Learning German on a budget

I've never tried to learn German before, I did French and Spanish at school, and I wasn't exactly understandable in either of those. Now I'm here, in Germany, and really ought to learn German, even the big issue vendor in Hauptbahnhof told me I need to learn German.

I've been looking for courses, the uni does some, but they're only for people enrolled at the uni, which is crap. I also found some at language schools but they cost 630 EUR for a two week course. Which I can't afford.

Some people have suggested LinguaPhone others insist I should do a course.

Has/Is anyone learnt/learning German in Munich, how did/are you going about it? How succesful were/are the lessons?

If it doesn't cost much more than 150 EUR I can probably put it on expenses at my company

Steve

i think the 'volkshochschule' offer course, but i've got no idea how much they are!! but i find the best way is to try reading german magazines & watching tv - might sound a bit strange, but after a while you 'absorb' the language automatically if you make an effort not to try and aviod everything german!!

keep an eye out on the notices on the lamp posts. you often find people offering private lessons that way.
I pass one on my way to work, I'll get the number for you. This person offers english lessons and german for foreigners so I know they can speak english.
This way you get a one to one lesson with a native german speaker and usually the rates are much more reasonable.

I am not sure I believe in intensive courses that promise you will be able to have a normal conversation after two weeks of 8-hour days. learning a language happens slowly, by acquiring a few basics and a whole lot of practice.

my advice: get a few tapes, a dictionary, and a local playmate of the opposite sex (or same sex if such is your bag)

good luck
J

Agreed.

I attended a two week course (8:30am-5pm every day) at the Goethe Institut (which is often considered to be the best) at the end of August. That was on top of nearly 2 years of studying 2-3 times per week (1.5 hours per lesson). And after all that, I still struggle to hold a normal conversation (although I can make myself understood, and can usually understand others, particularly if they're willing to rephrase things I don't understand).

The 2 week course was relatively useful at brushing up my grammar, was good revision, and got me a nice certificate to mention on my CV. But I wouldn't consider it worth the €1775 price tag, unless your company is paying for it. Such a course would certainly get you to the survival level, though.

And Steve, if that "€150" you think you can squeeze out of your company is a monthly thing, then you could probably get enrolled on a fairly decent evening course (I do two evenings a week at Inlingua for a little under that per month).

Just to add my tuppenyworth - if you get the chance watch as many kiddy cartoons as possible ( ie until you want to run screaming from the room pulling your hair out) While I haven't done this for German, I did for learning French, my wife (French) recommended it after she started learning English while studying in Chicago on an exchange year when she was 18 - it actually does help !!!

My boyfriend was able to find a private teacher to teach him 1-to-1 lessons twice a week, 90 minutes a turn for 20 Euros per session. In my opinion, that's very cheap. He had taken a course previously with Berlitz, but it's been these lessons that have brought him in 6 months up to being able to speak German with everyone. He's still not that keen on the phone, but really can follow most conversations and participate. Key points: going more than once a week so that the previous stuff is still fresh and also doing homework.

If the emphasis is on budget then try these:

Prisma e.V.
Gollierstraße 25
80339 München

Tel.: 089 / 54073717

as recommended by the University of Munich: http://www.iz.hr.tu-muenchen.de/beratung/d...tnisse/k16.tuml

They are cheap because they get subsidised by the local authority. I've never been myself but I used to teach english with one of the guys who runs it. They're supposed to be very good.

I have an "Instant German" book that I've found not to be all that instant, I sit with German people
during lunch most days and listens for words I understand. Occasionally I understand a whole sentence.

I agree that you absorb the language, but I'm only here until August and need to put in a bit of effort to ensure I learn. As for getting a german girlfriend I'd be happy with that but the fact I don't speak german
sets me at a disadvantage a bit of a catch 22 really.

Steve

Rubish Steve, body language!! Get yourself out there and use your charms, you'll have great fun trying to understand each other. Anyway, as English is compulsory in schools here, any girl you're likely to meet will speak a little English, you'll just have to coax it out!

I have a cheap way to learn German at the Goethe Institut.

I went there October and November 2002 and it only cost me 500 Teuros for two months at 3 hours plus about 2 hours homework. It was bloody hard work and at the end of it I could hold my own (fnarr! fnarr!) in a conversation with a German (but after need a rest!)

