Unusual methods of learning German. German language from scratch on your own Andrey Seimov methods of learning German

Judging by the already closed and archived voting on the site, a fairly decent number of readers do not speak German (on the last day of the survey this figure was 38%). It's time to change that!

Guided by this and the wishes of some readers to raise this topic, it was decided to write an article about interesting options for learning the German language. It’s the options, not the methods!

In this article I will try to tell you about those methods of immersion in the language that I know and which seem interesting to me.

Maybe you will learn something new for yourself. I think it will be interesting.

What are the alternatives?

The first thing that comes to mind when it comes to learning a language is:

  • School;
  • Self-study;
  • Strict tutor;
  • Language courses in your city;

Standard, but, you see, relatively boring, or rather ordinary, methods. Of course, no one argues that they are also effective, but I, for example, remember how university classes were not very entertaining and came down to just cramming words and phrases.

I know that this is a mandatory stage and that it needs to be done, but how nice it is to “absorb” a language when you yourself are interested, fun, curious, when there is a goal: why should you master it as soon as possible? foreign language.

Therefore, we will expand our list to the following points:

  • Preparatory language courses at the university;
  • Travel to or Austria;
  • Go under the Au-Pair program;
  • Become a volunteer for any other program;
  • Register at Couchsurfing.org;
  • Become someone's "buddy" in your city.

Let's go through them in order.

Preparatory language courses at the university

An option due to a frantic desire to study in Germany or Austria. Here you have both the language and immersion in a new culture and the university where you will most likely study in the future.

For Germany, preparatory courses are usually organized by the universities themselves (just write a question about the possibility of attending language courses at the university you are interested in, namely Akademischer Auslandsamt) or institutions called.

Universities send there applicants who do not speak German well enough, those who need to learn some subjects before entering a German university, or all those who want to enter a German university after school or after the first years of higher education in their home country (not the EU).

I note that admission to some Studienkollegs is possible only through an application for admission to a university, while to some you can simply enroll and take a 1-2 semester German language course. Just contact the Studienkolleg in the German city you are interested in and clarify this issue with them.

In Austria, the most famous option for pre-university language training is VWU - Vorstudienlehrgang der Wiener Universitäten (preparatory courses for applicants to Viennese universities). The duration of these courses cannot exceed 2 semesters and enrollment also occurs directly through one of the universities participating in this program.

Go for a voluntary social year to Germany or Austria

About the voluntary social year in Germany (FSJ) there are 2 articles written on the blog:

  1. , which tells about what FSJ is and what programs exist;
  2. (thanks to Nastya for sharing her experience of participating in FSJ!).

This volunteer program allows even those who do not speak German to take part in it. The main thing is to be in age group from 16 to 27. Therefore, if you do not have long-term obligations in your homeland, feel free to go help society, learn the language and, among other things, earn a little money for your pocket. In order not to confuse anyone, let’s call it “sort of volunteering.”

When will it be possible to travel to Europe for free again? Well, the German language is learned in the process - the best and most effective learning, I tell you.

Go under the Au-Pair program

Girls, this is definitely for you. Guys, as far as I know, are not too interested in this program, and they don’t take us so willingly - we’re all rowdy at heart.

By participating in this program you:

  • Sit with the children of the family that hosted/invited you. You play with them. take to kindergarten, school, all sorts of clubs and sections and then take them away;
  • It is possible to practice the Russian language, reading, writing;
  • If you speak enough German, help with homework (for example, mathematics - German is almost not needed there);
  • Help with housework;
  • Take care of pets if you are entrusted with them;
  • Help with cooking;
  • and other things.

In return you get free accommodation, food, speaking practice, one day off per week, theoretically free evenings, pocket money (in Germany at least 260 euros per month), get to know a new culture, make new friends and, if you are lucky with your family, just great spend time.

By the way, during your Au Pair you can also attend German language courses and make your stay in Austria/Germany doubly productive.

Register on Couchsurfing.org

Couchsurfing is a site, or rather a community that unites people around the world with a passion for travel, meeting new people and discovering new cities, countries, continents.

The main idea on which the community is built is that with the help of their website you find, meet, and spend the night completely free of charge in the house of a person you previously did not know. Or you give shelter in your home to someone from the community who wrote you their request through the contact form on the website (you can absolutely safely refuse).

