German language course

[Kryten2340]

I think this is the best place to post this.

I'm looking for some advice on where and how to pick up German from where I left off with a GCSE grade C in 1997. It until last weekend was a country I had never visited but always said I wanted to. Now that I have been (went to Munich) and spoke German on a couple of occasions, it is my intention to go back but this time I want to learn/revise more of the language and I'm wondering where is best to start.

I have started with Duo Lingo but whilst this is good at what it does I don't think its a complete solution.

I think a 2nd language will be very useful as a skill and as I work in IT it will be an even bigger bonus.

Does anyone have any tips on where to start? Is A Level a good shout or would I be better with something like goethe.de?

 

[DynamicSpirit]

I would say it depends a lot on your budget and how much effort you're willing to put in. My own personal experience is that it's very hard to learn (or significantly improve) a language without going to an actual physical class that gets you talking and practicing with other people. So if it was me, I'd probably look for a class that's advertised as suitable for people with GCSE (or similar) standard. If you happen to live around London, CityLit does a huge number of classes at different levels for people wanting to speak German better.

Doing an actual A level would probably push the cost up a lot, and it's probably only worth it either if you think you need the exam to give you an incentive to study, or if you would actually use the qualification somehow.

Other than that, just have a look online to see what sites you find useful. And don't forget the benefits of attempting to read and listen to actual German. ListenLive.Eu has a long list of German radio stations that you can listen to straight away online, and a Google for things like 'German newspapers' will throw up lots of papers that you can read. Or you can buy German editions of your favourite books on Amazon...

 

[gordonthemoron]

I did A2 with Goethe in Munich and it was OK but i didn't feel confident enough to progress to B1

 

[WestCoast]

I study Modern Languages as my second subject at University, so this is my personal (not necessarily well informed ) opinion. It does depend how much time and money you want to invest, but you could get a lot out of it. German is one of my languages, but despite actually having German family I found it the most difficult from a grammar standpoint. Having said that, I do find it much easier to pronounce and just converse in than French or Dutch and much prefer listening to it than the other two.

Personally I find most language books and CDs etc fairly limited in what they can do. The exception is a good grammar book. Listening to radio and TV, as well as reading newspapers, is always a good idea. But you do need around A-Level standard to do that I find.

With regards to A-Level, my school required a grade B or above at GCSE to take it and even though I got an A in German, I would say it was probably one of my more challenging subjects. I'd say a course aimed at adult learners would be better, the modern A-Level is great if you want to debate about the environment or immigration etc but I found the vocabulary a bit limited in practical scope (it was decent for grammar etc).

Try asking at your local colleges and universities, my old University (Birmingham) ran several fairly inexpensive language courses available to the public outside the core term times. Or any other adult learning centres. They're not always well publicised so a quick call round can be effective rather than trawling through websites.

Failing that, another option could be a short residential course in Germany or Austria (Switzerland I'd rule out as it's likely to cost more and the Swiss German issue). If you Google around there are various options for adult learners, some are cheaper than others but be wary of super cheap offers. Depends on what you're willing to spend and whether you can take time off etc.
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I did A2 with Goethe in Munich and it was OK but i didn't feel confident enough to progress to B1

Worry not. I studied German at GCSE, A-Level and also 90 minutes a week at University and only just received my B2.2 certificate after attending night school twice a week in Munich for five months. On study placement out here and am mostly taught in English, so that doesn't help much.Been told my accent and comprehension is good, but some of my phrasing is a bit questionable.

 

[LWB]

My experience of bumping my French up from decades forgotten failed 'o'-level to passable conversationalist:

Find a native speaker to torment eg adult ed class. (I had the benefit of speaking to young people who have no qualms about continually correcting you, unlike adults who will be too embarrassed)

Find copies of your favourite films on DVD that have German language subtitles and/or dubbing). Interestingly the dubbing is always the slicker, more 'street-wise' version and the sub-titles tend to be correct but formal. Gives you two for the price of one. It really is amazing how quickly whole sentences from a film spring to mind in given situations. The drawback is that people immediately think that is your level of proficiency and speak back like a foreign Guy Martin.

I can recite Groundhog Day from beginning to end in French, which is sad I know.

 

[GaryMcEwan]

I'm currently learning Dutch and I always find it helpful to watch the news programmes. I've learned so much from watching their TV shows and also reading the textbooks.

I'd possibly have a look at ARD and RTL online to see if their news programmes are available to watch to try and pick some more useful things up.

Tagesschau24 from ARD is available to view outwith Germany and is not Geo-Locked so I would maybe having a watch...

 

[radamfi]

I'm currently learning Dutch and I always find it helpful to watch the news programmes. I've learned so much from watching their TV shows and also reading the textbooks.

I'd possibly have a look at ARD and RTL online to see if their news programmes are available to watch to try and pick some more useful things up.

Tagesschau24 from ARD is available to view outwith Germany and is not Geo-Locked so I would maybe having a watch...

Could I ask you how you are learning Dutch, as I'm also doing that, albeit in my spare time? Are you currently living in the Netherlands or Belgium? Also, why are you learning Dutch, if you don't mind me asking, as few people in Britain learn Dutch unless they are living in the Netherlands/Belgium, and as a result Dutch courses in the UK are not very common.

Another advantage of watching TV programmes online is that you can put the subtitles on and therefore you can work out what some of the words are if you find they are speaking too fast.

 

[Clip]

Would having some sort of grade - GCSE or A-Level - actually be of any further help or would doing a course like http://www.rosettastone.co.uk/ help you better and is it cheaper?

 

[GaryMcEwan]

Could I ask you how you are learning Dutch, as I'm also doing that, albeit in my spare time? Are you currently living in the Netherlands or Belgium? Also, why are you learning Dutch, if you don't mind me asking, as few people in Britain learn Dutch unless they are living in the Netherlands/Belgium, and as a result Dutch courses in the UK are not very common.

Another advantage of watching TV programmes online is that you can put the subtitles on and therefore you can work out what some of the words are if you find they are speaking too fast.

I live in Glasgow but have relatives that reside in Maastricht. I've always had a slightly odd fascination with the Netherlands so I thought I'd just pick up a few beginners textbooks and start to watch their TV programmes.

RTLXL (their on demand service) is good for catching up with various programmes as well. I watch the main RTL Nieuws broadcast just after it's been broadcast to try and better learn the language.