How long did it take you to learn German?

Dunno what I've done to deserve it, but I've been variously placed as being from Holland, Denmark or Sweden, despite never having been to any of those countries. And when I went to Belgium once, and tried to reactivate my French, twice I got spoken back to in German.

You lads have problems... A few years back while waiting in Gatwick airport I got into a conversation with a british couple (they were nice people really). In the course of the conversation one of them turned around and said "You speak very good english for a german". I hadn't told them that I lived in Germany. That was the first time I ever got a compliment that pissed me off!

Yes, this happens all the time. The people are just trying to be helpful but honestly it would be a lot more helpful if they would speak German to me. As soon as they hear the American accent...

nicht langsam

Not a German specialty, you get served this dish all over world, local sauce. I've seen it in China, Mexico and France. And ze 'ricaners do it special fast too, a la mode.

Your written english is very good also - I wished I could learn your language a good as you know mine.

I have been in learning German at a course (20 hours a week) for the past 7 weeks and things are going well so far. The tutor speaks in German most of the time, and, if I am having a moment and can't phrase a question, I ask in English and she replies in German. cool.

Luckily for me I live with with German boyfriend and his German family and I socialise with his German friends. When I first met my boyfriend he couldn't speak English too well and my German was "eins, zwei, drei, ja, nein, alles klar". Now, he's studying the English language at Uni and I speak pretty well. I understand most things that people are saying so it is infuriating when I want to get my point across.

I have been considering going home for a few months because I currently have no prospects work wise, but I am worried I'll lose it all as my parents only speak English.

I had to learn different languages as part of my training as a singer in the US. I took Italian and French very seriously and, after 2 years of living in Italy, I can honestly say that I was very fluent. I never thought I would move to Germany and I was really never drawn to the language. But as fate...and work...would have it, I moved to Germany 3 1/2 years ago. I thought that my 1 year of German would be worth something. I came to find out it was worth nill, and I had to start from scratch.

I pick up languages pretty fast in general, but German has been a challenge. Unfortunately, I'm somewhat of a perfectionist. Like most people here, I can now get by and I can usually get my point across in German. But at first, I didn't want to speak at all unless it was perfect. I was afraid people would laugh at me or think I was uneducated. Result: I ended up barely speaking German at all! I took classes but they only helped so much. Then, last year, I started a small German/English Stammtisch with a German friend of mine. There are (were...we need another English speaker actually) only 4 of us and we try to meet once a week at Zoozie's. We speak 1 1/2 of German, then we switch to English. If anyone desires, their English or German will be corrected by the native speaker. If not, we just speak. The whole idea is to have confidence speaking, whether the grammar or articles are correct or not.

This has helped me tremendously. I started speaking German more. I still make mistakes but they don't hinder me as much. Another aspect is lletter writing. Since I'm a freelancer, I have to write a lot of business letters and emails. I used to get people to do this for me, but I started feeling like a burden. So now, I do my best with the dictionary, and knowing that my German may make someone laugh out loud histerically (at least I've given them something to laugh about), I'm proud of myself for trying. And so far, every letter has been understood.

So while my German will never be "perfect" as long as I live here, I'm content to keep trying and hopefully getting better. I encourage everyone else in the same boat to just try. It's proably not as bad as you think. On the rare occasion that all else fails...especially when you're pissed (US meaning, thank you!) and can't think of a word of German, do what I do and just blurt it out in English!

oh man,

i'm fairly new here, in germany and Toytown, i'm from melbourne, australia. just read all that about learning german, and i'm seriously scared now. just signed up to learn german in july, but after reading that most people on average took 4-5 years and still havent got it right is scaring the shit out of me.

i even used to live here at a young age and spoke fluent german till i was 6 years old, alas i only remember counting 1-10.

anyone know if ikk in Düsseldorf is any good before i pay?

and to add to all of that, i'm a photographer and most times cant even see the sense in words or languages to begin with.

How long did it take me to learn German? My mom said about 3 weeks. It was the "sink or swim" method - they put me in a German kindergarten and locked the door! After 3 years, we moved back to the US. Thanks to my father later dumping my mom and marrying his German secretary, I was forced to speak German at home (in the US) until he dumped her In the years with my father's wife #3 (who's first husband was German), I managed to keep enough rudimentary German to help me get started when I moved here 15 years ago. Growing up bilingual sure helps with the translation work!

thanks for the family history but lets be honest, it's not going to help our pal here from Melbourne who can only count to ten in German.

Dont worry melbourne, Im in the same boat. 1st course coming up in July too. We'll get there.