It was only a year later and it shows how little of a clue I had what was going on that I discovered that all the teachers were student teachers so you got it at a hefty discount. All of a sudden they would change the teachers about every 3 weeks so we had 3 different teachers in all. What was nice was that I was in a class with a lot of south Americans with some tasty twentysomethings who kept throwing parties for their teacher every time she left. At the end I got my Zertifikat Deutsch and I can now with some confidence translate Deutsche Bahn technical docs for my job.

Goethe course. Best thing I ever did.

Jeremy (extremely serious project manager proudly wearing a 15 year old Viz T shirt with Roger Mellie on it today!)

Hi Steve,

you mentioned courses exclusively for students. Are you sure that's correct? I did the DSH - Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang ausländischer Studienbewerber and I wasn't a student at the time.

If this is the one you're thinking of, it's for foreigners who wish to apply for a place at uni here. There's more info here. It's in German, though.

The course takes place near Josephsplatz and runs every weekday from either 9am to 12.30pm or 2pm to 5.30pm. The course is divided up into two month sections and from absolute beginner to Intermediate takes a year (intermediate being the highest level - "Mittelstufe 2" auf Deutsch). It's intense as there's an additional 2 hours homework a day. For what you get it's cheap. There's loads in a classroom (like 20 something people) from all over the world.

Hope this helps

Here the number for that person offering german lessons to foreigners

089 1784973 or 0162 7238042

I presume they speak english as they also advertise english lessons

I did about 3 months of night lessons (2x week for 90mins per lesson) at Inlingua at Sendlinger Tor. It gave me a decent grounding in the grammar and from there I was able to build on what I learned through work and everyday situations (getting people to speak German with me at work definitely did the most to help me improve).

Also, don't get discouraged if you find it difficult to get people to actually speak German with you when you're first learning - especially if you have an English (language) accent in German.

I am fighting very hard NOT to allow myself to learn German but its harder than it sounds!! ITs everywhere obviously, and I cannot block it out anymore. I am starting to understand...AAAAAAAA!!

Anyway, German aside, I learnt both French and Spanish mostly through
a) Watching tons of TV.Not cartoons, they drive me mad, but other rubbish, like the A Team, films like Top Gun etc. You already know the script, and it really helps you pick up a lingo. Also, don'T rent out films, watch them on telly where you get loads of adverts. Adverts often use little catchphrases and idioms that can add a little extra to your lingo.

Bars. Alcohol helps you forget you are making a twat of yourself, and you are more inclined to talk and have a go.

Learn a few really good German sounding phrases, and talk to everyone. Taxi nutters, shop keepers. Have the same conversation a few times with different people. Eventually, people will start saying how good your German is, which gives you a lift, more confidence, and more inclination to talk. Sooner or later you will be able to hold a conversation without the need for alcohol! Well, booze stills helps if you ask me, but your boss might be a bit funny if you knock a few back before every meeting.

Try putting up a note in the University message board at the Mensa
Specify you're looking for a student who knows how to teach their language, many don't and that you need reasonable rates.

Also buy a German tutor like Hugo's German in three months and do the excercises in it. The biggest problem with German is to ignore the foundation of the Grammar. If you do that you will be able to speak it but never write it properly

Cheers

Hawk

I think the cheapest language courses are run by the Volkshochschule - basically it's adult education run by the city (or Bavarian State - I don't know which).

I'm currently doing a course that is 3 mornings a week for 2 months and it only cost 172 euros!

I would say that if you haven't got loads of cash for a private school, go with the Volkshochschule - you can take courses from complete beginner through to advanced levels.

See below for my waffle about what I think of the course I'm doing.

To find out more, you can pick up a brochure at the Rathaus (the information centre at Marien Platz) or go to the Stadt Bibliotek - Rotkeutz Plaz. I think the next set of courses kick-off at the end of December.

Here are my thoughts on it:

Pros:
+ Cheap!
+ Most students I've met are actually living here in Munich (rather then just staying to learn German).
+ Wide variety of courses - i.e. different levels, at various times of the day (morning, afternoons, evenings etc), in many locations (centre of town, Schwabing, Neu Hausen etc).

