Learning German is hard to imagine without the use of textbooks. And if you have just started learning, then you can’t do without them at all.

Hello dear friends. My name is Alena Kirpicheva, I have been teaching German for about 12 years. Recently, several people have been added to my skype who, in principle, are not going to study with a tutor, they would like to learn German on their own.

They just ask for advice - where to start, what to take on and, in general, where, so to speak, to run, and where not to run.

Where to begin?

So, you have decided to learn German on your own. The first thing I would recommend is to take some TEXTBOOK as a basis. It would seem a simple solution, but, nevertheless, for some reason, not everyone decides to start with the choice of a textbook.

For myself, I have long divided German textbooks into two types: textbooks published in Germany and prepared directly by native speakers, and textbooks published in Russia. And in those, and in others, there are both minuses and pluses.

German textbooks are aimed at developing conversational skills. In them you will find real German speech, colloquial phrases. Grammar is taken without fail and it is immediately applied in conversation. I love Themenneu, Delfin, Schritte. But what, in my opinion, is a drawback of German textbooks, the grammar is not always worked out as it should.

Those. exercises for the formation of grammatical skills are not always enough. This shortcoming, however, can be more than made up for by using some Russian textbook. This is where you will find "grammatical paradise". A lot of exercises, translations.

Everything is aimed at the formation and consolidation of grammatical skills. But, unfortunately, this has nothing to do with the speaking skill, and the vocabulary, most often, has long been outdated.

In my opinion, the best thing is to combine German and Russian textbooks. I’m not sure if it will be possible to study on my own “from scratch” using German textbooks - everything there is in German, oddly enough. So if you are completely a "teapot", it makes sense to start using some kind of Russian allowance. Everything is laid out in great detail there. Well, then you still need to combine.

Phonetics

Don't neglect phonetics! Your pronunciation is what the interlocutor hears first of all and from what, in fact, he gets the first impression of how you speak the language.

Tell me, whose speech will be easier for you to understand: a person who has a good pronunciation and few grammatical errors, or someone who has a terrible pronunciation, but excellent grammar? I feel better with the first one. I agree, it's debatable. But nonetheless. I would say “they meet by pronunciation, and see off by grammar” 🙂

Yes, repeating words after the announcer is not the most exciting activity. But, firstly, it will serve you as a wonderful training in reading rules at the initial stage. And secondly, it will save you from the detailed reading of the "introductory phonetic course", which is available in almost all domestic tutorials.

I love pronunciation tutorials by Middleman Doris „Sprechen Hören Sprechen”, Gerhard G.S. Bunk "Phonetik aktuell", Assimil publishing house "German without labor today" ("Deutsch ohne Mühe heute"). Everything is clear, there are exercises for each sound. So, we chose a textbook, we train pronunciation ...

Grammar

As for grammar, everything is simple: in any tutorial there is a lot of everything for practicing grammatical structures.

But, you can use something extra. I like from domestic Aliyeva S.K. "Grammar of the German language in tables and diagrams", Ovchinnikova A.V., Ovchinnikov A.F. "500 grammar exercises", Tagil I.P. "Deutsche Grammatik in Übungen" and "Deutsche Grammatik". I love the last two books very much - everything is very detailed, there are a lot of exercises for each rule.

The grammar of German publishers is also a lot: Chr. Lemke and L. Rohrmann "Grammatik Intensivtrainer A2", S. Dinsel and S. Geiger "Großes Übungsbuch Grammatik", of course, Dreyer Schmitt "Lehr- und Übungsbuch der deutschen Grammatik" . I would not recommend starting with it: for a beginner there is a lot of unfamiliar vocabulary. But it will definitely come in handy in the future.

Vocabulary

Learning words is perhaps one of the most pressing issues in learning the German language. How to determine the gender of a noun? Are there any rules governing this matter? Dear friends, yes, there are some rules. Also you will meet them in the above mentioned books.