I think you have to keep in mind that you will quickly be able to say something. Sure it will take a long time to really express yourself in German but you will be able to get by and have basic conversations.
And well, I don't think it's possible to reach perfection in a foreign language ever anyway. There will always be new words you come across.
So flashmac and melbourne, don't get discouraged. You will learn German in Germany and that will make things a lot easier than learning it in a non-German speaking country, especially when you try to immerse yourself in the language as much as you can (i.e. don't only hang out with expats). Good luck you two!

Hello everyone,

just joined the chat (and TT) about how long it took to learn German, well, I've been here for 28 years, kept mostly away from expats, living as a German in Germany, now have a German hubby who doesn't speak much English. Anyway, to make a long story short, I'm sorry to say it took years and I'm still making mistakes. Yes, the der,die, das is a bit of a pain to learn but there is hope at the end of it all, as was suggested, say THE in a mumbled sort of way and noone will really notice. Truth to tell, unless they're grammar teachers or language profs, most otto normal verbrauchers (normal Joes and Joannes) have trouble too.
I hope I've been of some help?

At least I can understand Mexicans better than the Venezulans or even worse...Argentinians!!! Argggh, makes me go look for my dictionary...

-favorita negrita

I've been here 12 years and believe the best answer is to speek "New German" for those not in the know new German = English its seem to be trendy to put english words in a german sentence and is good cos you dont need an article before the word..

well now, having read all of the above, i feel somewhat better and a whole lot worse! i came to germany in november, broke as a st pauli bum and totally ignorant of the language. my boyfriend had great confidence in me, telling me that i'd pick up enough to speak within three months. yes well... when i didn't, i was told that i just hadn't tried. and i suppose i hadn't really. see i couldn't, and still can't, afford a language class, so everythig i've learnt has been self taught. i'm nannying two youmg german children atm, and have probably learnt more from them than anywhere/anyone else. i'm a little scared of trying, should i fail. those little words 'three months' put their curse firmly in place. i know it's not possible to learn in three months, but even so, i'm not game to try in case it takes 3yrs for a basic vocab., then my b/f will truely think me dumb! will show him this tread

Dear, with fear you will fail. I promise you. Some very rare people lean a complete language in a week. But for us mere mortals it takes longer. As a multilingual coming from a long line of language lovers all I can tell you is that you have to feel free to feel the fool, slaughter the language, make mistakes and have FUN. I get corrected every day but it has nothing to do with intelligence - you are not born speaking zeGerman. Just relax and work on it.

And dump the guy that makes you feel dumb - geez!

Couldn't have put it better.
In my experience the first few months are taken up mostly with getting used to the new situation you are in, meeting new people etc. You don't really need to go to classes, although some people prefer it, you can get really cheap books to learn the basics. You are also in the lucky situation where you can practice with kids. Don't put yourself under pressure. And, if your boyfriend is so bloody impatient tell him to open his wallet and pay for classes.

I don't know how you people survive years in this country without giving up. You must be stronger-willed than I am! I have been here 6 months, and I'm already throwing in the towel. Plans are well underway for the migration back to Australia. Lying on the beach, in the year-round sunshine, eating fresh mangoes...and not wanting to cry everytime someone speaks to me, because I don't understand what they're saying... Ahhh, I can almost taste it!

So, let me just say, my most fluent sentences in German are, "My German is not very good," to which Germans inevitably reply, "It sounds good to me!" (because I say it so fluently, ya see). Or, when I am having a pissed-off-with-Germany day, "I don't speak German" is my preferred line (that one doesn't go over so well). After that, I pretty much get lost in any German that follows...

I took two intensive 100-hour courses, purchased numerous books and workbooks, and trialled various software programs. At my in-laws house, I speak exclusively German (or, rather, I listen - because I can't speak for sh*t). My boyfriend and I attempted German days, and we did pretty well at the beginning. But since my attitude towards life in Germany has declined, we've pretty much switched back to English. I even switched my mobile phone language back to English, so I don't have to text message in German anymore (wow, I really am giving up!)

I completely agree that German immersion is the way to go. My friends who work in German environments are fluent - which is to say, they speak German completely without inhibition. I envy them, and I would LOVE to find a job in German (I'd scrub pots and pans - anything). But I have NO idea how a person is supposed to apply for and be hired for a job in German when that person speaks NO German!

I teach English, which I hate with a passion, and which doesn't help my German at all (I spend my spare time learning ENGLISH grammar, so I can survive the work day!) However, I can't afford English television, and I can't afford English books or newspapers... So I watch television in German (almost every day), and when I can be bothered, I read an article or two of the newspaper. I think learning this way is crap. Even on Sesame Street, I understand maybe a few words... If it's a movie I've already seen in English, I know what's going on - but I still couldn't understand what they were saying. Reading aloud is only helpful for pronunciation - I don't understand anything I read.