By registering on the site, you get the opportunity to find a person almost anywhere in the world who will be ready to provide you with a room or just a sofa in their apartment (and who knows, maybe a villa) for a short period of time.

Of course, you can also host foreign guests in your apartment, thus meeting interesting people, speaking a foreign language (it all depends on who you are hosting or visiting) and having fun.

Each member of the community has his own page where you can read his recommendations, other people’s comments about this person: how he accepted them or how they accepted him. It also contains photographs of this user, describes his accommodation and where, in what conditions and for how long you can spend the night.

In general, a somewhat adventurous option. But often, if you choose a person based on your interests and do not invite obvious freebie lovers with zero reputation and negative reviews, then you are guaranteed several days of fun and interesting communication. You can show your guest the city, give a short excursion, lift the veil of secrecy of the broad Russian soul (may readers from other countries forgive me), whatever you want.

If you are traveling to Germany/Austria using this option, then you need to plan your route in advance and contact all those with whom you decide to stay in order to know for sure that you will be accepted and accommodated for a certain number of days.

You don’t get paid for Couchsurfing, here you pay (flight, food, transportation, entertainment), so traveling too long will most likely cost you a pretty penny (unless, of course, you are going to earn money during your trip from street performances, miniatures in the subway, and others nomadic forms of earnings).

Become someone's "buddy" in your city

According to the definition of Lisa Borzot - a member of the student organization

Ways and methods of learning German

Gadzhimutelimova S.G.

Head: German language teacher Antonova N.A.

GAPOU SO "Balakovo Medical College"

We study languages ​​because

that language is the only thing

It is not useful to study even poorly.

K. Lomb

It is undeniable that in our time everything more people consider it necessary to know a foreign language. Speaking English, German, French, and Chinese is becoming fashionable, modern, and prestigious.

To evaluatethe place of our country in the global system of linguistic coordinates, you can refer to the results of research conducted over the past five years by two large and authoritative Russian organizations: the Russian non-governmental research organization Levada Center and the Russian organization engaged in sociological research, the Public Opinion Foundation .

Both studies showed similar results. According to the Levada Center, 15% of respondents speak a foreign language more or less fluently, according to the Public Opinion Foundation - 17%. Is it a lot or a little? Compared to developed Western countries, A little. According to Eurostat, 36% of adults in the European Union said they speak one foreign language, 28% speak two foreign languages ​​and 10% speak at least three.

If we consider specific foreign languages ​​spoken in Russia, then absolute priority is given to English. According to research, its share is 65%. At the same time, German is in second place, 3-4 times ahead of French, the reason for which is the long history of special relations between Russia and Germany. As for the English language, the number of its native speakers is gradually increasing. This is evidenced by the results of the latest Russian population census. From 2002 to 2010, the number of people speaking the main European language increased by 618 thousand.

Analyzing the above data, we can conclude that learning a foreign language is a fairly pressing issue in modern Russian society.

Speaking about the importance and necessity of knowing a foreign language, it is necessary to prove that this is a real need of society. For this, an individual modern person, who usually works a lot and is under constant time pressure, must have good reasons.

To find out the reasons why more and more people in our country are striving to master one or more foreign languages, a study was conducted: the work of students was analyzed medical colleges Saratov region, who participated in the distance essay competition “Why do medical college students study German.” As a result of the analysis, the following reasons for the need and importance of learning and proficiency in a foreign language (in this case, German) were identified:

    speaking German, you can travel throughout Europe, because... German is spoken not only in Germany, but also in Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, northern Italy, eastern Belgium and eastern France;

    by studying and improving the German language, you can develop your intellectual abilities;

    By learning German, you can increase your self-esteem, because... one can consider acquired language knowledge as the achievement of a goal that each person sets for himself;

    by learning German, people begin to better understand their native language and appreciate its beauty and diversity;

    Having good knowledge of the German language, you can help your children, brothers, and sisters learn it without spending money on tutors;

    knowing German, you can read and translate various instructions, recipes, descriptions of cosmetics, composition of food products produced in Germany, without paying attention to the attached translation, since it may be unreliable;