But I’m afraid that such rules as, for example, “names of natural phenomena (winds, precipitation) belong to the masculine gender” or “all nouns with the ending “-ung” are feminine” and two dozen more similar ways of determining the gender of nouns do not will always be able to help you. Therefore, the gender of nouns SHOULD be LEARNED. Deal with it.

Der-Die-Das

Every German noun has an article (which depends on its gender). Memorize articles with the help of an exciting game. Can you complete all levels?

But the most important thing is vocabulary training in conversation. Here we smoothly approached the topic of conversational skill.

Speaking skills

Well. It seems that everyone has learned - the first 40 words, a couple of grammatical rules, and have trained pronunciation. In general, armed. So, now the most important thing. We need to start talking. You need an interlocutor to have a conversation. Since you are learning the language on your own, you don't have many options. Your first interlocutor is yourself. Yes, you will have to TALK TO YOURSELF first.

Firstly, you will always listen to yourself (as they say, it’s always nice to talk to a smart person), you won’t rush and you can complete the phrase without fuss, calmly. Secondly, you simply have no other options to start with. Start simple. Describe everything that is around you, everything that happens.

For example, you have mastered the construction "Das ist ein(e)..." have done the exercises. We start training: walk around the apartment and say: "This is a table, this is a chair, this is a cup, this is a spoon". Take a dictionary with you to look up unfamiliar words. 🙂

Learned several verbs and their conjugation - describe what you are doing: “I wash the dishes. The cup is here. Mom is talking on the phone. Everything is simple. Do not build long phrases at once. Operate within the grammar rules that you have already gone through. And gradually, replenishing the vocabulary, studying all the new grammatical rules, complicate the sentences.

Describe everything that happens around you, what you see and hear. In general, gradually build up momentum. So you will understand the memorization of articles (especially when cases come up) and grammar. A monologue will be built.

For dialogical speech, still look for a real interlocutor. The forums are full of people who are looking for someone to talk to in the language they are learning. Go there, find a bunch of friends. Again, Skype opens up many new possibilities. You can find carriers, just pleasant conversationalists.

Note! In principle, I believe that a tutor, by and large, is needed to teach how to speak. This is an interlocutor who will correct mistakes. You can deal with grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation yourself, although it will certainly be easier with a tutor.

I think at this point I would like to put a comma in my reasoning on this topic. There are some other points that I would like to highlight. But I will leave them for the next article. Have questions? Feel free to write in the comments!

The German language seems so difficult! Grammar, articles, pronunciation... And yet, you decided to do it and start learning it. Today we will tell you how to start learning a language, and give a couple of useful tips for a quick and effective start.

First of all, decide on a goal - why do you need german? Want to add a line to your resume and impress the employer?

Are you going to Germany on holiday and want to learn the minimum vocabulary you need to shop in malls, order dinner at a restaurant, etc.? In this case, an elementary level of knowledge will be quite enough and striving to comprehend all the subtleties of grammar and pronunciation is not your primary goal.

Another thing is if you need German at work to communicate with clients or partners from Germany. Solid knowledge with an emphasis on business vocabulary, writing business letters and negotiating skills in German will come in handy here. Do you want to study in Germany? You can’t do without an advanced level: you will have to listen and understand lectures in German, make presentations and write scientific papers, communicate with classmates and professors.

Depending on your ultimate goal, a lesson plan will be built.

The next important moment along with the goal is your motivation.

Interest is the engine of progress. It does not matter what your interest in the German language will be based on - whether it is an economic interest (a new position or a new job) or a purely personal interest (a pretty deskmate / pretty neighbor). Perhaps all your life you have dreamed of reading Goethe and Schiller in the original? Do you want to understand what the cute German boy from the new video sings about in that song? Chat? The main thing is your interest and desire! You should have a desire to study the language, learn new things, strive to comprehend a new level and move on. This requires a third condition - regularity of classes.

Set aside at least 1 hour each day for language learning.

