Learning German

I've taken on the task of learning German. It is something that I have been wanting to do for some time now. I am interested in not only reading German, but being able to speak it fluently as well. I'm hoping this will aid me in my theological/philosophical research in the future.

Does anyone here speak German as a 2nd (3rd) language? Are there any language learning resources you would recommend? Any other tips for me? Thanks! Smile

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TCBlack

Well, you could try the Deutsch forum.

DAL

Some of the missionaries I've met say it's better to memorize a lot of vocabulary, common verbs and pronouns used (e.g. I have, I am, I want, I think, you, he she, it, we, they); and instant immersion is the key - meaning, listen to German radio, watch German TV, read (once you learn the basics) and get you a German girlfriend (if you're single of course LOL). Lots of pictures with your vocabulary. May be too expensive, but Rosetta Stone has a good reputation when it comes to learning new languages. Instant immersion causes you to start listening closely and it's like you're actually starting to understand more and more. It happened to me when I was learning English. Kind of reminds me of the 13th Warrior movie with Antonio Banderas. He was hanging out with Greek speaking only guys and he actually started understanding after a while. Good luck on your new journey to learn a new language. I wish I had the time to learn at least one or two more languages. I'm currently bilingual (English and Spanish), but it'd be nice to know French, Italian or Portuguese or why not, German. There was a time when I was picking up some Hungarian because I was dating a Hungarian, and it's fairly easy to do it when you have someone to help you with grammar and pronunciation.

Blessings!

DAL

Ps. By the way, DO NOT be ashamed to speak whatever little you're learning, even if you think you sound stupid. A lot of people make that mistake and say, "Oh I'm ashamed of saying it because I'm not sure if it's right or I'm afraid people will laugh." As a result they get discourage and never learn the language.

TCBlack

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/630742#Comment_630742

OH yea, see if there is a German exchange student in your area.

A few years ago I approached one on the track field sidelines at a school event and simply said "Good morning" in German, he spun around and (in German) asked me if I spoke his language, I replied that I could "a little".

We spent a few hours just chatting about nothing - because my vocabulary was far to small for anything but small talk. He enjoyed hearing his own language (however poorly) and I enjoyed struggling to keep up.

HJ. van der Wal

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/630742#Comment_630742

instant immersion is the key - meaning, listen to German radio, watch German TV, read (once you learn the basics)

[Y]

You could start with something easy, like watching the news for kids: http://www.tivi.de/fernsehen/logo/start/index.html#

In Logos you could set up a reading plan for the Luther Bible (or any other German Bible).

There was a time when I was picking up some Hungarian

Nagyon jó!

DAL

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/630746#Comment_630746

Nagyon jó!

köszönöm! DAL vagyok. Csak egy kicsit beszélek magyarul. Az idő nagy részében azt mondom, "nem beszélek magyarul." A barátnőm volt a neve Zsuzsanna. And I'm running out of words...LOL

Te magyar vagy? Legyen szép napod!

Isten áldja meg!

DAL

Kent

I've taken on the task of learning German. It is something that I have been wanting to do for some time now. I am interested in not only reading German, but being able to speak it fluently as well. I'm hoping this will aid me in my theological/philosophical research in the future.

Does anyone here speak German as a 2nd (3rd) language? Are there any language learning resources you would recommend? Any other tips for me? Thanks!

Josh, check out the site- https://smartergerman.com/

It may be more than your looking for at this time but I found it interesting. Also,

https://www.coursera.org/ has a free German class beginning Oct. 6, just sign in and start.

HJ. van der Wal

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/630756#Comment_630756

Te magyar vagy?

Nem, holland vagyok. Tanultam magyarul a Groningeni Egyetemen.

Áldás békesség!

Joseph

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/630800#Comment_630800

Check out the Logos German Forum!

Tes

[quote user="Josh"]

Does anyone here speak German as a 2nd (3rd) language? Are there any language learning resources you would recommend? Any other tips for me? Thanks! Smile

[/quote]

Wenn Sie gut Deutsch sprechen möchten, Dann kommen Sie doch nach Deutschland.

Jan Krohn

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/630924#Comment_630924

1st language here!

