Thursday, April 2, 2009

Best Way To Learn German Fast

Best Way To Learn German Fast

Would you like to know how to learn German fast? Maybe you need to attend a wedding in Germany or you are just planning that wonderful trip you have always been dreaming of. Whatever you personal reasons for learning German, let me give you some tips and tricks that you can use today to learn to speak German fast like a native.

It's really not as difficult as you might think. An important aspect of learning any foreign language is to develop a good ear for the way the new language sounds. A very good starting point in your German learning adventure would be to listen to authentic German conversations. You'll notice that there are many sounds in German that aren't precisely like their English counterparts. "Th" in German is pronounced like an English "T." The letter "G" is never soft, either. Features like this make German sound harsh and hard to the English ear but the more you listen and identify them, the easier it will be for you to learn German fast, because you're internalizing the sound of the language.

Now, rent a movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, or any actor or actress with a pronounced German accent. Practice speaking some of the actor's lines, mimicking the accent as closely as possible. You're still speaking English but you're using your newly-trained ear to teach yourself what German feels like on the tongue. Becoming familiar with the sound and feel of the German language will help you master the German language faster than if you were to learn it from scratch as a foreign sounding language.

Of course, neither of those steps really teaches you German. For that you need some kind of course. Many people nowadays enjoy online learning, because they can study at their own pace and repeat lessons until they've mastered them. Others prefer learning from CDs or through taking a class. Whichever way you choose to study, however, make sure your coursework emphasizes oral conversation. Learning German is a dynamic activity, and you can't learn to speak the language from a book because the book can't speak back. You will learn German fast only if you speak it and hear it spoken.

Please take note of this very important tip as you learn to speak German: remember that all German nouns have genders they are either masculine, feminine, or neuter. This isn't something we have to worry about in English, so gendered nouns may be new to you. Masculine nouns include dog (der Hund) and coat (der Mantel). Feminine nouns include blanket (die Decke) and vacation (die Ferien). Neuter nouns include house (das Haus) and pig (das Schwein). As you can see, the article "the" can be translated as either "der," "die," or "das" depending upon the gender of the noun it accompanies. There's no way to predict whether a noun is going to be masculine, feminine, or neuter, so if you want to learn German fast, always remember to learn the proper article at the same time you learn the noun.

Finally, here is the most important way to learn German fast: I recommend you make a German friend so that you can practice having a German conversation whenever you have the opportunity to do so! Dialogues on tapes or CDs are great, but to really get the feel of a language, you need to speak it just as you would your own. For that you need a partner. You'll not only learn German fast that way, but you'll improve your social life at the same time!



Gerrit founded the popular learn a language site www.learnalanguage.me. Do YOU want more ways to learn German fast? Visit the Rocket German language review site for more info and receive your very own FREE 6 day German language program.

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