Cons:
+ Possibly not as intensive as some of the Private schools.
+ Might not make as many friends (I met a lot more fun people at the Goethe Institue).
+ Large demand for places (you have to sign-up on a Saturday at 7:30am!!! - when I did it I arrived at 7:30 on the dot and was number 297!!!). So you have to go through a bit of pain to get on the course, but it's one early Saturday - if you can hack it!

Did being 297 mean you couldn't get the time slot you wanted, or did you mean to be in the morning class?

I just walked past the location where Forum Deutsch was supposed to be according to the Toytown primer on language schools, and saw no sign of it. Internet searching failed too.

Has Forum Deutsch gone out of business, or just moved?

Too bad if it did, as it was right around the corner from me.

You mean this Toytown primer: Language Schools?

Forum Deutsch is notoriously difficult to locate. There are no signs. You have to press the buzzer then go up to the 5th floor. There might not even be a name on the buzzer. But it was definately there in Spring 2003. You could always try and find out the old fashioned way - by picking up the dog and bone! Tel. 089 341450.

If it has closed, or moved, please pass on the info! Cheers.

There are some free internet resources out there, and some are pretty good.

The BBC has some online resources with some multimedia.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/german/

The About.com website has a section for learning German, including dictionaries, grammer guides, etc, etc. Its a large amount of information, some worth mentioning are;
http://german.about.com/http://german.about.com/library/anfang/blanfang_inhalt.htm
Top 1,000 Words in German text
http://german.about.com/library/blabbrev.htm
Menu and Dining Guide
http://german.about.com/library/blgloss.htm
etc, etc.

The last site is Deutsche Welle. They have a very good free online course. A 52 part beginners course supported by downloadable mp3s and pdfs (each part is approx 15 minutes long.) Also a 52 part intermediate course (same details). There's also a 26 part Business German course.
DW Language course

Additionally they now have a section where they have the 10am news re-read slowly and clearly pronounced, which is great to see how to hear those crazily long words. There's a downloadable mp3, and readwhileyoulistenalongable (I could make up German words!) web page.
Slowly spoken news reports

New years resolution (again)- learn German

I've decided that I will get private 1 to 1 lessons. I've heard this can be expensive and that some teachers are crap. Any advice for learning German this way? Anyone actually got a private teacher they can recommend?

Hello, I am in the Deutschkurse für Ausländer bei die Universität München, it is affiliated to the Ludwig-Maximillian Universität but it´s not only for students enrolled at the Uni. Anyone can go, I've been there for about a month and a half and I can speak a lot of German, of course I'm not perfect and I'm still in present, past and partizip perfekt but that helps me to have conversations and make myself understood. The courses start at Grundstufe (Absolute beginner) and go up to Oberstufe but you can take it until Mittelstufe 2 that is the basic you need to get the DHS (the qualification that you know good German). The course cost 620 euros per course, each course last 2 months and they told me the Mittelstufe last a bit longer but for the same price. Tho' in May they are raising it to 660 euros. I have a colombian friend that is changing to the Volkshochschule, she says there the courses cost 320 euros and last for 3 months and have everything divided as subjects. It takes longer to learn tho' but I have heard is good. Hope this was of any help.

Not pathetic at all Robert, it's the nature of the beast. I'm here about 5 years myself and speak bugger all local lingo. Definitely getting a local partner is a big help although in my case I f*cked it up because the love of my life is also an English student so we never speak German at all. Since most Germans speak very good English it takes any pressure off. My advice would be if you wanna learn quickly, get hooked up with someone from a country such as Turkey, Greece and so forth. Basically someone who has learned (or grew up with German), but not overly exposed to English. I can recommend a very nice Brazilian if that's any use

I had a mate who lived here for a few years and (this is no joke) learnt from the Jehovah's Witnesses. He didn't join them or anything, but they pretty much taught him for free (obviously hoping that he'd end up joining them). Apparently, when the American Jehovah's witnesses come over as missionaries, they are not allowed to speak English amongst themselves after a couple of weeks of arrival. As such, they've developed a very effective crash course.

I'm not even sure how my mate found this out - don't really want to know, actually...