    When learning German, many return to the origins of their family, because... among us live representatives of immigrants from Germany, the so-called Volga Germans;

    you can learn German simply because you like it;

    to stay up to date with new publications. The German language is the world of literature. Anyone interested in literature should not ignore the German language, since Germany ranks 3rd in the world in book publishing. Every tenth book is published in German;

    to seriously engage in science, to keep abreast of the latest scientific publications, because scientific works, published in German, rank second in the world. Scientists from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland have received dozens of Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, and medicine;

    to be knowledgeable in economics, because Germany is one of the largest industrial countries;

    to successfully develop a business, because Germany's strong economy means good business opportunities for German speakers;

    for active Internet users, because German language on the Internet displaces other languages ​​and takes leading positions;

    to improve your cultural level, because Germany has a rich cultural heritage. Germany is called the country “DichterundDenker” – poets and thinkers. German, Austrian and Swiss authors have received 10 Nobel Prizes. The creators of most classical musical works were German-speaking composers. It is impossible to imagine the magnificent architecture of the Middle Ages, engravings, masterpieces of painting without mentioning the great contribution made by the Germans, Austrians and Swiss. Just as it is impossible to imagine philosophy and psychology without the contribution of German-speaking specialists;

    to try to become a participant in exchange programs, because Germany annually provides financial support to people participating in exchange programs, as Germans understand that international cooperation and experience is necessary for Germany to continue to be considered a world leader;

    so that, by participating in the process of globalization, we can erase boundaries and be able to communicate with people living in different parts of the planet;

    in order to master the German language in a timely manner big amount information and quickly make the right decisions;

    to have the opportunity to study abroad, which in itself is a good springboard for a successful career;

    to move up the career ladder faster;

    to have an additional source of entertainment, because... knowledge of the German language allows you to watch films in the original, listen to songs, and attend concerts and performances while abroad;

    to have an additional source of income;

    to have a social advantagein front of those who do not know a single foreign language.

Learning any foreign language, especially German, seems difficult. Anyone who wants to master it will have to face difficulties such as grammar, articles, pronunciation, etc. To master the chosen path, you should have an idea of ​​the ways and methods of learning a foreign language. Today there are quite a lot of them. The following are examples: modern methods, associated with the name of teachers who promote their methods and introduce them into the learning process. These are the methods of Vladislav Milashevich, Vitaly Levental, the express method of Ilona Davydova, the communicative method of Galina Kitaygorodskaya and Igor Shekhter, the methods of Nikolai Zamyatkin, Timur Baitukalov, Alexander Dragunkin, Dmitry Petrov and others. Each of the listed methods has its own teaching principles, each of them is individual. Therefore, it is pointless to argue about what is better or worse, more effective or useless for those who want to learn a foreign language.

I would like to focus on one method, the effectiveness of which has been tested by time and proven by the results obtained. We will talk about Schliemann's method. Getting to know this method in more detail, you need to have an idea of ​​​​a person known to the whole world.

Heinrich Schliemann is a world-famous archaeologist who discovered ancient Troy, glorified by Homer in the poem “Iliad,” and a polyglot who mastered 15 languages ​​on his own.

The first language that Henry mastered at the age of 9 was Latin. Already at such an early age, G. Schliemann demonstrated perseverance, excellent memory and talent in learning languages: a couple of months after the start of his studies, the boy wrote an essay in Latin.

Schliemann's first major achievement was mastering the English language. To begin with, he purchased several books from English language and these same works translated into German. In fact, the polyglot used the parallel reading method: every day Henry learned up to 20 pages of text in English by heart. He crammed mainly at night or at work (he was a messenger): while waiting in line with merchants or at the post office, and sometimes on the way from one client to another. At the same time, Heinrich preferred reading aloud: this way he practiced pronunciation and heard how the words sounded. If the weather was rainy, it was impossible to read a book on the road, Schliemann retold the text to himself.

The young polyglot also studied with teachers whom he independently hired for a fee. He retold the text he had learned to his teachers and asked them to correct any mistakes. In addition, Schliemann constantly wrote all kinds of essays, notes in English, as well as retellings of memorized texts. Heinrich gave all his notes to the teacher for checking, he corrected the mistakes, then Schliemann learned the resulting text by heart.

