How to Learn German by Yourself
German is one of Europe's major languages, with approximately 90 million speakers, according to the Ethnologue language report. German is spoken not just in Germany, but also in the nearby countries of Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg. As German belongs to the same language family as English, it is a relatively easy language to learn for English speakers. Beginners will notice a lot of similar vocabulary, expressions and grammatical structures when they start to learn. Whether you want to speak German for business or pleasure, learning the language by yourself will be a rewarding challenge.
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Instructions
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Master German pronunciation. Study the letters of the German alphabet, paying particular attention to letters such as "ä," "ö" and "ü" that are not present in the English alphabet. Be careful with letters that look the same in German and English but have different sounds. The German "z" sounds like the English "ts," for example, and the German "s" normally sounds like the English "z."
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Learn German vocabulary. Memorize the gender of every new noun you encounter. German nouns can be masculine, feminine or neuter, and this affects the way you use them in sentences. The gender of a noun cannot normally be predicted, so it is important to learn the gender by heart when you learn the word for the first time. Sign up to a service such as Transparent Language's "German Word of the Day," which emails a new German word or phrase to subscribers on a daily basis.
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Study German grammar. Understand the use of the case system, as without this you will not be able to construct accurate German sentences. German uses the four cases of nominative, accusative, dative and genitive, and all adjectives and articles change their form depending on the case they are used with. This can seem difficult to native English speakers, so do not be discouraged if you struggle to grasp the use of cases initially.
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Expose yourself to spoken German frequently. Websites such as the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle provide podcasts in the German language that are updated on a daily basis. Download some of these to your MP3-player and listen to them when you are driving your car or doing the housework. Even if you don't give the German your full attention, you are increasing your exposure to how the language sounds and developing a feel for the correct accent and pronunciation.
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Practice what you have learned. Search for native German speakers in your area and arrange to meet up for a coffee and a chat. Ask them to take notes during your conversation and feed back to you at the end about ways you could improve your language use. If this is not possible, use sites like Livemocha to find Germans who are trying to improve their English and arrange to speak to them over Skype. Give them advice on their English in return for comments on your German.
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Tips & Warnings
Set aside a regular amount of time each day to study German, preferably at a time of day when your brain is at its most active. Study in 30 minute blocks, when possible, starting each session with a review of the material that you learned the day before.
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