When a person remembers, several mechanisms work simultaneously in his head - memory, attention and thinking. The better they are developed, the easier it is to teach foreign language. Memory and attention are responsible for the volume and strength of storing new information, but a greater concentration of attention makes it easy to perceive the rules and features of the language, then comes logical thinking to apply the acquired knowledge in practice.
Do you want your brain to develop faster? lexicon have the vocabulary expanded? It's simple!
By the way, memorizing poems by heart trains your memory, and solving Sudoku, puzzles and problems (including creative ones) stimulates thinking.
A very simple, but efficient technique, which is available to everyone, but for some reason they forget about it at the right time. So 6 useful tips How to learn quickly German.
1. When learning new words, always create consonant, similar in meaning associations or entire associative series. For example: the word house, in German Haus, can be tied to the word Maus - mouse or the word coat, in German Mantel, can be tied to the word manti.
2. Repetition is a way to deal with bad memory. To learn and remember a new word, it must be repeated regularly before it is forgotten. Try to learn new words every day, repeat them before going to bed, and repeat them again in the morning. It's even better if you repeat all the words together again at the end of the week.
3. Reinforce rote memorization with semantics. That is, in order to remember a new word, you must not only repeat it (mechanically), but also understand it - connect it in meaning with existing knowledge, create associative connections. Try to imagine a new word in your head and visualize it, and at the right moment you will only have to remember the image of the picture, and then you will remember the word.
4. Watch films in German with Russian subtitles. This trains concentration, switching and distribution of attention well, and also helps in learning a language, but at the same time, try to do this not always so that the brain does not relax, because at this time you do not need to independently translate what is happening.
5. To remember new words, imagine that you have to retell them to someone (and retell them!). Try to compose a story from new words and tell it to your parents, friends, colleagues, you can even tell it to yourself, for example, in front of a mirror.
6. Change your usual means of communication: for example, a voice message instead of a text message, write it down on paper rather than in electronic notes. This develops shifting of attention and new information preserves better.
The brain's ability to learn and its functions - attention, memory and thinking - can be trained endlessly. Moreover, there is even a special one for this online service"Vikium". These are gaming simulators that increase the performance of the brain and keep it in good shape. Interestingly, the program itself builds an individual training scheme when you pass the introductory test, and then the scheme is adjusted depending on your progress. To ensure you don't miss your workout, the service even sends a reminder. 
Train your brain more, this is important not only in learning German, but also in Everyday life. And if you know any other interesting ways to remember easier, please write in the comments!
Note: this is a translation of an article by Alexander Svanevik. The author describes personal experience.
This article - summary experiment I started in January 2015: learn German in 30 days.
Before starting, I will make 3 reservations:
- “Learned German” means that I am able to speak simple themes and understand this language (orally and in writing). I did not learn to speak German fluently during this time.
- I do not claim the originality of all ideas in this text. I was inspired by books by Barry Farber and Benny Lewis.
- My native language— Norwegian. This gave me an advantage since it is linguistically close to German.
If you want to quickly read it. In addition to general councils I created a couple of useful files for learning the language.
Every day I exercised for 30-60 minutes for 30 days (month), so I didn’t spend that much time.
5 principles for effective foreign language learning
I have a hypothesis that there are 5 principles of language learning. The purpose of the experiment is to test their “strength”. Here they are:
- Set a clear goal.
- Talking from day one.
- Focus on frequently used words.
- Immerse yourself in the language.
- Monitor development.
Below I will explain how I used these principles.
1. Set a clear goal.
I followed the goal setting approach. The goal is to learn as much German as possible in 30 days. In detail, I was going to accomplish the following key goals:
- Learn the 1000 most frequently used words.
- Learn 10 songs by heart.
- Be able to talk about everyday topics with friends.
Points 1 and 2 are good because they are measurable. But the main point for me was point number 3, although it is not clearly formulated. To make it tangible, I booked a ticket to Berlin and decided that I would speak only German to my friend for the entire weekend.