Schliemann never missed an opportunity to practice his conversational skills with a native speaker. Most often these were not teachers or intelligent people from high society, but ordinary sailors and merchants. As soon as Henry heard English spoken, he, without a shadow of embarrassment, approached the speaker and began a conversation.

In general, the polyglot spent at least 5 hours a day on learning; he said that this approach allows him to master any language in 5-6 months. In a similar way, the polyglot studied 15 languages, including Russian.

The success of the Schliemann method lies in its adherence to following principles:

    You need to study the language every day;

    use all possible resources (textbooks, fiction, communication with a native speaker, etc.);

    not be afraid to speak the target language;

    develop memory by memorizing passages of text and retelling them;

    apply acquired knowledge in practice as early as possible;

    learn a variety of vocabulary;

    set clear goals for learning a foreign language;

At first glance, everything is extremely simple and clear. However, there are many other subtleties and secrets for successfully learning a foreign language. Here are the main ones:

    How to choose a textbook

To learn German on your own, you need to use a textbook as a basis. This is not easy, since all German language textbooks can be divided into two types: textbooks published in Germany and prepared directly by native speakerslanguage,and textbooks published in Russia. Both of them have both disadvantages and advantages.

German textbooks are aimed at developing speaking skills. In them you can find real German speech and colloquial phrases. Grammar is taken and immediately applied in conversation. However, grammar is not always studied deeply and thoroughly, since exercises for the formation of grammatical skills are not always enough. This should be considered one of the disadvantages of German textbooks.

However, this deficiency can be filled by using a Russian textbook. There are a lot of different exercises and translations available here. Everything is aimed at developing and consolidating grammatical skills. But, unfortunately, this has nothing to do with speaking skills, and vocabulary, most often, is long outdated. Therefore, the best thing is to combine German and Russian textbooks.

    How to practice pronunciation

To communicate productively in a foreign language, you cannot neglect phonetics! Pronunciation is what the interlocutor hears first of all, and from which he forms his first impression. It is always easier to understand the speech of a person who has good pronunciation and few grammatical errors than someone who has terrible pronunciation but excellent grammar. It should be remembered that you are greeted by pronunciation, but seen off by grammar.

It is necessary to practice correct pronunciation by repeating words after the speaker. Do not forget that any Russian textbook contains an introductory phonetics course. We can recommend good German pronunciation textbooks: Middleman D. “Sprechen Hören Sprechen”, “Deutsch ohne Mühe heute” Assimil publishing house. These textbooks contain exercises for each sound.

    How to replenish your vocabulary

To read, translate, and speak German, you must have a certain vocabulary. Learning words is a very difficult task, because... Each language has its own characteristics. In German and Russian, the gender of nouns often does not match. For example, the noun “book” is feminine in Russian, and neuter in German; the word “flower” is masculine in Russian, and feminine in German. There are many such examples. Therefore, when memorizing German nouns, you should definitely remember their gender. If we talk about verbs, then reflexive verbs in German and Russian also often do not coincide. As an example, we can cite the following words: the Russian verb “to laugh” will be reflexive (since it ends in -sya), in German this verb sounds “lachen" and reflexive pronounsichnot used with it; German verb "erholensich"refers to reflexives; in Russian this verb sounds like “rest” and is used without –sya. There are many examples that indicate the difference between one language and another. Therefore, the basic rule on how to top up lexicon words, is that words need to be crammed.

However, we should not forget that to help a foreign language learner there are different methods for learning foreign words:

    memorize a word, trying to imagine it mentally, “draw” it on your “inner screen”;

    apply the method of phonetic associations: German verb "turnen"(do exercises) is easy to remember if you associate it with the word "horizontal bar", the noun "derRü cken"(back) - with the word "backpack", etc.;

    learn words that exist in reality. These are words that are used every day in the Russian language (even curse words);

    try to understand what specific vocabulary is needed, what words it should consist of. To understand which words should be learned first, you need to write a short story in Russian and then translate it into a foreign language;

    translate from German into Russian and vice versa. These can be individual words, phrases, small sentences. The task of everyone who wants to speak German is to translate the desired text into a foreign language. More effective method for vocabulary acquisition than translation, no. Translation is effective both from Russian into German and from German into Russian;

