Spoken predominantly in Germany and Austria, but common across the globe, German is a useful language, especially in academic and business study. Here's how to start expressing yourself fluently!
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Understand the Grammar
Step 1. The gender of the words
As in Italian, German nouns have a gender (English, on the other hand, does not). This grammatical element alters the noun (in the plural) and the words around it. In addition to masculine and feminine, German has gender neutral.
- Better to avoid trying to get to gender in a logical way: often this approach is not needed. Consequently, especially at the beginning of their studies, professors encourage students to learn the words with the article that defines the gender next to them.
- Another excellent way to become familiar with the genre, and of course the language, is to listen. Watch movies, listen to music, talk to natives. With the passage of time it will come naturally to you to understand what genre it is.
Step 2. Conjugate the verbs
As in Italian, there are different times and ways. Thankfully, the system is fairly smooth and you can start learning it pretty quickly.
- For example, in the tense corresponding to our Present Indicative, verbs often end in -e (first person singular), -st (second person singular), -t (third person singular), -en (first person plural), - t (second person plural), -en (third person plural).
- As you can see, it is different from English, which, in the Present Simple, foresees a change only in the third person singular and as regards irregular verbs, come to be.
Step 3. Learn the cases
According to the case system, nouns change to indicate the role they play in a sentence. In short, in this sense, German resembles Latin. English has largely lost this system, but it is still visible in some examples, such as he, subject pronoun, and him, object pronoun. The declensions must be learned by heart.
- The four cases are the nominative (which indicates the subject), the accusative (which indicates the object complement), the dative (which indicates the complement of the term) and the genitive (which indicates the possessive).
- The gender and number of a noun will affect how the noun changes in the case. Pay attention to this factor when looking for words.
Step 4. Understand the order of the words
Contrary to Italian, which foresees an order SVO (Subject-Verb-Object), German is characterized by the order SOV (Subject-Object-Verb), which means that the verb must always be placed at the end of the sentence.
Method 2 of 3: Practice Pronunciation
Step 1. Practice the vowels
The difference in the pronunciation of vowels is often what makes the languages sound different from each other. Pronouncing them correctly will allow you to be understood more easily by others. Note that German has three vowels not present in Italian and English:
- a - "ah".
- and - “eh”.
- i - "ii".
- or - "oh".
- u - "uu".
- ö - its sound resembles that of a closed "o".
- ä - its sound resembles that of the "e".
- ü - its sound resembles a "iu".
- These last three letters have an umlaut and can also be written oe, ae and ue. Don't get confused.
Step 2. Practice the consonants
They are not very different from the Italian ones, but you will find differences in terms of pronunciation. These are just some examples of pronunciation to get an idea, then you will study the others.
- w - "v".
- v - "f".
- z - "ts".
- j - "i".
- ß - “ss”. You can also write ss.
Step 3. Practice compound sounds
As in English and Italian, there are letters that have different sounds when put together. You will need to recognize them and pronounce them correctly if you want to make yourself understood. These are also just a few examples to get you an idea.
- au - “au”.
- eu - “oi”.
- ie - "ii".
- ei - "ai".
- ch - there is no equivalent in Italian or English. It is a guttural sound, vaguely reminiscent of a stronger pronounced English "h". With some combinations of letters it is pronounced, more or less, like our "sc".
- st - "sht". To pronounce the "s", the lips will have to stretch outwards, as if you were blowing the candles. The muscles of the mouth should be much more rigid and tense than when you say the "sh" in English. The "t" is pronounced as in Italian.
- pf - both sounds are pronounced, but the “p” more softly.
- sch - "sh".
- qu - "kv".
- th - “t” (the h is silent in this case; when the h is at the beginning of a word, it is pronounced aspirated).
- When b is at the end of a word, it is pronounced "p".
- The d (and also the sound dt), when found at the end of a word, is pronounced "t".
- The g, when found at the end of a word, is pronounced "k".
Method 3 of 3: Look at the Examples
Step 1. Learn basic words to build your vocabulary and practice your pronunciation skills
Learning the opposite words is a good way to start.
- ja und nein - “yes and no”.
- bitte und danke - “please and thank you”.
- gut und schlecht - “good and bad”.
- groß und klein - “big and small”.
- jetz und später - “now and later”.
- gestern / heute / morgen - "yesterday, today, tomorrow".
- oben und unten - “above and below”.
- über und unter - “above and below”.
Step 2. Learn basic phrases to communicate in everyday situations, to practice and to improve pronunciation:
- To say hello, say hallo, "hello", guten morgen (formal) or morgen (informal), "good morning", and guten tag (formal) or tag (informal), "good morning".
- Auf Wiedersehen means "goodbye", but it is more common to hear bis den or tschüß ("hello").
- Es tut mir leid, "I'm sorry", or Entschuldigung, "I'm sorry".
- Ich verstehe das nicht, “I did not understand”.
- Was kostet das?, "how much does it cost?".
- Kannst du langsamer sprechen?, "Can you speak softer?".
- Alles klar translates as "It's all clear". It is used very commonly and has several meanings. It can be used both to ask a question, to ask the interlocutor if everything is ok or if he has understood, and to make a statement and to answer, to say, in fact, that everything is ok or that you have understood.
Advice
- Move to Germany to work or study German so you can practice on the spot.
- Try to speak and write as much German as possible, especially with natives. Look for them in your city or get in touch with someone on the internet.
- These are just guidelines for undertaking the study. Get a good grammar book and good software and combine the grammar exercise with the communication exercise.
