There isn't much of a secret to language learning because it's all about working with the language as much as possible over a length of time. However I can give you tips on how I learned to speak German fluently (and I mean--I could say anything I wanted or needed to say) within about 6 months. Konjunktiv II? Kein Thema. Polite discourse? Absolut! Telling someone off? That, too.

Don't get me wrong--learning German in 6 months was really tough. I started at an A2 level (the second-lowest level) and busted my way up to C2 (the highest level) and I did it without a whole lot of help outside of class hours. It was really difficult, painful, and even joyful and inspiring. Here's how it happened:

My First German Lessons

First, in the summer of 2002 I took 20 one-on-one lessons with a fantastic teacher at Eloquia, a language school in Frankfurt, Germany. I was in Germany without a whole lot to do during the day and to fill up my time, I took lessons and did homework. This teacher was key--because she prepared me in German grammar construction and corrected me by telling me why something was wrong.

Another benefit of these private lessons was that I didn't accidentally learn other peoples' mistakes! All I had to hear was my voice and my teacher's voice--I was immersed in quality language development.

I then reviewed this material when I returned home and used it to help me write emails to friends in Germany, thus repeating what I already knew. So those 20 lessons actually lasted from the summer of 2002 to the summer of 2003.

Months 1-2

Then in the summer of 2003, when I first moved to Germany, I took two month's worth of lessons at the Goethe-Institut Düsseldorf. I get no money for saying this, and I implore you:  paying the tuition for courses at the Goethe-Institut is worth every penny. I took two intensive courses and the instructor doing the assessments recognized how much I could construct in my mind with only a basic knowledge of German from those 20 private lessons. His name is Herr Fluch and he pulled me into his MIttelstufe course.

There was one problem, though...that summer there was a heat wave in Germany and there was no air conditioning, only a few fans. And I actually panicked when Herr Fluch gave us one particular worksheet...because I had never heard of the N-Deklination before. It was hot, the topics were tough, but the saving grace of the class was, indeed, Herr Fluch.

W-Fragen in German are questions that begin with the question words--in English:  who, what, when, where, why, and how. To contrast, yes/no questions in German begin with the verb ("Arbeiten Sie heute?" "Kommen Sie aus Bayern?").

To help you remember these question words and to help you work out the tough parts, here's a quick guide to the W-Fragen in German:

The Tough Parts Explained:

One tough part is the false friend of wer, because wer means who, not "where." Memorize the rhyming sentence Wer ist er? (Who is he?) to help you remember that wer refers to a he--a person.

The other tough part is the word wann, because wann is the question word, but wenn also means "when." So associate the 'a'  sound of wann with the 'a' sound of Frage, and you'll remember it every time!

Want a Free, Printable Guide?

Here's an expanded Quick Guide to the W-Fragen using Vorlagen, model sentences. Print and keep this Quick Guide to help you learn German, learn the Vorlagen, and always know which Fragewort to use! You can also email this article to your fellow German classmates or your German teacher.

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How do you remember the question words? Do you have more tips? Please comment below!

Ferien.

Vacation. Holidays.

School holidays. School vacation.

Ferien is always plural! Ferien is pronounced "FAIR-ee-en."

Nicole macht diese Woche Ferien.

Bis nächste Woche!

~Nicole

Many German learners want to know what "to clean" is. The verb "to clean" in German is putzen. However putzen is something very specific in German--it may not be what you think!

For Germans, putzen is the actual process of cleaning, and nothing else. Americans think of cleaning as vacuuming, putting away books that might be laying about, doing the laundry, and any other amount of things. However putzen does not indicate that things are being picked up. This is something different entirely.

Most Germans keep things picked up all the time, they are German after all. (Although I have seen some notable exceptions to this!) To pick up around the house or to clean off the table is aufräumen.

Because Germans are very specific about verbs and their uses, it's important to keep this in mind when you use the verbs aufräumen and putzen. Here is a short list for each of these verbs to help you know when to apply it:

aufräumen:

• picking up clothes
• clearing off a table
• organizing papers on a desk
• organizing your desk

putzen:

• vacuuming and washing the floors
• cleaning the bathroom
• washing windows
• polishing shoes (!)
• washing fruit

Have you ever discussed this difference with a German speaker? I bet s/he was specific about it! What did s/he say? Comment below!

One of the pinnacles of German classical music culture is the Johannes-Passion from Johann Sebastian Bach. And since it is Lent, that means it is time for the Passion of Christ.

For those of you who don't know, I'm a professionally trained, classical musician, and I mix music and German teaching as my career. It's a wonderful combination of the foreign language of German and the language of Music, and when I get to sing in German, well, I get a little bit verklemmt. During my 5 years in Germany I spent several years singing with the Gächinger-Kantorei, the professional choral ensemble of the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart (IBA). (By the way, the IBA is mentined in Passwort 3 for those of you in that book!) We sang a lot of music, and a lot of it in German.

Thus this week's blog post is short and sweet because I have lots of Proben (rehearsals). If you're close or able to travel, we're in St. Paul, MN on Saturday and in Winona, MN on Sunday. Ich hoffe, wir sehen uns dort!

Herzlich willkommen zurück! Here is the third in a series of methods to help you add German to your homeschool routine.

This week's Homeschool German method involves travel and I've presented a couple of different ways to incorporate Germanic locations into your family vacation--at different budgetary sizes. Of course, it all begins with something the Germans in particular excell at--Geld sparen! (Saving money!) But wait until you get to the end, for something truly and uniquely German!

1. Sparen Sie Geld!

For small children, a Sparschweinchen (piggy bank) will be a great way to help your children begin the journey of saving for a vacation. For older kids, saving up for their vacation expenditures in an envelope or their bank account is a great way to combine this German habit with trip preparation.

2a. Take your family vacation...to a German settlement area like Milwaukee, WI or Fredericksburg, TX

There are so many wonderful cities and regions with German heritage in the US--there is probably one within driving distance for you! Why not make it a road trip and pack your own Brötchen for the trip? Have picnics with a thermos of coffee instead of stopping for fast food--that is some serious, old school German road tripping.