht, and Grass. Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, and Schubert, Brahms, Schumann, Wagner, Mahler, and Schoenberg, Freud, Weber, Einstein, and Heisenberg, Kant, Hegel, and Heidegger all talked and wrote in German.
• German is the world’s second most often used scientific language.
• Only 18% of the world’s books are published in German, and only a small percentage of them are ever translated into English.
• German is the passport to a world-class education.
• Many of the most significant works of philosophy, literature, music, art history, religion, psychology, chemistry, physics, engineering, and medicine in the Western world were published in German and are still produced in German.

How Much Time Is Required To Learn German?

Learning German can be challenging, especially if you are a native speaker of a language other than the Indo-European family. But, regardless of your original language, and even if German appears difficult at first, don’t give up.

If you’re wondering if there are any shortcuts or specialized strategies to learn German, we’ve included a couple in this tutorial that will help you make faster progress. There is no set length of time that assures success in learning German, but consistency is the most crucial factor. You won’t wake up one day and discover yourself speaking fluent German.

That only occurs in films. If you take one individual step at a time, you’ll notice results quickly. Learning a new language can take a long time based on a variety of factors such as past experience with and exposure to the languages, resilience, how much effort you put into the learning experience, motivation, and so on. However, if you practice on a regular basis for at least 3 to 6 months, you should be able to handle a daily chat with a buddy as well as things like entering a café and placing an order in German.

Some people struggle more than others and require a longer time to attain that level, but this is usually due to a lack of effort and frequent practice. If you want to speak German fluently, it will most likely take years of practice, but we’re only getting started, right?

What Is the Best Way to Learn German?

Here’s how to learn German quickly and easily:

• Find a compelling purpose to keep you going.
• Learn the essentials of the German language.
• Learn slang, quirky phrases, and idioms to keep things interesting.
• Every day, practise. Speak with native German speakers if feasible.

It’s said that learning the fundamentals is everything. So, if you’re wondering how to learn German as a total novice, we recommend starting with the letters. There are a few letters with pronunciation are not there in English like ä,ö,ü and β, and also you won’t find these letters in the English Alphabet.

Alphabet	Pronunciation	Alphabet	Pronunciation
A	Ah	N	Enn
B	Beh	O	Oh
C	Tseh	P	Peh
D	Deh	Q	Kuh
E	Eh	R	Err
F	Eff	S	Ess
G	Geh	T	Teh
H	Hah	U	Uh
I	Ih	V	Fau
J	Yott	W	Veh
K	Kah	X	Iks
L	Ell	Y	Ypsilon
M	Emm	Z	Tzett

Grammar of the German Language

What causes a language to appear difficult to you? Isn’t that grammar? Grammar is typically a headache for anybody learning a new language, and this is not limited to the German language. However, master this section and you’ll be speaking German fluently in no time. Prasens, Präteritum, Perfekt, Plusquamperfekt, Futur I, and Futur II are the six tenses in German.

• Präsens relates to the Present tense in English,
• Präteritum relates to Perfect tenses,
• Plusquamperfekt relates to Past Perfect,
• Futur I relates to the Future tense,
• Futur II relates to the Future perfect plus “will” and “have”.

This relationship is not entirely correct, but looking at the tenses in this manner will help you comprehend German grammar. There are four cases (nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive). Here’s a tough aspect of German that many people mention: the 16 forms that “the” in English takes on German in various circumstances and genders. For each gender, German has three noun prepositions: die (for feminine nouns), der (for masculine nouns), and das (for neutral gender). With each new word you learn in the German language, you must also learn what preposition goes before it. It may be confusing at first since a biological gender does not always correspond to its linguistic gender. However, there are several principles that govern which word receives which article, with some exceptions. There’s no reason to be concerned about this. Although you must learn them all mechanically, a large portion of this grammar essential will soon begin to make more sense to you.

German Expressions and Phrases

You probably don’t want to start learning a new language with all of the grammatical rules and other factors that make a language complex.

Aside from the desire to enhance your knowledge, language study is all about the fun and entertainment factor. To accomplish so, you’ll need to start from a place that makes you question what’s beyond that, catch your attention, and light a fire under your motivation.

There is no better approach to learning German than to begin by learning a few words and common phrases like saying hello or asking for something. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and raise your self-esteem. Study them and then attempt to imagine a basic conversation in your brain.

How To Say… in German

Hallo! – Hello!	Wie geht’s? – How are you?
Danke! – Thank you!	Mir geht’s gut.  – I’m doing well
Vielen Dank! –  Thank you very much!	Mir geht’s nicht gut.  – I’m not doing well
Willkommen! – Welcome!	Ich komme aus… – I’m from
Alles Gute zum Geburtstag – Happy Birthday	Ich bin hier wegen + Genitiv… – I’m here for…
Fröhliche Weihnachten – Merry Christmas	Bis später! – See you later
Guten Morgen! – Good Morning!	Tschüß!  – Bye!
Guten Abend! – Good evening!
Ich heiβe… – My name is…
Wie heißen Sie? – What’s your name?

Funny German Words

Let’s make this a little more enjoyable, shall we? Like any other language, there are terms in German that sound hilarious when translated literally into English.

In English, for example, what do you call someone who pees outside the toilet?

There is no unique phrase for these people in English, however in German, there is “Wildpinkler” which literally means “wild pee-er”. Here is a list of the ten funniest German terms with their English translations.

Brustwarze is German for breast wart.
This phrase literally means “breast wart”. It is an abbreviation for “nipple” in English. This isn’t the only amusing term for a bodily component. There’s also Zahnfleisch (tooth-meat), which translates as gums.

Liebfrauenmilch is a popular brand of lady milk.
This term comes from a German wine from the 1700s and references to the Virgin Mary. The term “Liebfrauenmilch” is currently a legally recognised German wine name (from the Mosel region).

Handschuhe are short for hand shoes.
Germans don’t have the time or patience to coin a new term for the clothing we wear on different areas of our bodies. Handschuhe, which literally translates to “hand shoes,” alludes to whatever you place in your hands.

Klobrille refers to toilet glasses.
Germans are known for their love of cleanliness. Some people claim that when they check into a hotel before opting to spend the night there, they inspect the toilets to ensure that they are all clean. Toilet glasses are not unique equipment used by Germans to check toilets. They are simply toilet seats.

Stinktier – Animal that stinks.
Germans name animals based on their scent, appearance, or any other physical or non-physical trait that distinguishes them from others. The slug is a snail-like animal that has no habitat. Nacktschnecke translates as “naked snail” in German. They call Wolverine Vielfraß which means “eat-a-lot”.

The donkey’s bridge is called Eselsbrücke.
This word refers to a technique used to assist you to recall something when it does not immediately spring to mind. It is derived from the Latin phrase “pons asinorum” (bridge of donkeys).

Thunder beam, Donnerbalken.
This term used to refer to the military latrine, but it now refers to the toilet. The slang term “thunderbox” would be appropriate in English. You can probably imagine what’s amusing about it.

Durchfall means “throughfall.” It is an abbreviation for “diarrhoea” in English. It comes from Greek and meaning “through-flow.”

Wildpinkler is a pee-er.
When referring to persons who pee outside a toilet, it is a unique term. For your interest, “Wildpinkler”-s were undermining the historic walls of Ulm Minister church, according to a report.

Yodel sack is dudelsack.
The name Dudelsack is an abbreviation for the well-known Scottish national musical instrument. The sack that tootles is the literal translation.