    make up your own sentences with new words, write them down and pronounce them;

    watch TV series in German, preferably with subtitles. At the start of learning a foreign language, it is TV series that are useful, not films. It's all about simplicity of language. In films, the language is always more complex than in TV series. In TV series, the same thing is repeated several times, so vocabulary is gained very quickly;

    memorize words using the method of learning words using cards. There are two ways: first - on one side the word is written in German, on the other - in Russian. To memorize words in this way, the cards are sorted in the hands, looking at them from one side to the other, until all the words are remembered. The second method: an image is printed on one side of the card, and the word is written in German on the other side. While going through the cards, they remember what is written on them. If the same mistakes are constantly made during the memorization process, then the cards with these words are put aside and sorted out several more times until they are completely memorized;

    do not forget to repeat new words and expressions, use them in your written or spoken speech, otherwise everything will be forgotten.

    Borrow from the library or download books on the Internet in the language you are learning;

    do not forget to write down new words and phrases, memorize them

    How to learn to listen and understand

    Listen to TV or radio news regularly. At the same time, write down new and unfamiliar words;

    do not forget about audiobooks in a foreign language, you can listen to them at any time and anywhere, repeating complex and incomprehensible passages several times;

    travel! If possible, visit the country of the language you are learning, get into the spirit, feel the culture and meet new people.

    How to learn to speak

    First, find an interlocutor within yourself. Talk to yourself in front of the mirror. Listen to yourself! At the same time, you should not rush, you need to start with simple phrases. Repeat phrases several times. Describe everything that is around. Act within the framework of grammatical rules that are already familiar. And gradually, while replenishing your vocabulary, learn new grammatical rules and complicate sentences.

    For dialogical speech find a real interlocutor. There are a lot of people on forums looking for someone to talk to in the language they are learning. Skype opens up many new opportunities. You can find native speakers and simply pleasant conversationalists.

    How to overcome the language barrier

A language barrier is an internal fear of speaking a foreign language. There are several recommendations to overcome the language barrier:

    practice basic structures;

    watch programs or films in a foreign language, listen to the radio;

    committravel, preferably not in a group of compatriots, so that there is no opportunity to communicate in Russian;

    do not be afraid to make new acquaintances with indigenous people while traveling;

    do not be afraid to speak a foreign language when communicating on different topics;

    do not scold yourself for mistakes and do not be ashamed of your pronunciation;

    remember that no reasonable person would make fun of a foreigner who makes mistakes; on the contrary, the desire to speak a foreign language is admirable;

    do not be offended, but rather rejoice if native speakers of a foreign language point to weak spots and common mistakes;

    do not build artificial barriers for yourself;

We decided to learn German, but you don't know where to begin? Or do you want to review material you forgot at school? Do you want to study on one's own? Were prepared especially for you online lessons for learning German.

So, what does the site offer you for success? learning German from scratch?

First of all, especially for the entry level in the form online lessons tutorials were prepared on teaching German A. A. Popova for beginners and advanced levels. No prior knowledge is required from you. All language elements are presented step by step. The most important thing that is required of you is wish learn German. At first you may have a dislike for dull German sounds, but over time it will completely or partially disappear. Details about the organization of classes for learning German are written in the first introductory text. Doing the exercises is not at all difficult, because for this there are special forms for entering text, as well as answer keys. To view the answer, hover your mouse over the key: . You can only peek back after you have completely completed the exercise! If you have any questions, you can ask them under the lesson as a comment.

Go to → list of lessons ← (Click)