So hence my disillusionment with Germany! One semi-easy thing has been watching foreign-language films with German subtitles. This really helps, because the German words are on the screen long enough to understand more of what is said (unlike when they are spoken, and gone before you can comprehend them). However, it only works with fairly simple and easy-to-follow plots. To be honest, I have only had success with one or two films - that is, I understood most of what was said, even the jokes.

One very frustrating thing is that people overestimate what I understand. I don't think my boyfriend has any idea of the extent to which I don't understand everyday life around me. When we watch tv, its very hard to concentrate - I can only pick up the occasional word, and then my mind drifts. The same when we are surrounded by German friends or family. I know it's hard for him to understand what that's like. I remember myself, in Australia with visiting foreigners, and I couldn't imagine what it must be like for them - sitting at a dinner table, and not getting one word of the conversation. Now I understand completely, and wish I could go back to those times and make an effort to converse more with those people, at their language level, so that they too could have a dinnertime conversation! Oh well... Now I know what it's like.

BUT... Don't listen to me, because as evidenced by other people in this forum, it IS possible - just years and years of dedication and hard work, and abandoning any form of adult conversation for a couple years... (expect to speak like a three year old for a long time...then, eventually, you may speak like a four year old...until finally, you just speak like a foreigner, which is great) And you'll get there. I have plenty of friends who have been here for years, and they are all fluent. So there is hope... Just maybe not for me!

Read Mark Twain's "The Awful German Language" and the reasons why you cant understand it falls nicely into place.
It's actually quite hilarious.

Reading this has made me feel much better about myself. I've been here a year and a half now, and had learned German in school before coming, so I thought I was reasonably proficient and had a very good basis from which to become fluent. This was probably true but unfortunately I speak English 90% of the time at work (some days I actually do leave work and forget that I am in Germany!). My understanding really has improved and I can watch TV or go to the cinema without any difficulty, but the more day-to-day elements such as lunchtime banter still baffle me, and I am still the guy who just sits there struggling to follow the conversation, hoping one day I will actually be able to contribute! Of course some of it is mind over matter as well, and a lot has to do with confidence. I know some people who came here with far worse German than mine and it is now significantly better because they just jump straight in regardless. Of course then not putting yourself out there is then a vicious circle, as not being confident enough to speak just begets further the lack of confidence! This is what I find anyway!

Makes me laugh when people assume you understand LOADS more than you speak. So sometimes if you dive in with too much overconfident speedy German (albeit with mistakes), then they come back at you at 100% full speed.

I was just down at the bank. They screwed up a payment to China. I spoke pretty quick, and confidently about the problem...then whoosh...back comes a German explanation at 100mph.

Sometimes I think it is better to add some pauses and be LESS confident when talking, speak slower - 'cos then they get a better idea about my level of German. I certainly cannot watch a film in German - has me buggered instantly.

Make sure to taste the drought, 2 minute showers, the isolation, the endless bugs that bite, driving everywhere and sitting in traffic jams due to no public transport as well..

6 months is definitely not long enough to be remotely fluent, or even able to understand people. I've been learning German for about 2 years now. I did 7, 10 week courses at 10 hours per week at the Volkshochschule, 1 conversation course and have been speaking German at home for 6 months now. I am really only now on the bottom border line of actually "getting" the language. Its still an effort to converse or listen to people in German though, and I'm sure that's going to last for a while yet. Learning German is really not easy, and you need to keep at it hard for a few years before you'll feel comfortable.

You need to pitch in with a word or two instead of dreaming up lengthy replies in your head. Start small, even if it's just a genau or stimmt and build it up from there. And don't give a shit about mistakes, if you're among friends the only thing that matters is making yourself understood.

Play the game and put yourself in the center of the conversation by asking a trivial question about the language. One night at a barbeque I asked a friend a question about some grammar construction; I can't remember the question, it is not important. Little did I know that 20 minutes later there would be seven people standing around in a circle debating grammar rules. It of course can't go on all night, and won't work in all situations, but it gives you a little breathing room and the chance to learn something. Germans know their language is complex..

2 years before I was happy enough to take my foot off the pedal, after about 6 having no accent or a north German accent, but the first 6 months are HARD!

Been here 7 years now, and still cannot make a decent conversation. I can make myself understood, but usually cannot understand the response to my words.

That's unusual, I understood a long time before I could converse. I understood but couldn't construct the sentences quickly enough.