Since I decided to follow the plan, I told everyone that I would learn German in 30 days. The purpose of such an act is purely psychological. I followed the plan so as not to look like a complete idiot. For 30 days, I was constantly asked: “How is learning German?” I answered: “Sehr gut, danke!”
(Secretly from others, I came up with the idea that I would record a video in Berlin in which I would speak in Deutsch. Which I did on day 29. But I will spare you the awkward video already posted on Facebook.)
2. Talk from day one.
The biggest mistake I could make when learning a language was putting off speaking it “until I was ready.” The tongue is like a muscle. As long as you go to the gym, you're fine. The rest is procrastination and laziness.
To fulfill point No. 2, I was faced with the task of making friends who speak or are learning German. I warned them that I would be online for 30 minutes every day at 20.00 on the appear.in website and posted my URL. I managed to gather 5 people. None of them were native speakers, but some were fluent in German (which is extremely important!), the rest were just starting out.
To stay within the target language and not switch to English or Norwegian, I created a Cheet Sheet that contained necessary phrases. This piece of paper kept me on my toes and was useful to me in online conversations.
Following the “tongue is a muscle” analogy, I loudly repeated everything he heard or read in German in independent classes. Compared to passive listening and reading, such repetition is imprinted on the brain.
3. Focus on frequently used words
If you don't know Zipf's law, you'll be surprised by this fact: the 100 most commonly used words make up 50 percent of the vocabulary in German films. Take a moment and reflect on this fact. It means that almost every word in a German film is from the top 100.
Illustration of Zipf's law
I found a list and created a GoogleDocs file with the 1000 most commonly used words. They make up 75% of all words in German subtitles. Task: remember their meaning before 30 days. I memorized 30-35 words a day. As far as possible I used my connections with English and Norwegian to learn them. Once a week I exported them to Anki and practiced them.
The “frequency” sheet is one of the cool ideas that came to my mind. It served as an anchor for my subsequent learning.
To test my vocabulary, I tried reading German newspapers and books, underlining words I didn't know. After reading a page or paragraph, I counted the number of words known and unknown to me (calculating the words known / total words in text ratio). At the end of the training period the coefficient was 80-85% - related words with English, Norwegian and context helped me raise 75% of the top 1000.
4. Immerse yourself in the language.
Changed the language to German on Facebook. Watched a bunch of videos on Yabla.
When I learned the lyrics, I listened to them and hummed them whenever I could. free time. I even recorded my attempts to play songs on the guitar. I just won’t show you the video)
It’s difficult to remember just by listening to the song. Therefore, at first I reread them 5-10 times without remembering them. I used Lingq and easily identified which words in the song were unfamiliar to me when listening to a new song.
5. Monitor development.
The Top 1000 Words spreadsheet was great because at any time I knew how much I had already memorized. Since I knew the frequency of each word on the list, I calculated the “volume” of German that I had already learned.
I also kept a simple diary in Evernote describing my actions during the class period. Only one day out of thirty did I do anything.
Other points in learning German in a month
I took the RocketLanguages course, but only completed the first 3 modules.
On day 27, I installed Duolingo and took the level 10 proficiency test. Class!
I didn't study grammar. It was correct solution. I didn’t have a goal to learn to speak like a purebred German in 30 days. To master the cases, I came up with the following scheme. I memorized a set of 4 sentences like: “The man gave the book to the boy” - one sentence for each gender plus plural. Memorizing four sentences is many times easier than struggling with a table of cases.
Conclusion
To sum it up, I’ll say that I achieved my goal.
I learned 1000 common words (let's add those that I didn't keep track of in the table).
Now I know 10 German songs by heart.
I went to Berlin and had a great weekend there with my friend Daniel. He taught me how to fly a kite.
If you want to try this approach yourself, here is a table for you.
That's all! Either this article will inspire you to take on a 30 day language adventure, or you think I'm crazy. Anyway, let me know what you think of my experiment!
German is included in the ranking of the ten most popular languages in the world. Every fourth European speaks german. For Russians, this skill provides an opportunity to reach new level in business, find reliable and profitable partners. Germany and Russia today have stable financial relations. This applies to both manufacturers and retailers. Large German companies are entering the domestic market, and cooperation with them provides many attractive opportunities. Knowledge of German in in this case- one of the necessities. The task is to learn german - in this article we will show you how to do it quickly and as efficiently as possible.