So if you can handle the rest of it, then you could try to make some new friends - and you never know...maybe find religion along the way

I thought I'd give you all an update on how I'm doing with the old German. I enrolled on a course with the volkhochschule as somebody suggested. It cost an incredibly reasonable 172 EUR, for which I get 3 lessons a week for 3 hours each for 2 months and a free textbook (Passwort Deutsch).

It is taught in a way that in some ways seems similar to how they tried to teach me french at school, (and failed) however I'm finding it much easier, probably due to a combination of being older and actually having some motivation. The lessons are conducted entirely in German apart from bits of clarification from either the teacher or other students in a variety of languages spoken there.

The class size is a maximum of 20, and I guess there is that many people now, they're from all over, south africans, russians, polish, morrocan, bulgarian, colombian, peruvian, iraqi, turkish, australians and they're just the ones I've had chance to speak to. Some folks speak english there, but mostly not, I have developed some interesting friendships in the group and we have to communicate in German, which is pretty good motivation and practice.

All in all I'm very happy with the course and I've already decided to enrol on the next level when I complete this one, I reccomend it to all.

Really recommend going to backstreet local bars where you will have to learn German to get in with the banter at the bar. You'll end up speaking a real Munich pub slang and not proper Hoch Deutsch And the pints are a LOT cheaper than a lot of the bars in Munich that English speakers tend to go to. No names.

I don't know any germans to go to such bars with, only englsih folks who like the safety of irish and australian bars.

"safety" two (girl) mates of mine have been involved in punch-ups in a well known Irish bar in the last couple of weeks!

You put your finger on the problem though, too many of us English speakers just hang around the same dozen odd bars drinking pints that are a Euro a pop dearer than a local bar and find it a hard habit to break. And you're not that likely to make any German mates who are going to help your German or bring you to a German pub either.

Try and jump in at the deep end and go in a local pub on your own with a book or paper. If it is really shite you can leave after a EUR 2,50 pint and you've lost nothing. But there are some character full pubs around town and that's how I learnt my German, and made some good mates - and defend my local to the last!

What Grtho says is very true. There's a lot of benefit in just going to a little local on your own and engaging whoever is there in conversation. I did that when I first came here and made spome great German friends as a result. Hasn't overly improved my German language skills although that's more down to my own laziness than anything else.

Steve, why not ask your mates from your language class out for a drink and take their suggestion of where to go?

I already did, mostly they are newer to Munich than I am though.

Anyone have some lowbrow recommendations for total non-speakers? My guy is joining me for a few months this summer and he's in need of a relatively cheapy crash course in street -as opposed to textbook-German, all he wants to learn is items related to eating, drinking, probably pissing and hopefully how to say exit in German without laughing. Any recs would be appreciated ;-)

There is a website www.sprachduo.de. You can look for partners to learn a language. You offer your own mother tongue or any other language you speak in exchange. As for example I speak german and want to improve my spanish so I look for a partner speaking spanish who wants to learn German.

This service is for free. You can meet up and see if you come along with each other.
I met someone who a good friend of mine now. I also met weird people, but thats the way life goes .

jml especially for your friend who want to learn basic German this is a good and cheap thing.

cheers

The last german course I did was a casual, fun, and never-ending course here in Rosenheim, and it was free. I believe it was sponsered by the catholic church actually, and it was located in the Ausbildungszentrum. There must be something similar in Munich.

The coolest bit? The teacher was a princess! Thats right, our teacher was the Baroness of Oldenberg, grand-daughter of the last Kaiser Wilhelm II, and princess of the German Empire! We were all rather star-struck upon hearing this news!

I will try and look into it and see if theres anything similar in Munich. (But without the princess, she stays in Rosenheim!)

Hey guys,

I am German, I've been living in the US (San Fran, Portland) and Canada (Vancouver) for 6.5 years, working there as a foreign correspondent with several German mags (also published in US publications). Your experience, away from home -- only reversed. Now I am back "home" and found this great site and forum. I couldn't find any other useful German community sites on Munich -- what a shame...