New words that we memorize first enter our working memory and replenish our vocabulary. If you have read/heard a new word, but your memory has not formed a stable connection with the context or emotions, very soon this word will be regarded as redundant or unnecessary information and will go to the “storage shelves”. After two weeks without use, the word falls from the active stock into the passive one. Therefore, you need to study the language regularly and constantly.

The next rule is to practice little by little every day. Do not immediately try to remember "" or understand all tenses and case forms. A more effective technique would be to try to master new material gradually, but - as mentioned above - regularly. Get yourself a simple rule: teach. In a month you will already know 300 words, in a year 3600, and in three years your vocabulary will already be about 11000 words, which is close to the vocabulary of a native speaker, sufficient for communication in everyday life.

Try to speak and write as much as possible!

Active speech activity contributes to effective language learning. It is no coincidence that the most effective technique in the world today is considered communicative technique. Communication, or communication - this is what, according to teachers and methodologists, should underlie any foreign language lesson. Think about the question: do you speak German? (in English, in Russian?). We ask if the person speaks the language, not if they can translate or read.

Study on your own or with a teacher.

There are many cases when individuals studied a foreign language on their own, using textbooks or tutorials and achieved some success in this. But do not underestimate the role of the teacher - this is your ideal interlocutor in a foreign language lesson, a partner for compiling dialogues and a person who will help correct mistakes and answer questions. What is better to practice individually with or walk on ? Everyone should answer this question for himself, because. someone more inclined to work in a group, someone, on the contrary, feels less confident in the group and will be embarrassed by their mistakes. And for someone, an additional motivation in learning a language can be the opportunity to chat with group mates, discuss news, exchange opinions, etc. It is worth paying attention to the size of the group - 8-10 people are considered ideal, a maximum of 12, otherwise the lesson will be ineffective.

Moreover, the answer to this question will also depend on financial opportunities each - individual lessons with a tutor can be more expensive than group lessons. Learning a language at a prestigious language center is also unlikely to be cheaper than courses offered at universities for students. Fortunately, nowadays there are many resources on the web that provide access to language courses and training programs, online dictionaries and language tandem sites where you can register and share knowledge. A huge number of videos and podcasts on youtube give you the opportunity not only to train your listening comprehension, but also to get acquainted with the nuances of pronunciation, expand your cultural fund and learn a lot about the other country whose language you are learning.

Many who want to learn a language go to university to become translators or teachers, but this is not the best option if you want to learn how to speak the language. It happens that the first course study in foreign language- solid linguistic theory and no practice, discussing in Russian why some prefixes in German are separable, while others are not - well, how will this actually help you at Oktoberfest? Another thing - language courses in the country of the language being studied: here you immediately immerse yourself in the language environment, situations of real communication and have the opportunity to “lose” and put into practice everything that was studied in the lesson at school before - here the topic is “food” and “acquaintance”, “at the station”, "at the bank", "shopping", "travel", etc. It is best to do such a course when you have already reached a certain level of knowledge and you want to move to a new, qualitatively different level.

Germany is a beautiful country with good food and delicious beer, a developed economy and beautiful scenery, excellent study programs for students, so more and more people want to learn German from scratch.

This article is intended for persons over 18 years of age.

Are you over 18 already?

Features of learning German

A lot of people want to know how it is possible and whether it is possible to learn a foreign language (in our particular case, German) quickly, simply and painlessly. Yes, it is possible and quite feasible, but in a pair, with a teacher or in special linguistic courses, sometimes it turns out easier and better. And here the point is not that someone will explain the basics of grammar to you and put the necessary information into your head, because in the end you can come to everything yourself. The fact is that the courses increase your desire to learn. The main problem that all beginners face is the lack of strong motivation, interest and fortitude, self-control. It is these qualities that allow, after long days, weeks and months, to start speaking a foreign dialect with ease and beauty.

If you do not have a clearly set goal and desire to achieve it, then it is very difficult to force yourself to sit regularly for several hours a day over textbooks memorizing words, sentences, articles, irregular verbs and grammar.

b"> How to start learning German from scratch on your own?