Why study German
To begin with, here are five main reasons why you should take up learning German. You will probably see your situation in one of the arguments.
- German skills will be useful for improving your knowledge at university. Students who speak several foreign languages are highly valued and become the object of attention. International conferences, seminars, forums, project presentations, meetings of delegations from other countries - with the knowledge of german you can take part in all these activities. Moreover, having a good level of knowledge of the profile you are studying, you have every chance of becoming an official representative of the university abroad. And, of course, student exchange programs. The first in line are those with knowledge of the language.
- Professional growth. Are you applying for a job in the Russian representative office of a large German company or in an international concern with its head office in Germany? Knowledge of german is one of the mandatory requirements that the employer will put forward. Especially if your activities will be based on communication with foreign colleagues and partners. Having command of the language at a conversational level, your candidacy will gain priority status.
- Business development. If you are planning to enter the German market or cooperate with German suppliers, you cannot do without knowledge of the language. You can, of course, take an interpreter with you to meetings, but this is not the best option to build trusting financial relationships. Dialogue on equal terms, understanding the nuances and subtleties of a specific proposal, communication both in a formal setting and without ties - all this is possible only with knowledge of German at a conversational level.
- Relocation opportunities. If you are planning to change your place of residence and move to Germany, learn the language. To a greater extent you will have to communicate in German. Of course, there will be Russian speakers among local residents, but in shops, cafes, schools, kindergartens, and when applying for a job, your language should be German.
- Love Germany and spend time there often. Having learned German at a conversational level, you will be able to freely travel around the country without feeling a language barrier. Any place, attraction, event, establishment - wherever you find yourself, owning a german, you will learn a lot of new and interesting things, without a dictionary or a guide.
If you speak German, you will be able to read books in the original, watch films without translation, listen to songs and understand their meaning, communicate with foreign friends and understand all the subtleties of dialogue. There are many benefits. The main thing is to confidently start studying and not stray from your intended goal.
5 ways to learn German
Method 1
If you are a university student, you can choose two languages to study. Primary - English and additional German. They taught English at school - continue to improve it, and learn German additionally. Agree with the teacher about individual lessons (if the university administration does not allow classroom lessons). Build up the base yourself, at home.
The teacher will become a kind of instructor for you, setting the right direction and correcting mistakes and shortcomings. You can also ask for help from classmates who speak German. good level. By the end of university, your knowledge base will include both English and German. Graduate as a valuable specialist.
Method 2
Hire a tutor. This is the most expensive method of learning a language, but at the same time the most effective. In the format of individual lessons, the student’s potential is fully revealed; the teacher sees all the mistakes and corrects them in a timely manner. The specialist assesses the initial level of knowledge and develops an appropriate program, setting its intensity level.
Classes are held in an effective combination of theory and practice, with the practice of live speech, the correct placement of semantic accents, stress and intonation. The student receives the maximum that the teacher has. Therefore, it is very important to carefully choose a tutor.
One of the significant advantages is that classes are held at a time convenient for you. As a rule, the teacher draws up a schedule taking into account your employment. By missing a meeting with the teacher, you do not lose hours (as happens in the classroom format of language schools) and do not fall behind the program. The lesson is postponed to another day.
Method 3
Language classes. Choose a school whose branch is located near your home or work and become part of the group. At the first meeting, the specialist will identify your level of knowledge, take into account your wishes regarding the intensity of training and prescribe a specific program.
If you want to learn a language as quickly as possible, classes will be held in an intensive format, 3-4 times a week, with thorough practice. Don't rush anywhere - you will become part of the group and gradually build up your language knowledge in a classroom format.
As a rule, classes are held in the evenings, taking into account the end of the standard working day. The children's schedule is different, lessons are held in the morning or until 18.00 - during the first and second shifts of the secondary school.
