Creative and cheap ways to learn German

You have no desire to squeeze into a packed seminar and learn German grammar from a blackboard?  Are you inundated with course material and would you rather spend your free time as far away from books as possible? No problem! There are hundreds of ways to learn German. Here are four unique methods which cost next to nothing.

by Fabian Köhler

There are more native speakers of German than any other language in Europe. On top of that, almost two million foreign students attend German language courses at German universities every year – and twenty million German language students worldwide.  One of them is Ajay, 25 years old, from India. He has been in Germany for a year now and is pursuing his doctorate in Physics at the FH Jena. Although he doesn’t attend a language course, he has discovered several easy and inexpensive ways to learn German.

Moni likes carrots

It all starts with a babbled “mama” and few months later, out comes full-length sentences. Children learn how to speak incredibly fast without any formal instruction. Why not do as they do? “Children’s books are actually a good way of learning a new language and are even used in language courses,” says Renate Schallmeyer, who studies German Studies abroad. Unfortunately they aren’t much help when learning grammar rules or the subtleties of pronunciation. Nonetheless, according to Ajay, “learning vocab with colourful illustrations is much more motivating,” even if it seems “a little silly for a grown-up man to say sentences like ‘Moni mag Möhren’”.

Surfing the Deutsche Welle

The Internet offers numerous opportunities to learn German which are less silly and far more interactive. Ajay is especially fond of one website in particular – the German broadcasts on Deutsche Welle. Categorized by language level, the website offers dozens of language learning possibilities, ranging from online language courses to radio plays and even a language-learning soap opera. And as far as the news reports go, Ajay claims that “there’s nothing like it“. Not only do you get the latest news every day, but you can also listen to an audio version featuring simply formulated sentences spoken slowly. This is how Ajay improves his German while staying on top of the latest events.

Vocals instead of vocab

Song lyrics can be an entertaining alternative to memorizing endless lists of vocabulary words. Of course, translating lyrics is a job for more advanced learners of German. Metaphorical constructions and slang often make it difficult to translate songs. Ajay remembers, for example, how Michael Jackson’s song “Beat It” helped him learn the difference between “hauen” (to beat) and “abhauen” (to beat it) – a tiny prefix that changes the entire meaning of the verb.  

There’s another big advantage to translating song lyrics – it’s possible to increase the level of difficulty to match your language level. For example, start with a literal translation, try to convey the metaphors and symbolism and then add the final touches by getting the rhythm to match the original so that you can actually sing the song.

Learning German by bike?

Tandem cycling is more efficient than pedalling by yourself. In the same way, you can reach your personal learning goal by practicing foreign languages with someone else. Ajay’s tandem partner is a friend of his flatmate’s. He teaches Ajay German and Ajay teaches him a dialect of Hindi. Sometimes they hang out in the park, go out for a beer, or even go cycling together. Studies show that tandem language learning results in faster progress in understanding spoken language and speaking freely. Another benefit of language tandems is the social aspect. Ajay agrees. “You meet new people much faster that way”.

As you see, there are many creative ways to learn German. According to Ajay, the good thing is that “they complement each other wonderfully and don’t cost a cent”. So if you have no time or desire to do bone-dry grammar exercises or attend a language course, why don’t you learn German by singing, cycling or, if all else fails, eating carrots?