The beginning is always the most difficult in the learning process, the end result depends on how everything goes. There are many different methods and ways to learn a foreign syllable, but you need to start, of course, from the very basics - the alphabet, letters and their sound.

You can buy manuals that are usually bought for children, self-help books for beginners from scratch, or download free introductory video lessons from sites that help you learn German on your own. Children's books and textbooks are a very good option if you do not know a single foreign dialect, as they have a clear plan and structure, explain grammar and rules in an accessible and simple way, taking into account the psychology and knowledge of a beginner.

c"> Ways to learn German at home

In order to achieve the desired results, you need to make some efforts, show self-discipline and perseverance, because you will need to spend several hours behind textbooks. But besides the standard cramming and memorizing grammar rules, you can use other learning options.

Increasingly, children in schools or language courses are using the game method, which makes it easy to remember the necessary information, learn complex grammar and expand vocabulary. The easiest way is to place in the house cards with the names of objects in the language being studied, a table of irregular verbs or articles that are so difficult to remember. Stumbling eyes on this or that record, you will remember its meaning. In the future, the task can be complicated by adding different characteristics or descriptions to the words.

It is not for nothing that children at school are recommended to read a lot in order to learn to speak well. Even if you still don’t understand everything well, still look through books and magazines in the right dialect, look at pictures and look for words in the dictionary, write them out in a notebook, enriching your speech.

If you have already gone through several lessons on your own, learned the basic phrases for greeting and want to continue in the same spirit, then you should register on special free learning sites. You can chat with a fellow student like yourself, chat with an ethnic German, or find a German-speaking friend who studies Slavic languages ​​with whom you can exchange valuable tips and help with your studies.

d"> Difficulties in learning German that should not scare

It is impossible to answer the questions whether it is difficult to learn German, how much it can be done, how quickly to start reading and writing. It all depends, as mentioned above, on your determination and perseverance, desire and patience. But even the most diligent students face difficulties, here are some of them:

• many dialects that are not always understandable for those who learn the language from scratch;
• fast speech, during which words are distorted and letters disappear;
• complex grammar with many irregular verbs, articles and other things;
• incomprehensible sentence structure and slang.

But they should not be frightening, because everything can be overcome, learned and understood, found in smart books, heard over a glass of beer and a plate of delicious sausages, because the people of Germany are very responsive and will always help those who are trying to master their native language.

Guys, we put our soul into the site. Thanks for that
for discovering this beauty. Thanks for the inspiration and goosebumps.
Join us at Facebook and In contact with

German is one of the most widely spoken languages ​​in the world and is spoken in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and other countries. Germany is a country with a developed economy, an interesting history and a bunch of beautiful cities. And this means that German can be useful both for business and work, as well as for exciting travels.

website collected for you the best resources for learning the language of Goethe, Nietzsche and Til Schweiger. Das ist Fantastisch, right?

• Deutsch-online - here you can download several options for video, audio and online courses to choose from. In addition, the site is full of additional material that will help you learn the language in a fun way: games, exercises, tests, German radio and TV online.
• Deutsch.info is a multilingual site that combines German lessons with practical advice about living and working in Germany and Austria.
• Speakasap - free and paid courses with audio and video support and exercises.
• Englishonlinefree - suitable for beginners: there are reading rules, grammar basics, a phrasebook, short videos, books and other materials.
• Lingvister is an online school for learning German and other languages ​​via Skype with great speech practice.
• Deutsche-welt - on the site you can find online courses, as well as many collections of courses, articles and dictionaries of the German language.
• Study.ru - the resource offers systematized online lessons, video lessons, audio books, tests, useful articles, interesting collections of words and phrases, and lyrics.

