How To Learn German On Your Own - Part II 3) Keep a Gold List. Do you know how to make a Gold List? A Gold List is basically a vocab sheet that you write down and then ignore for two weeks. It’s one of the easiest and therefore most efficient ways to learn vocabulary. After two weeks you write down the words you can’t remember yet. You’ll be amazed how many you’ve been able to memorize! Another really effective (though not as efficient way) is to connect every word with a funny visual. This can be a really good way to learn if you are a highly visual learner but on the other hand it also takes a bit more time. Maybe you want to learn with flash cards or let someone quiz you on the vocabulary. Whatever works for you, use it and use it as often as possible. Vocabulary is really crucial when learning a new language! 4) Tackle the grammar one step at a time. Oh, the grammar. German has a lot of it. How do you get started? Find a book with a lot of exercises, one that you like. And then work through it systematically. Write down questions and during which exercise they occured. Ask your teacher to explain it. If you are a grammar nerd, get a really good grammar book in your mother tongue and try to find the answer yourself. But if you can’t find it, don’t hesitate to ask your teacher. 5) Talk, talk, talk! Talk from lesson one. Ask your teacher to speak German with you all the time. Trust me, we teachers do not get annoyed by it. We will try to rephrase what we’ve just said, try to speak slowlier, try to make it clearer. Most people know intuitively that it can be hard to understand a foreign language. We know! Don’t feel bad for yourself. We are so proud of you for taking these steps on your way to fluency. What I like to do with my pupils is agree on a sign when I talk too fast. Because I really try to talk slowly but sometimes I just end up in my normal speed (it’s that language passion, sorry!). So you might want to use a nonverbal sign (like raising one’s hand) to stop your teacher from speeding up. Yes, that’s it basically. That’s how you learn German one step at a time. Viel Erfolg! Ressources German project: http://www.thegermanproject.com/german-lessons/german-pronunciation YouTube channels: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMIgOXM2JEQ2Pv2d0_PVfcg https://www.youtube.com/user/dwlearngerman Photo by Crew on Unsplash