Learning German in 30 Days

1. 58

   QudsiaP1posted 12 years ago

   
   
   I have decided to take on a personal challenge to learn German in 30 days. Now before everything you must understand the following:
   1. I do not speak any European language
   2. I am fluent only in English
   3. I am going to learn German from a 'Teach Yourself' Book and CD
   
   The challenge popped in my mind out of random boredom; I started this challenge on March 18, 2013 and technically by April 8, 2013 based on one chapter a day I should be able to do it.
   
   I require your support, tell me what do you think? Would I be able to do it?
   
   Once I finish the challenge I will mention my experience in a hub; effectively ending the drought my page currently sees.
   
   So guys comment below and show your support!!!
   
   Thanks! Love You!

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   1. 69

      A Thousand Wordsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Livemocha.com is your friend, my friend. You'll be able to interact with native speakers, practice speaking and writing, and they will critique you.

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      1. 58

         QudsiaP1posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         A Thousand Words; I went to the Livemocha.com site; I found it useful and easy to understand. Too bad I ran out of tokens after unit 1.

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         1. 69

            A Thousand Wordsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            You don't have to do the Active German lesson! There are regular lessons. Go back to the course selection. Look for German. Select the one that doesn't say Active German. You'll still be able to 1)look at phrases paired with pictures, 2) Match those phrases with pictures, 3)Form sentences using those phrases and 4)pronounce those phrases as best you can. For the latter 2 choices, German people will be able to correct you, teach you how to write or say them better! It's wonderful! I've been studying Portuguese and Japanese on there.

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2. 83

   Thelma Albertsposted 12 years ago

   Learning German is not easy. Well, of course you can learn it in 30 days from books and CD´s, but applying it in real life to Germans is another thing. Building sentences in Germans is very different than in english. You have to memorize the sentences and apply it in your holiday in Germany or Austria. That is then easy to make. You can do it.
   
   Good luck!

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   1. 58

      QudsiaP1posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you Thelma; so far I have reached chapter 10 in 13 days and yes while it is slightly challenging I think it would help loads more if there was a German speaker around me.

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3. 61

   CHRIS57posted 12 years ago

   Learning a foreign language requires a lot of self control and dicipline. And learning a foreign language in the totally interconnected world of today is even more challenging.
   If you sit down with your books, CD´s, training courses you better go to a place unreachable by modern communication and go there without anyone in company. Otherwise you will be too much confused and deranged by all the native language input you receive during your learning time.
   If you do so, you will learn the basics. But you will not learn any communication skills, that will require real contact to real people.
   IMHO learning a language is basically a 3 stage process:
   1. Learn the basics, vocabulary, grammar, simple phrases
   2. Learn to communicate, speak to people and understand if people address you in a foreign language
   3. Get practice, read books (start with sort of pulp fiction, children literature or the eqivalent of Ernest Hemigway), read newspapers, listen to radio and TV broadcasts.
   
   If still want to learn German, may be you would like to read Mark Twain´s "A Tramp Abroad". It is certainly worth reading and i fully agree with his remarks about the "Awful German Language". I am bilingual, was born in Germany and raised in the US and i have a choice of additional languages available. Believe me - Mark Train is spot on.

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   1. 58

      QudsiaP1posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Chris57; I have been trying my best to learn it from the book and so far I have picked up a few basics. German does have really long words though.

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4. 85

   WriteAngledposted 12 years ago

   Without total immersion in the language and culture of the country concerned, I doubt you will get very far in 30 days.
   
   I say this on the basis of my experience of:
   
   1. Learning languages in school;
   2. Learning a language after starting to live and work in the country concerned (I even had a head start, because the country was Croatia and I had previous knowledge of another Slavic language through being brought up in a Polish emigre family)
   3. Learning Welsh over the past 5 years while living in Wales but not in an area where most people speak Welsh

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   1. 58

      QudsiaP1posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for your input. I am going to try anyway.

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