Plus language school- in communication. You have the opportunity to practice spoken German, express your thoughts in german, and hear how others speak. The disadvantage of this training format is that the program is quite long (compared to classes with a tutor) and the class schedule is not flexible.
- If you miss a lesson, there will be no individual repetition; you will have to catch up on your own or pay extra to the teacher for a one-on-one meeting.
Method 4
Language camps for children and teenagers and away programs for adults. This method is one of the most expensive, but the expectations will be justified. Moreover, useful things are combined with pleasant things: activities are complemented by relaxation, getting to know the country, its traditions and attractions.
Language camps are offered for children wide range opportunities to show your talents, try new hobbies, and learn a lot of new and interesting things about Germany and its inhabitants. Students move into comfortable boarding houses, which have everything for effective studies and a relaxing holiday. Classes are held daily, their format is different: theoretical lessons, live communication, watching films, listening, presentations, master classes, creative competitions etc.
For adults, two formats of classes are in demand: in groups and individually. By choosing a classroom program, you attend lectures and practice communicating with native speakers, meet new people, and improve your spoken German. Lessons with a tutor give you freedom of action.
You can travel freely throughout the country and do not depend on a language school based in a specific city in Germany. It’s not a problem to find several teachers, each of whom will pick up the program and bring your level to perfection.
The advantages of the method: high efficiency and combination of activities with relaxation. The downside is the high cost.
Method 5
Self-study. This option is not suitable for everyone. To learn a foreign language from scratch and achieve a conversational level as a result, certain character traits and self-discipline are required. Whatever program you choose, if you don’t have the right attitude, the process is doomed to failure.
What you need to learn German on your own
Homeschooling is the most the hard way, which is backed by clear self-organization, the ability to concentrate and determination. Choosing this method, you must make a promise to yourself to reach the end, to achieve the desired level. Experts recommend following a number of rules that will help in remote learning of the German language:
- Ask yourself a goal, why do you need german. The constant desire to achieve the high bar that you set for yourself will become the main incentive, the engine of your educational process. Remember how German can help you and what opportunities it will open up.
- Follow the class schedule strictly. Make a schedule and hang it in a visible place. Give each lesson a specific topic and task. Use a red marker to mark control days dedicated to testing your knowledge. Ideally, arrange a test at the end of each week - this way you will determine your level and understand what points you should pay special attention to.
- Choose an online program that is clear and easy to learn. Important point- the ability to communicate via Skype with a teacher or native speaker from Germany. These services are paid. Having found a good teacher, you will quickly gain practice in live speech, correct mistakes and become closer to the conversational level.
- Watch TV in German, videos on YouTube, read books, listen to songs. All this will enrich your vocabulary and fill it with new speech structures.
- Speak out loud more, communicate in German at home, record your speech on a voice recorder. Listening allows you to hear yourself from the outside and identify your weaknesses.
- Get a dictionary and enter difficult-to-understand words and sentences into it. Place emphasis in transcriptions, highlight problematic points with a marker. Periodically flip through your notebook and memorize its contents. This is one of the most effective ways work on bugs.
We hope our tips will help you learn German and achieve a confident speaking level. Set yourself up to achieve results and think about what German will give you.
Regardless of whether you are planning a long business trip to Germany, a promotion, an exam, or you just want to improve your linguistic knowledge, you need to learn German in high level. To master this language, you need extensive knowledge: to speak, write and read fluently.
Start learning German with consonants and vowels. Vowels sound different when paired with others or alone. And consonants - depending on their position in the word. It is best to learn all the rules of pronunciation. Start replenishing your word base with basic “yes”, “no”, “Hello”, learn to count to at least 10. Then you can memorize the basic vocabulary - verbs, adjectives, nouns, the expression “I”, “they”, “we”, "You".
How to learn German?
If you already have basic skills in any language (except German, of course), it will be much easier for you to learn words and expressions from the speech of residents of Germany, Austria or, say, Switzerland. They already understand grammatical structures, there are standards for comparison and analysis, which means that learning will take less time.
Currently, a lot of language centers offer their services fast learning German language. They talk about some incredible techniques that will help you master German in just a couple of months (!). There is truth in this, but only a small part. In fact, their approaches simply focus on spoken language and spend very little time on the grammatical aspects of it.
