You might be one of those folks who wishes they knew German. But wanting to know German is different from learning German or wanting to learn German. The people who just long for the day when they know German are usually the ones asking "Is German hard to learn?" But here’s the thing. Every language out there is hard in one way or another, even the ones that are close to your native language. Whether the difficulty comes at the beginning of the journey or in the middle, you’re never going to get off easy. The challenge is the fun of it! And besides, do you really have that much to worry about when it comes to learning German?  Table of Contents Is it Hard to Learn German? The Hardest Parts of German The Easiest Parts... Show more

Make no mistake—people have been complaining about the difficulty of the German language for centuries. Mark Twain did it then, and you’re probably doing it now. It seems like the harder a language is, the more pressure we put on ourselves to get it exactly right. That’s even more true when the locals tend to speak English quite confidently.  But as the Europe of today becomes more and more multicultural, the stigma of "perfect German or bust" is slowly falling away. There’s no need to paralyze yourself with doubt concerning common German mistakes or creating the perfect German sentence, because others in your community are probably dealing with language struggles of their own.  So if you want to improve your German, you can start... Show more

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to tonight’s round of German Questions Extraordinaire!  Does that sound like a quiz show you would watch? It would certainly help out your German! Perhaps you’ve realized that every time you have a German conversation, you’re kind of on a quiz show yourself. Conversations tend to be built around questions and answers—especially the kinds of conversations that you’re likely to have as a foreign student of German. Therefore, practicing the following German questions and answers for beginners will provide you with the tools you need to sail through opening conversations like they’re nothing. In a typical German conversation, questions and answers like the ones we’ll introduce today will... Show more

You know, German treats verbs differently. In contrast to pretty much any other European language, German moves the verb all the way around the sentence quite often. They call it "verb-second" and "verb-final." All that to say, you’re going to need to know your German verbs well if you want to be a good German speaker. Here are one hundred of the best German verbs for beginners to learn—how many do you know already? Table of Contents Regular Tourist Verbs in German Verbs at Home Verbs in the Kitchen Verbs at the University Verbs at Work Verbs for Your Spare Time Verbs at the Gym Verbs on a Date Conclusion 1. Regular Tourist Verbs in German Everybody wants to travel to Germany... Show more

You already know you need to learn about German pronouns. They're a small but absolutely indispensable part of learning a new language. Congratulations - you mostly know them already! German pronouns are almost the same as the English ones, with just a couple more here and there. You know, plural second person, formal address, all that good stuff like in other European languages. The only difficult part is, well, the grammar. Each pronoun has several different forms based on what case it's in. You not only need to know what that means, but you also need to get used to actually making those changes during natural speech. Since cases are the key to really understanding German pronouns, let's start with those. Table of... Show more

Did you know that Germans aren't that punctual? They have a reputation for always being on time, sure. But the Deutsche Bahn, the German train system, has more delayed trains than you might imagine. Given that fact, and all the other pressures of modern life, you'll need to be quite aware of the time in Germany. Do you know how to ask for it? Or, perhaps, how to talk about time in general?  This article is more than just a phrasebook for telling time in German. Time touches a lot of facets of everyday life and language, and the phrases you learn here are things that you can carry over into the rest of your German studies. Table of Contents Asking Others for the Time Hours in German Minutes and Seconds ... Show more

You leave your hotel and bundle yourself up against the winter cold in Kiel, northern Germany. It’s your first night and you’re not too sure where you are in town, so you glance at a street sign to make sure you know where to get back to. The directions in German read Einbahnstraße. Perfect. After a while of walking it gets later and later and you can’t seem to remember any of the landmarks you thought you remembered. Not to worry, you speak German! You stop a passerby, and in your best accent ask, Wo ist Einbahnstraße? The person you stop smirks, having marked you as a foreigner right away. "Einbahnstraße," comes the reply, "means ‘one-way street.’" A pretty spooky story, and it could happen to you! Unless, that is, you learn... Show more

What would you say to lift the spirits of a special person you know? No doubt, you have dozens of kind words that come to mind in English, but do you know many compliments in German? A compliment can be described as a polite expression of praise, admiration, encouragement or congratulations. It’s sometimes used in absolute sincerity and sometimes to flatter, but either way, human beings love to receive compliments! Table of Contents The Importance of Compliments Compliments you always want to hear Conclusion 1. The Importance of Compliments Giving and receiving compliments is so important in society, that you can be considered rude if you’re a person who never acknowledges anyone. We all need to hear words of affirmation to... Show more

Anger is a natural response to pain of some sort; when you’re angry, you’re angry with a cause and want someone to pay! It’s so much harder when you’re traveling, because your routines are off-kilter, there’s culture shock to deal with and the smallest problems can seem overwhelming. How do you handle someone who’s just pushed your last button? At home, we often have a go-to person who is good at calming us down, but emotions are tricky to deal with in a foreign country. Sometimes people may treat you unfairly, but you’re completely baffled as to why. You have to remember that people in think differently to how you do and it’s not impossible to inadvertently cause offense. Don’t stress about it too much, because you’ll adapt! Once you... Show more

What is the most defining moment you will face this year? From memories that you immortalize in a million photographs, to days you never wish to remember, one thing's for certain: big life events change you. The great poet, Bukowski, said, "We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well, that death will tremble to take us." The older I get, the more I agree with him! Talking about significant events in our lives is part of every person's journey, regardless of creed or culture. If you're planning to stay in for more than a quick visit, you're sure to need at least a few 'life events' phrases that you can use. After all, many of these are shared experiences, and it's generally expected that we will show up with good manners... Show more