You could find out whether you can get access to the DW TV station:

http://www.dw.de/

Should be available worldwide. Most of the shows are bilingual, so you could watch the English version first, then see how much of the German version you'll understand. Once more progressed, do the other way around. Once you've got professional level, skip the English versions :-)

Josh

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/630780#Comment_630780

Josh, check out the site- https://smartergerman.com/

It may be more than your looking for at this time but I found it interesting. Also,

https://www.coursera.org/ has a free German class beginning Oct. 6, just sign in and start.

Thanks! That free German course looks very interesting. I have never heard of coursera.org before. I am making that site a bookmark for sure!

Has anybody had any experience using Fluenz? http://fluenz.com/ Or Rocket Languages? http://www.rocketlanguages.com/

Josh

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/630742#Comment_630742

Some of the missionaries I've met say it's better to memorize a lot of vocabulary, common verbs and pronouns used (e.g. I have, I am, I want, I think, you, he she, it, we, they); and instant immersion is the key - meaning, listen to German radio, watch German TV, read (once you learn the basics) and get you a German girlfriend (if you're single of course LOL). Lots of pictures with your vocabulary. May be too expensive, but Rosetta Stone has a good reputation when it comes to learning new languages. Instant immersion causes you to start listening closely and it's like you're actually starting to understand more and more. It happened to me when I was learning English. Kind of reminds me of the 13th Warrior movie with Antonio Banderas. He was hanging out with Greek speaking only guys and he actually started understanding after a while. Good luck on your new journey to learn a new language. I wish I had the time to learn at least one or two more languages. I'm currently bilingual (English and Spanish), but it'd be nice to know French, Italian or Portuguese or why not, German. There was a time when I was picking up some Hungarian because I was dating a Hungarian, and it's fairly easy to do it when you have someone to help you with grammar and pronunciation.

Blessings!

DAL

Ps. By the way, DO NOT be ashamed to speak whatever little you're learning, even if you think you sound stupid. A lot of people make that mistake and say, "Oh I'm ashamed of saying it because I'm not sure if it's right or I'm afraid people will laugh." As a result they get discourage and never learn the language.

Good advice. I looked up some German online radio/tv stations. I think these will be good resources once I have built up a decent vocabulary. Here are two sites that I have found: http://de.euronews.com/ and http://www.dank.org/tv/

As for the German girlfriend - I don't think my wife will agree to that.

Francis

Hallo Josh,

I am currently learning German for postgraduate studies. I would strongly recommend Rosetta Stone as the most effective way of getting your feet wet. Unlike the overly wooden approach of many books, this is an inductive, as a child would learn a language, approach. It is actually fun and I made lots of progress quickly using that. You will learn pronunciation, writing, reading, vocab and grammar.

Now, as I said, RS is inductive: that means that while you do pick up grammar, you don't learn it systematically. A SUPERB book to complement your study is April Wilson German Quickly. It is designed for reading only though, not speaking. But it is really, really well-done.

Of course, if you are interested in theological German, there is Zifle's Modern Theological German which is available in Logos. It includes some study questions and a dictionary. In complement to that, you can use apps such as CRAM to memorize vocab. Another app that I find effective (though its method make for slow progress) is memrise.

I hope this help.

Viel Glück!

Kent

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/631627#Comment_631627

Now, as I said, RS is inductive: that means that while you do pick up grammar, you don't learn it systematically. A SUPERB book to complement your study is April Wilson German Quickly. It is designed for reading only though, not speaking. But it is really, really well-done.

Fluenz is said to fill the gap in RS. It claims adults do not learn like children- are less intuitive and require some explanation when it comes to the rules of grammar. This was my case when I tried RS. I needed a book as well with RS. I did not use Fluenz but would if I was starting new again.

Josh

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/631946#Comment_631946

Fluenz is said to fill the gap in RS. It claims adults do not learn like children- are less intuitive and require some explanation when it comes to the rules of grammar. This was my case when I tried RS. I needed a book as well with RS. I did not use Fluenz but would if I was starting new again.

I picked up the Fluenz German program. The lessons are well produced and the workouts are somewhat writing heavy - which is actually helping me memorize the vocabulary. I can tell this is going to be slow going though. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes me over a year to complete the full program.

I've, also, signed up for that free 6-week German course on Coursera.com that was suggested. I'll have to take a short break from Fluenz to focus on that, but at least I'll have a small foundation built by then!

Of course, if you are interested in theological German, there is Zifle's Modern Theological German which is available in Logos. It includes some study questions and a dictionary.

Thanks for the suggestion. That sounds like something I'd be interested in!