Reasons to learn German

  • The German language is not difficult.
    Words are both heard and written, you just need to know the letter combinations. You probably won't even have to learn the alphabet, because it is of Latin origin, which most people already know. And if you know English, it gives you big advantage. English and German have common roots, which means a large number of similarities, which will greatly facilitate its study. Also, the German lessons on the site are very easy, so if you can't learn them, congratulations, you're very lazy. * There should be a Flash sloth emoji here, but there isn't one.*
  • German is the most commonly spoken language in Europe.
    English, French and German are the 3 official languages ​​of the European Union. In absolute numbers, German is the second most commonly used language. However, if native speakers are taken into account, German comes first. Knowing a language gives you about 100 million more people to communicate with. Of course, this is not a billion, as in Chinese, but still
  • German is the language of inventors and innovators.
    A large percentage of the most outstanding achievements were first invented in Germany. More than 100 Nobel Prizes have gone to outstanding German scientists for their achievements in physics, medicine, chemistry, literature and other fields. And this does not include Austria and Switzerland, the other 2 main representatives of the German language. So if you're looking to add a Nobel Prize to your resume, learning German might not be a bad place to start. Or at least you can read their scientific works.
  • German is an important language in the scientific community.
    It is the second most commonly used language in the world of science. One of the reasons for this is that the German book market is the 3rd largest in the entire world, just after Chinese and English. But only a small number of books have been translated from German into other languages. Therefore, knowledge of German is simply necessary here.
  • German is the key to world-class higher education.
    German universities have an excellent international reputation. In 2011, the country was the fourth most popular destination for international students, with more than 250,000 of them enrolled in German schools. Moreover, the German higher education system boasts a high number of universities with very low tuition fees and even completely free. It is not surprising that scientists and researchers gather there in droves. Sounds like a good investment for the future.
  • Germany is the locomotive of the European economy.
    German is interesting choice not only for scientists, but also for businessmen. Germany is the largest economy in the European Union and the 4th largest in the world. It is home to numerous international corporations and is always at the forefront of new technologies. Communicating with someone in their native language has always been a sign of good manners, and using German with business partners can dramatically increase your chances of effective negotiations and successful professional relationships.
  • German companies are world market leaders.
    Do you want to work for a company that is a leader in the international market? Knowing German can help you discover the necessary door. Germany is home to a large number of strong economic players such as Siemens, BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, Adidas, Hugo Boss, Lufthansa... And that's not all. Meanwhile, Berlin is emerging as a hub for innovative start-ups. Some even call it the Silicon Valley of Europe. Therefore, knowing German offers enormous potential for improving your career opportunities.
  • German also has a huge online audience.
    You don't even need to meet these 100 million people in real life. You can do this while lying on your favorite couch. German sites make up a huge part of the Internet. Technically, the German domain .de is the second most popular after .com. Second place on the entire Internet! Yes, I'm shocked myself.
  • The Germans are everywhere.
    Even if you're not planning on visiting a German-speaking country or you're not keen on stalking Germans online, don't worry: Germans will find you. If you have traveled, you must have already noticed this phenomenon. German citizens are some of the most insatiable travelers. With six weeks annual leave and a lot of money to spend, you can run into these “poor souls” anywhere in the world. It is only recently that the championship has passed to tourists from China, and before that the Germans were the leaders. Therefore, even a little knowledge of the language can be useful to you on the road.
  • German culture is part of the world heritage.
    Although Germans have a reputation as analysts and lovers of logic, the German-speaking world is also home to outstanding minds in the fields of music, literature, art and philosophy. This is the language of Goethe, Kafka, Brecht and Mann. It was the native language of composers Mozart, Bach, Schubert, Beethoven and Wagner. Revolutionary philosophy was first written in German when Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche and Heidegger were just beginning their creative careers. Learning German gives you the opportunity to appreciate the masterpieces of these creators in the original. Just look at Goethe's Faust!
  • If none of these reasons apply to you, then this reason is Rammstein.

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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, interesting story and a bunch beautiful cities. This means that German can be useful both for business and work, and for exciting travel.

website I have collected for you the best resources for learning the language of Goethe, Nietzsche and Til Schweiger. Das ist Fantastisch, isn't it?

  • Deutsch-online - here you can download several options for video, audio and online courses to choose from. In addition, the site is full additional material, which will help you learn the language in a fun way: games, exercises, tests, German radio and online television.
  • Deutsch.info is a multilingual site that combines German lessons with practical advice about life and work in Germany and Austria.
  • Speakasap - free and paid courses with audio and video accompaniment and exercises.
  • Englishonlinefree - suitable for beginners: there are reading rules, basic grammar, a phrase book, short videos, books and other materials.
  • Lingvister is an online school for learning German and other languages ​​via Skype with extensive 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 systematic online lessons, video lessons, audiobooks, tests, useful articles, interesting selections of words and phrases and song lyrics.