Do you work here, that usually speeds up the process somewhat and having German social contacts so that you have to practice the language helps too.

I'm currently taking German at the college level in the US, and will have completed one year of study by the time I come to Germany in May for my school's summer program. I'll be studying German while in Germany, and will be earning a year's worth of German college credit in the seven weeks of the program. I really do want to eventually become fluent, and as I am graduating this summer it will be the end of my taking German in college (at least it won't be so easily available to me). I have a friend here I can practice with, and I am committed to keeping it up, so losing it isn't so much a concern. I'm wondering how long it took you to really pick it up and become conversational/good enough, to get by in most situations? Has anyone been in my situation? Had a little or no language study in German and came over? How long did it take for you to pick things up? I know things come easier when you are in an immersion environment, I'm just wondering if I should extend my stay if I really want to get good this summer. I've looked at the other thread and found some helpful tips in learning, but I'm wondering if anyone has personal experiences to share on how well they were able to pick up the language once they arrived.

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Firstly, I would personally not describe German as a language that one "picks up." I am pretty good in languages, and studied German for one academic year in university, ten years before moving to Munich. In Munich, I had once-weekly, 90-minute small group German lessons for about 4 years.

I'd say it took:

a good year and a half before I could understand an announcement over the loudspeaker in the U-Bahn or S-Bahn (this is given that the loudspeaker was fairly clear and not garbled);
about a year before I could distinguish approximately what words were being said in an overheard conversation (but not understand the words);
about a year and a half before I could be fairly confident I could help someone on the street with directions (given that I knew that part of town);
maybe a year and a half before I could understand the general drift of an overheard conversation (but I wouldn't have been able to participate in said conversation);
about a year before most people stopped automatically switching to English to speak with me, if they could;
about three years before things started clicking and I could understand advertisements, billboards, etc.;
about the same amount of time before I stopped rehearsing what I was about to say if I went into a pharmacy or phoned for an appointment, etc.
about three years before I could recognize that people overheard speaking German were not native speakers (unless they were native English-speakers, speaking German).

I never stopped hating speaking German on the phone.

Maybe you're a lot more talented than I am, but going from one year of university German to being "really good" in 7 weeks, just from hanging out in Heidelberg, seems an incredible feat to me.

Hah, I know I won't be "really" good (I -really- want to -get- good, but I figure it will take a while and a lot of study before I do). I'm not a natural language person, so even my classwork has been somewhat difficult. I also won't just be hanging out in Heidelberg, I'll be in a language program associated with my university, and I'll be in German language class from 8-1 Monday-Friday, doing a lot of homework in the evenings, and living with a German host family. According to what I have been told by my professor and past participants is that the people who have been in this program come back and are ready for third year college German, which is a level in which you have to be competent with speaking, reading, and writing. I was just wondering what others might have to say about immersion programs, or language study, if you are coming to Germany without too much prior knowledge. What you wrote is helpful, though I hope that my more intense focus on language study while I am here will get me further in a bit less time. Thank you.

Moving to Germany is the best thing you can do to pick up the language. Don't let yourself get discouraged if the first few months are a pain though. You will get more comfortable with the language soon. I have been living in Spain for three months now, and now it is not much of an effort anymore speaking it. Sure I make mistakes and often don't know the words, but I do not hesitate to speak anymore... at least most of the time. Granted I have been learning Spanish much more than you have been learning German, but you'll be okay. It will be hard, but you'll see your progress, even if it may be slow at first, you'll notice, so appreciate even the tiniest progress, and keep trying.
Living with a German family is also an excellent step. Another one would be trying to make German friends. Maybe go to the English departments of the two universities in Heidelberg (I am a student at one, though currently an exchange student in Spain), and offer tandem, which means a language "partnership" where you team up with a German, and speak to each other in German half of the time and English the other half.
By the way, out of curiosity, is it the AJY program you'll be in Heidelberg with (because they have a summer program just around that time)? I am usually a language partner for the long-term exchange students who come for a semester or two with AJY. Actually then you might be able to find a language partner through them.

Edit: Wait, you are only in Germany for a few weeks? Then never mind my long-term advice... Expect your brain to fume after 7 weeks of intensive language classes though. You will learn a lot, but being able to comfortably speak a language is something that takes time.

It is a program through University of Heidelberg and my school here in the US. My brain is already fuming, as the class I am in now moves very fast! I am hoping to spend more substantial time in Germany at some point, but I thought I would learn as much as I could through school while I still have the chance. I'll have people to practice with here, and will do some self study when I come home. It is important for me to learn it well and keep it up so I will.

