If you are wondering ‘how hard is it to learn German?’, we can prove to you that it is easier than you imagine. Why? If you’ve completed your first few lessons of the Coffee Break German, you’ve already learned a lot!
Take a moment and reflect on what great progress you have already made. In this blog post, we’ll recap some essential phrases and topics you’ve likely encountered so far to help you answer the question ‘how hard is it to learn German’ on your own!
Don’t forget to listen to the episode to make your retention even better!
Introducing yourself and saying hello and how you’re feeling
If you are wondering how hard it is to learn German, we are sure you already know what to say when you meet someone for the first time – so the answer would be ‘not that hard!’. Let’s recap some of this knowledge on how to greet people in German:
- Hello! Hello!
- Guten Morgen! Good morning!
- Guten Tag! Good day!
- Guten Abend! Good evening!
- Gute Nacht! Goodnight!
- Auf Wiedersehen! Goodbye!
When introducing yourself, you can say:
- Ich heiße [Your Name]. My name is [your name].
- Wie heißt du? What is your name?
- Ich komme aus [Country/City]. I come from [country/city].
- Ich wurde in [Place] geboren. I was born in [place].
If you want to ask someone how they feel and say how you are feeling:
- Wie geht es Ihnen? / Wie geht’s(dir)? How are you?
- Mir geht’s gut. I’m fine.
- Mir geht’s schlecht. I don’t feel fine.
Talking about your family
Talking about your family members in German is another common topic. Here are some useful phrases:
- Hier ist meine Familie. Here is my family.
- Meine Frau und mein Sohn sind auch hier. My wife and my son are also here.
- Wie heißt Ihre Frau? What is your wife’s name?
- Meine Frau heißt… My wife is called…
- Sind Sie hier mit Ihrer Familie? Are you here with your family?
So, what do you think so far? If the question is how hard is it to learn German, you are definitely doing a good job as you already know much about this topic as well!
Communicating your language skills
When learning a new language, it’s helpful to express how much you can speak and understand:
- Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch. I speak a little German.
- Leider spreche ich kein Englisch. Unfortunately, I don’t speak English.
- Sie sprechen perfektes Deutsch. You speak perfect German.
- Auf Englisch, bitte. In English, please.
Useful everyday phrases
Here are some additional everyday phrases that always come in handy:
- Sind Sie zum ersten Mal hier? Is this your first time here?
- [Place name] ist sehr schön. [Place name] is very beautiful.
- Es hat mich sehr gefreut. It was very nice to meet you.
- Viel Glück! Good luck!
- Alles Gute zum Geburtstag! Happy Birthday!
- Frohe Weihnachten! Merry Christmas!
- Gutes neues Jahr! Happy New Year!
- Ich liebe dich. I love you.
Remember, the key to learning any language is practice and patience. Try using these phrases in conversations as much as possible. Little and often, step by step, you’ll see patterns becoming clearer in the language. Don’t worry about making mistakes; it’s all part of the learning process.
Did we answer the question ‘how hard is it to learn German?’, proving to you that you already know a lot? We hope we did! Keep practising, and soon you’ll find yourself more comfortable and confident in speaking the language!
To continue learning new vocabulary, check out our blog post on how to order drinks in German and make your next travel experience even better!
3 thoughts on “How hard is it to learn German? Look at what you know already!”
Hi,
Congratulations on a well put-together series of lessons! I love your approach, particularly the structure and the informal conversational nature of the lessons. The cultural and grammar segments add a great deal and I’ve found the support materials, especially the lesson notes, very helpful (so much so that I’ve just downloaded the first of the study packs). I find it occasionally frustrating that you say that we’ll come back to a particular point in a future lesson but I understand that you can’t cram everything in at once – I’m just eager to learn more!
I’m in my fifties and ‘did’ German in school. I’ve had a number of visits to Germany over the years, usually in company, so I realise how little practical knowledge of the language that I have. Your course has given me the confidence to organise a solo motorbike tour of Germany later this year, something I’m really looking forward to!
Keep up the good work!
John
I am enjoying your Coffee Break German series. I studied German in school for six years, and I have learned more here in 10 lessons. I really didn’t enjoy translating Fruhlings Erwachten! I hope that Kirsten was correct not to worry about the grammar. She said it will come with practice. Honestly, I don’t know what the cases are in English, what modal verbs are, etc., nor do I really care. I doubt that German children learning the language get all the technical grammar rationale when they are learning to speak. My goal is to be understood and if I say einem instead or einer, it’s not a big deal to me. I listen to your lessons when I am walking or at the gym and I really enjoy them! Nun muss ich zu meinem Studium zuruckkehren.
Craig W.
Thank you so much, Craig! 😊 We’re delighted to hear that you’re enjoying Coffee Break German and finding the lessons helpful. It’s wonderful that you’re learning in a way that fits into your daily routine. And yes, Kirsten is absolutely right, the grammar really does start to make sense naturally as you listen, speak, and practise.
Viel Erfolg!
Sarah and the Coffee Break team