Monday, August 18, 2008

Learn German Quickly

Learn German Quickly - A German Booster Shot

How can you NOT love German!!!! It's sounds so cool. Don't believe me? Well, here's a short 4 minute sample to make you a believer, compliments of travelling linguist, so that YOU will want to learn German quickly and be the better for it.



Learn German Quickly

Monday, August 11, 2008

Learn German Quickly

Learn German Quickly - 3 Easy Tips To Keep You Motivated

Move me momma! Just to jump right in and say it like it is. We all know that there are many different types of motivation, but the type that we are concerned with is intrinsic verses extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation refers to the desire to do something that pleases you and makes you pat yourself on the back. Most studies have shown it to be much more effective in long-term language learning than extrinsic motivation (for an external reward such as impressing the boss or your peers). Unfortunately, most of us are not lucky enough to hire a personal pep squad or self-improvement coach to keep us motivated. Yes, you are going to have to find the power within yourself. It seems that to become fluent in German will take time and perseverance, so how can you stay motivated?

1. Fraternal Twins Separated At Birth

Yes, the process of learning German can be very stressful but keep in mind the cool thing about German is that modern German and modern English both originated from the common Germanic ancestor language and despite their distinct differences, the two languages share many similarities in both vocabulary and grammar. Also, German is spelled phonetically. This means that once you learn the system of sounds, it is easy to predict how the spoken word is written and how the written word is pronounced. Know your German ABCs.

2. Oktoberfest Anyone?

If your ultimate goal is to learn to speak German fluently, then it is important to know that you will become more fluent quickly if you maximize your language exposure. You can start by simply practicing the language with a classmate outside of class. You can befriend native speakers in your community or attend a local foreign language conversation hour, if one exists. Rent a German DVD, or listen to authentic German audio or video online. Or you could attend your local Oktoberfest or plan a trip to attend the world famous Munich Oktoberfest. The first the first Oktoberfest was held on October 12, 1810 and lasted 6 days. The festivities were in honor of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. In Munich the “die Wiesen” (as the locals call it) starts around late September and lasts for sixteen days up to the first Sunday in October. The festival is a vibrant venue where you can eat sauerkraut, drink German beer, practice your German and expose yourself to Bavarian culture.

3. The Gift Of The Gab

Whenever possible, speak German aloud rather than reciting it silently to yourself. Say vocabulary words out loud, read passages in the text aloud, and do pronunciation activities orally. Transferring language from your mind to your mouth is a skill that requires a great deal of practice. And you should practice German actively frequently.

The process of learning German can be very stressful, and the impact of your own positive or negative attitudes can be critical to your learning. Self-motivation is the key to staying on track and achieving fluency. Because German and English have similarities, you have a head start when learning German. Ultimately, to learn to speak German online or otherwise is all about you. Therefore, you must play an active role in your learning by jumping at the opportunities to speak, listen and comprehend German. You'll meet new people, make new friends and most importantly, learn German fluently.

Learn German Quickly

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Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Learn German Quickly

Learn German Quickly - The 4-1-1 to Learn How to Speak German

For those of you who want to learn to speak German online, the good news is that you have made a wise choice that is, only if your online course uses a variety of effective teaching strategies to help you learn. First, in order to learn German quickly, you must be self-motivated. Lack of motivation will result in wasting your money, time and your inability to learn how to speak German. Second, no matter how great your German teacher/tutor, German school or online course is, if you have no desire, you will not learn German. And lastly, research has shown that with motivation and desire you need to utilize learning and communication strategies to empower you to learn to speak fluent German in the most sure-footed way.

Learning strategies are techniques used to improve learning, such as mnemonics or using a dictionary. You can implement any of the following learning strategies to further assist you to learn how to speak German:

1. Find out your learning style. Ask yourself this question, how do I learn or process information? Once you know how you receive and retain information, you will be able to find the learning activity that is best studied for your learning style. For example, I am a visual/tactile learner and I prefer to receive German vocabulary in the form of picture and then write the word under the picture. In this way, I will be more inclined to remember and learn German vocabulary. There is a wealth of information on how you can use various activities geared to your learning style such as Game software, flash cards, Audio lessons, etc. which any good online German course should include.

2. Find a community. If you learn German in a community with a positive attitude toward German, it can have a profound impact on your learning to speak German fluently. It is all about networking. You can find a German forum or study group or join an Austrian social club that can give you more exposure to use and hear German. Once again, a good online course should have the resources that allow you easy access to communicate with native-German speakers, fellow students and/or teachers.

Communicative strategies are techniques used to get the meaning across even when you have little or no knowledge of the language. To be able to communicate in German to native-German speakers, especially verbally, is vital.

· Using objects, pictures, mime are things that you can do to communicate on a basic level. This is a quick technique to build up your vocabulary especially if you are trying to say something but unable to find/recall the German word.
· Engaging in conversation is an excellent way to fine-tune your speaking, listening and comprehensive skills. You always should try to have conversation with an individual who is at a higher-level in German than you.

Remember that even if you are highly motivated but remain unwilling to use these strategies, your learning and progress of German will stagnate. Having a solid footing with an excellent German course plus these two strategies will assist you to eventually learn German fluently, quickly and effectively.

Learn German Quickly

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