Start small and learn the German alphabet. He is in .
Of course, it is impossible to talk about total mastery of German in three months. This technique serves to liberate and bring the student to the contact stage. Basically, anyone colloquial pursues a similar goal. The problem is that with the standard, “school” approach, the transition to speaking occurs very slowly, or even never at all. So the technology of teaching German in such centers can be considered rational.
Difficulties of the German language If you do not want to attend specialized language courses, you can learn the basics of German language and speech on your own. To do this, you just have to stock up on some time, patience and the Internet. In the "web" you will find all the necessary audiovisual media (audio recordings, pictures, visual aids, dictionaries), which will help you master German at the initial stage. Having made the necessary supplies, use the following action plan.
- Listen to real German speech. This starting technique will allow you to feel the melody of German sentences, to grasp the subtleties that distinguish the language from others. But there will be differences - that's obvious.
- Repeat what you heard after the speaker. At this stage, you immediately begin to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of speaking German. Teachers at language centers monitor this process, and in their absence we recommend using a voice recorder. By recording yourself and then comparing it with the original source, you can evaluate how well you are doing. Intonation and rhythmic errors will be immediately audible, and you will be able to quickly correct them.
It is recommended to practice phrases at least once a day. You can spend about an hour or two on this - it all depends on the number of conversational units you are working with. At first, it is possible that their perception, repetition and involuntary memorization will take more time. But every time you learn German, you will learn German faster and faster. After about two weeks of such active practice, you will begin to notice how you involuntarily strive to use a familiar phrase from the German language in everyday situations. If this happens, you are doing everything right.
- Compare what you hear with what you see. Here we already mean the transition to the stage of mastering letters German alphabet and developing the ability to put them into words. You will have to act in two steps. First, using the help of a speaker, as well as any phrasebook or German-Russian dictionary, practice pronouncing the letters. Then you can move on to mastering the rules of reading. (For this point, the German language should be given a separate Danke, because in comparison with the same English or French languages, most of the letter combinations seen are pronounced the same way as they are written; there are rare exceptions and features that will not be difficult to remember).
Knowing how words are read, you will be able to practice on simple lexical units from the most understandable areas of our lives (daily routine, leisure, being, flora and fauna, weather, etc.). Plus, this will ensure visual memorization of the word and its association with the Russian version. Therefore, the vocabulary will gradually be replenished, which is also quite important.
- Reinforce vocabulary with grammar, and theory with practice. In parallel with reading, begin to master grammar rules German language. Start with the simplest ones - those that will be useful at an early stage. For example, read about how to construct sentences or how verbs are conjugated in the present tense. Don’t forget to consolidate the material you’ve learned by completing tasks from reference books, which are also easy to find on the Internet. By completing such tasks, you will write down the answers and thereby train written speech, including not only visual, but also muscle memory.
AND oral speech don't leave either! Try to meaningfully “substitute” familiar colloquial constructions in situations of everyday communication. If you are in a store, imagine that you need to find out in German how much an item costs. Or in the morning you need to greet your “home” or neighbors, or work colleagues... You never know what else you can think of! In a word, practice.
As a rule, if you deliberately set out to learn German, your main enemy can only be time and family circumstances. Having “seven people” makes it quite difficult to engage in self-development. If you need to learn German for work, this procedure is equivalent to forced measures. Here you can already turn on the “I don’t want” or “Oh, how lazy” mode. Then you should remember that you are not in school, and you need this for growth, career and, perhaps, even prosperity.
It turns out that you can quickly learn German. It all depends on what goal is being pursued. If you need to communicate in a language, a decent result can be achieved in 2-3 months. A thorough study will require more time, the main thing is that the initial goal is justified by the means invested in the process of achieving it.
Several sites for learning German online:
- Deutsch-online(www.de-online.ru)
- Lingust(lingust.ru/deutsch)
- Yeshko(www.eshko.ua)
Here you can check your level of German- http://lingvaacademy.ru/language-deutsch-test
A little humor:
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