German on social media

Communication with native speakers

• Livemocha is a popular social network for anyone who learns foreign languages. Training is built on the principle of "help you - help you." Lessons and exercises are offered, the correctness of which is checked by native speakers. And also here you can just chat with other users in German.
• Busuu is a virtual community for learning German and other foreign languages. On the website or in the mobile application, you can learn words, communicate in a video chat with other members of the social network.
• MyLanguageExchange - the site allows you to find a foreign interlocutor who is interested in learning your native language. Then you can talk with him on any topic in text or voice chat.
• Lang-8 - here, native speakers will help you correct mistakes in writing: you write the text, and foreign users correct mistakes and comment. Useful when preparing presentations and important letters.

Mobile applications

• Hellotalk - just choose the language you want to learn (more than 100 languages ​​are available) and immediately make friends with native speakers of that language.
• Duolingo is a free app with well-organized and user-friendly content, great for beginners.
• Tunein is an application for listening to the radio.

Blogs

• De-speak is a Russian-language blog of a German teacher with a large number of video lessons, audio lessons, articles and topics.
• Claudi um di e Welt - an interesting blog of a traveler from Germany in German with stories about different countries and good photos.
• Berlin Ick liebe dir - Blog about Berlin in German. As the authors of the blog write, “a blog for Berliners, for those who love Berlin and for those who want to live in it.” News about city cultural events, colorful reports about restaurants, exhibitions and nightclubs, stories about interesting people.

Dictionaries and vocabulary

• Multitran is a simple and convenient dictionary with a large number of words. The local community of translators will suggest the translation of a complex expression or a rare word.
• Languageguide - the site will allow you to master the basic vocabulary. Hover over an object and you will hear the correct German pronunciation of the word or phrase.

Where to begin? These lessons will help you increase your German vocabulary. All German lessons are divided into levels and modules. When you first set foot on the path of learning German, immediately press the button "start lesson". If you feel that you already have the so-called "school vocabulary", press the button "start test"- this way you will find out what level of the German language your knowledge roughly corresponds to. Over time, take the test again and check your progress!

How to learn German on this site?

Lessons are designed in such a way as to increase vocabulary. At the same time, you can not only learn how the word is spelled, its translation and transcription. You can hear how it is pronounced. Pronunciation is what distinguishes a native speaker from learners from the first seconds of communication. We can learn German from books for as long as we like, know the grammar and many rules. But pronunciation will be difficult. Books cannot convey how a particular word is pronounced in German. Even a word read by a tutor can be pronounced differently by native speakers. Now, in the 21st century, anyone can learn German words with pronunciation for free! Start right now!

For your convenience, the lessons are divided into 4 levels:

• German: Beginner
• German: Pre-Intermediate
• German: Intermediate
• German: Upper-Intermediate

German self-instruction manual - instruction

1. Do you still not know what level of German you have? Take 10 minutes to test. The result will tell you which lesson to start learning from.
2. Go to the lesson that the test suggested or select any other lesson from the dropdown menu at the top of the page.
3. Before you will be a table of words in German, their translation and transcription. On the left there will be buttons, by clicking on which, you will hear the pronunciation of the word in German. Naturally, you will need headphones or speakers.
4. Start with a few lessons a day. This will allow you not to overwork your brain with new words. If you notice that the words are already familiar, feel free to skip the lesson and move on to the next German lesson.
5. Are you wondering how your vocabulary has changed? Take the quiz again to check how the German tutorial has changed your vocabulary.

How can this site help me?

The main goal of the site is to increase vocabulary with words with the correct pronunciation. The emphasis is placed on pronunciation- something that is always missing when you do not communicate with native speakers. Another feature of the site - registration is not required. We do not collect your personal data, we do not send mailing lists to mail and instant messengers. Here you can learn German for free. Feel free to recommend it to your friends! We recommend bookmarking the site in case you accidentally lose the link. We decided to call the tutorial that way, because this way of learning German is suitable for lazy people, or those who cannot bring themselves to sit for an hour over the lessons. One lesson here will take you no more than 15 minutes. Thus, you will increase your vocabulary in just 15 minutes a day. Enough reading already, it's time to start the first lesson!