I just wanted to gauge how well others have fared in similar circumstances. Thanks for the reply!

I wish you all the best at your efforts. I agree with Mariposa that your brain will probably be fuming when you return from Heidelberg. As you can see from my example, you will probably need time to settle in to the language somewhat. I'm guessing your German will be better a few weeks after your stint in Heidelberg, once your brain has a chance to get out of "cram mode" and into "sinking in" mode.

No doubt the instructors at your program will have some additional useful suggestions for what you can do after you've left Germany, to continue the process of learning.

Hi everyone, I plan to spend 4 months next summer in Leipzig to take intensive language courses. After 4 months my sister is going to visit me. Do you think that by that time I will be ok with basic conversational stuff i.e. going around the town, ordering at restaurants, etc.? I would like to take her around Germany and other German speaking countries, but I wonder how much I will have learned after a 4 months intensive course. Supposedly if I study like a fiend I could get ZD after 4 months, but yeah. I have no previous knowledge of German, English is my second language, and I am reallllyy determined. Any thoughts? Many of my favourite movies are German, so I plan to watch these religiously as well when I am not in class learning grammar or whatever. Not sure if that will help but, still.

I didn't realize how difficult it must be to learn a foreign language up from scratch. Fortunately, I learned English at school and it was pretty easy this way.
Please don't lose courage and don't be afraid of speaking. Germans are very happy about everyone who takes the effort and learns German!

After 4 months of intensive German study, you should definitely expect to be able to order confidently in a restaurant, yes. That's pretty basic, really.

I know someone from Brazil, who's been staying in Germany since 1 & 1/2 years studying in a uni...She speaks awesome German and sometimes outwits/dominates her German hubby in talking to other Germans around..! She said she has taken a course in German and practiced a lot...!

I've been having lessons for about a year now - and god it's hard, I've never had a skill for languages, although of course it is better living here and learning at the same time. I'm still learning - it will rpbably take no less than 10 years for me to master

I'd also add it was somewhat disheartening at first to realize that even if I did manage to get my Hochdeutsch to a high degree of proficiency, unless I spoke Bayrisch, I'd still be marked out as a foreigner in Munich. Seems nobody actually speaks Hochdeutsch, except on TV/radio news or in mixed company.

cinzia, I actually speak hochdeutsch, sure I may use some words that are Münchnerisch or Bavarian and I'll leave out sounds etc. but I don't really speak any dialect and I am from Munich, and spent 80% of my life there.

Well, I've been here over ten years and I'm still learning Deutsch. It's a slow process for me. My receptive language skills are far better than my expressive language skills. My husband is fluent in four languages, including Deutsch and sometimes remind me I should pronounce the Deutsch words better since I've been here for so long. I've had many classes and I'm still not getting it. My family back home just can't quite understand how I've lived in a country for so long and can't speak fluently the language. My life is challenging because I don't speak the language well, but I do manage to get things done. My mother-in-law doesn't speak any English, so this makes for a great relationship with her.

If you do a full time course for 4 months you can probably get your ZD. That said, there are plenty of people that can get the ZD but still can't understand people very well, let alone speak. It's like a lot of tests, you can learn the theory, but you don't actually understand the subject matter.

After 4 months, I wouldn't expect to be speaking in any way fluent. After 2 years of living here and taking courses you'll probably be at a level of understanding everything and communicating ok..

I've been in Germany for nearly 10 months now and I am practically fluent... fluent being, speaking so people understand and understanding 95% of conversations.

Some people are natural talents with languages...

Fluent - after 10 months? I would be amazed as this language has 100,000 words.

I'm just waiting until they're all fluent in English, it's the faster of the two options.

my head just got bigger. j/k


OK, no one can be "fluent" in a language that isn't their mother tongue... but many people have told me that to speak the way I do after 10 months is not bad.


or that.

I don't expect to be "fluent" in 4 months; I was hoping to reach a level where I wouldn't have problem getting around the town i.e. eating out, going to attractions, asking for help, directions, etc.? Bascially I have to take my family around the town if they visit me or something.

I attended a German speaking school where they say it takes "10-12 months" of intense learning (4 hours a day 5 days a week) before you can attempt a fluecy test..

The first post-war federal chancellor Dr. Konrad Adenauer used a mere 750 words on average ...

Deutscher Wortschatz

.. Im Allgemeinen reichen für Alltagsgespräche jedoch 400 bis 800 Wörter aus. Ein guter Redner verfügt dagegen über einen aktiven Wortschatz von etwa 4.000 bis 10.000 Wörtern ...