Anyways, I would be available for teaching some German. I have several teaching books, especially grammar books. Depending on your level we could go either the classic way with the lectures in the books, grammar drills or more freestyle, conversational (which would be more fun, of course -- we could read articles and discuss stuff. I had the chance to experience your culture and it would be wonderful hearing yours -- in German!).

Interested? drop me a message...
cheers,
Reiner

I know of a couple of young female German teachers who do German language teaching, relatively cheap, but based on formal methodology.

If you are still interested, I can send your contact details to them and "let nature take its course".

can anyone recommend a language school that has german classes in the summer that arent too expensive?
thanx

German Lessons

also this...

German Language Schools

So in the end I went to volkhochschule as I think I already posted.

The course was really good fun and i learnt alot. I am now on my second course there,
some of the same students are there, but not all. As well as a large amount of new people.
Who have a wider range of german ability than my original group, from people who have lived here
5 years to people who have been here a month and speak virtually nothing, which is ridiculous
for the second level course.

I don't enjoy the new course nearly as much even though it's the same teacher. The people are
miserable mostly and the pace is very slow for the people who blatantly haven't done the first level
course. I think that VHS is probably good for the first level if you know no or very little german.

After that it would be good to take a break and practice what you learn for a month or two. This isn't
an option for me as i leave Munich in September then after that you might be able to learn from books, internet or you could take another course but i think VHS is probably not so good for anything apart from beginners.

Klartext seems good.

I just started taking classes there this week and so far it seems pretty good..and alot of the other students in my class have taken classes there before and they said they learned alot. And the thing that made me sign up is that its really cheap! For 2 classes a week (2.5 hrs each) for 5 weeks, it only costs 100€
I think that might even be cheaper than the Volkshochschule ..not sure tho. But yea, they have evening classes, afternoon classes or morning classes... but mornign and afternoon classes are more intensive and like 4 hrs a day 4 days a week or sumfin (for more money of course).
But yea, for those of u looking for cheap German classes it might be worth looking into!

o here r the prices:

Morning Classes (20 hrs/wk, 5 d/wk) 330 euro
Afternoon Class (16 hrs/wk, 4 d/wk) 260 euro
Evening Class (5 hrs/wk, 2 d/wk) 100 euro

someone posted sumfin about it in the german language school section all the way at the bottom. but yea, its the cheapest by far.

Diane DeMarco is an American who teaches English. she is talking about going back to the States and it makes me so sick, I am seriously considering learning to speak German myself. Ah, it'll be so much easier to take the piss outta the locals if done in their native tongue.

perhaps we could start our own Native English speakers learning German over a beer in the garden stamtisch?

send a PM and I shall be happy to forward her digits to ya!

Anyone know good and affordable (student budget) evening course, maybe 2hrs x 5 days a week? I have 8 mths training in Munich starting August and I am thinking of picking up another language at the same time.

Thanks in advance.

Let's give new life to this forum! Is there somebody who has been to "SPRACHEN UND DOLMETSCHER INSTITUT MUENCHEN"? It looks quite professional, and not too expensive, but I would like to read some direct experiences about it?
I am also looking for a privat teacher for a group of 3/4 persons: any suggestion?
Other information: the school FORUM DEUTSCH now does only one to one courses (+2 euros each other person), the phone number is the same, and they also got skype!
Thanks! ciao ciao

Hey Valentina,

I am currently using Udo from Forum Deutsch.. things are going pretty well ( I think ) if you need to get hold of him he is on Forum.deutsch@t-online.de and available on 0172 825 8642...

Viel spass

8LGM

I am doing a 6 week course which costs me 320 Oiros.
Its 3hours/day, 4days /week for 6 weeks.

Prisma
I am happy with the classes.

Dont ask me about the german language though!

Wow, these are excellent! Thank you!!! I've been learning German for the past year and have seen all sorts of learning material, on and off line. These are some of the best IMO because they're interesting and fun, whereas most others are kinda boring.

I wish I knew about this website a long time ago!

I searched for Goethe, and followed the link to this thread...

I'm just wondering if anyone has been on one of the GI's Intensiv courses? I'm looking at the "Classic 4 week" course in particular...

I went to the volkschule (or whatever its called!) 230 euros for 3 months (2 mornings a week) and they covered all the basics. Found them to be brilliant