German on social networks

Communication with native speakers

  • Livemocha is a popular social network for everyone who studies foreign languages. Training is based on the principle “if you help, they will help you.” Lessons and exercises are offered, the accuracy of which is checked by native speakers. And here you can simply communicate 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 and video chat with other members of the social network.
  • MyLanguageExchange - the site makes it possible to find a foreign interlocutor who is interested in learning your native language. Then you can talk to 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 - simply choose the language you want to learn (more than 100 languages ​​are available) and immediately meet native speakers of that language.
  • Duolingo- free application with well-organized and user-friendly content, perfect for beginners.
  • Tunein is an application for listening to the radio.

Blogs

  • De-speak is a Russian-language blog of a German language 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 photographs.
  • 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 translation of a complex expression or rare word.
  • Languageguide - the site will allow you to master basic vocabulary. Hover your cursor over an item and you'll hear the correct German pronunciation of the word or phrase.
  • ABBYY Lingvo Live is a “live” dictionary where you can not only look up the meaning of words and expressions, but also ask for help in translation.

Every modern man understands that learning a language today is an integral part of success not only at work, but also in life in general. But sometimes this fact is not enough to motivate oneself to the learning process.

Most often, there is external motivation, that is, when someone forces you to do it: parents, teachers, boss. However, this is too little for successful study. Therefore, in order to learn, for example, the German language, the motivation should not come from a stranger, but only from you.

Before you start learning, you need to ask yourself the reason why you would like to know a particular language. The answer to it will become your goal, the achievement of which will help you in the process of learning the language.

Next, you need to correctly and clearly formulate this goal. Decide how long it will take you to master a foreign language. At the same time, this goal must be realistic to achieve.

Make a study plan, or rather, determine how much time you will spend on learning and how much on rest. Minor breaks of a few minutes every half hour of class will make it possible for your desire to study not to fade. In order for your interest in learning the language to always remain, you need to feel yourself cheerful and rested.

An excellent way to maintain motivation is encouragement or a sense of achievement. To do this, you need to systematically record your results and achievements and analyze them.

Learning a large number of words in a day - will this help you learn a language, is it possible? This is a question often faced by most people who are trying to expand their vocabulary base in a short period of time. In fact, this is only possible when using mnemonics. However, there is not much benefit from this.

Mnemonics is the process of constantly repeating memorized words. In order for words to remain in your memory for a long time, they need to be repeated for a very long time. For example, you are learning words in German. You memorize one hundred words a day. By the end of the week you should have repeated all seven hundred. You won't get any results.

In addition, the words that you will remember thanks to mnemonics may not be useful to you in everyday communication. It is better to choose another method, which will be much simpler and more effective. For example, you can learn words using a variety of flashcards, or by comparing or choosing alternatives.

Many people are interested in the effectiveness of memorizing words thanks to the use of the twenty-fifth frame. It will be possible to remember words that were studied using this method only when a person is put into a trance. This process does not occur in active memory, so the person is not aware of what he is currently remembering . From all of the above, it can be understood that the twenty-fifth frame is ineffective in learning languages.

What should you do to avoid forgetting what you have already learned?

To retain all the knowledge gained, it is necessary to practice. A learned language, for example German, should always accompany you throughout life. There are a large number of ways to independently learn a language, which allow you not to forget, but, on the contrary, to develop and improve the level of the language you are learning.

The best way is to read books, magazines, newspapers in the original. The only condition -on the first Now you need to choose literature that will not be difficult for your level of language proficiency, and then take it more difficult. There are also many adapted editions that are suitable for intermediate level students. Information about the starting vocabulary for free communication and reading is located in the output. Greater results are guaranteed by audiobooks that have not only the text that appears on the computer screen, but the voice pronunciation of words, sentences and text. Thanks to such books, it is easier for students to perceive the text and remember how to correctly pronounce this or that word.

Also to the methods self-study A foreign language includes watching films in the target language with subtitles, listening to songs in this language, communicating on the Internet in chats with people who speak this foreign language, and many others.

However, the most productive option is considered to be in a country where the language you are learning is the main one. Don't be embarrassed by the fact that you have a terrible accent or a lot of mistakes when speaking. This will not surprise anyone, but you will gain invaluable experience that will help you master the language.

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