How to Learn German for Beginners

Germany was a conglomeration of many kingdoms often referred to as Germania or Prussia. The German language, known as Deutsch, has its roots in the West Germanic group of the Indo-European language family along with English, Frisian, and Dutch developing distinct characteristics over centuries. Historically, German was used in various forms across the Holy Roman Empire. 

Today, it is the official language of Germany, and Austria, and is one of the official languages of Switzerland. German is significant because it opens doors to rich cultural traditions, including famous works of literature, music, and philosophy. It’s also essential for business, as Germany is a major global economy. Learning German can lead to opportunities in education, travel, and work, connecting people to millions of speakers worldwide.

Master The German Alphabet – The Basics

Even though German is a beautiful language spoken by millions of people worldwide some might find learning German boring. You might know German more than you realize as most of the letters in German are the same as those in English with a few extra thrown into them. This makes it a total of 30 alphabets.

Plus, it is one of the most organized languages and the most phonetic languages. Most alphabets and words are pronounced as they are written. All the letters in German alphabets are gender neutral i.e. when used in a sentence they will be preceded by the prefix ‘das’. Let’s have a look at the alphabet and its pronunciation.

Unlike English, German alphabets helps in pronunciation, especially once you memorize the basics. All the letters are pronounced just as they are spelt. Most of them are even like the pronunciation of the English letters. 

Still, there are some exceptions too, like the letter “ch” in a word, pronunciation depends on which German alphabet it follows. If the “ch” comes after an “e” or an “i,” you will pronounce the “ch” similar to the sound of a hissing cat “tss.” If the “ch” comes after an “a,” “o,” or a “u,” then it’s pronounced more like the English “h.” Although confusing initially, you will be able to master it in a short span. 

Refer to our German pronunciation and grammar guide

Understanding Basic German Grammar and Sentence Structure

Before we look at specific kinds of German sentences, let’s get a quick idea about basic grammar.

• The subject is the word that’s doing the action in the sentence. It’s often a personal pronoun, like ich (I), du (you [singular informal]), er (he), or wir (we). In German, the subject is always in the Nominative case.
• The verb, of course, is the “action word” — even if it’s something more passive, like sein (to be) or mögen (to like).
• The direct object is the person, animal, or thing that’s getting acted upon — whatever gets heard, liked, written, eaten, etc. It will be in the Accusative case.
• The indirect object is who- or whatever is the recipient of the direct object. It takes the Dative case in German.

Usually sentence structure in German and English are the same. 

A simple sentence would have the structure of subject + verb+ object. 

We can interpret it in the same way as an English sentence. Let’s get deeper into this with the help of some examples

• I’m eating cookies = “Ich esse Kekse.”
• You see the child = “Du siehst das Kind.”
• I follow the rules = “Ich befolge die Regeln.”
• “Ich habe ein Handy gekauft” = I have bought a mobile phone.
• “Du bist zu spät gekommen” = You have come too late.

These are some of the basic simple sentence structures. One point to note is that although German sentences may look like English sentence structures, they are not always the same. In contrast to English, German has more sentence structure options (i.e., relatively flexible word order) because other grammar elements are used to clearly communicate who is who and what is what in a sentence.

Handling daily-life German conversation is a skill you need to achieve when you learn German as a foreign language. This is quite important as you will always engage in conversations more than you will use written skills. 

Learn Basic German Words

So here we will provide you with some basic German phrases and sentences to help you survive in a conversation. These phrases are simple, easy to remember and will help you make new German friends. 

1.  Hallo – Hello [any time of day]
2.  Hallo, wie geht’s? – Hello, how are you?
3.  Guten Morgen – Good morning
4.  Guten Tag [lit. good day] – Good afternoon
5.  Guten Abend – Good evening
6.  Gute Nacht – Good night
7.  Vielen Dank – Thank you very much
8.  Ich danke Ihnen auch – Thank you, too [in reply to “thank you” from someone else]
9.  Tschüss, bis zum nächsten Mal – Goodbye, see you next time
10.  Schönes Wetter heute, nicht wahr? – It’s lovely weather today, is not it?
11.  Mein Name ist _ – My name is _____
12.  Woher kommen Sie? – Where are you from?
13. Freut mich – Nice to meet you!
14.  Es tut mir leid, aber ich verstehe nicht – I’m sorry, but I do not understand
15.  Ich spreche nicht gut Deutsch – I do not speak German very well
16. Können Sie das bitte wiederholen? – Could you say that again please?
17. Können Sie bitte langsamer sprechen? – Could you say that more slowly please?
18.  Schreiben Sie das bitte für mich auf – Please write that down for me
19.  Was bedeutet das? – What does that mean?
20.  Sprechen Sie Englisch? – Do you speak English?
21.  Es tut mir leid – I’m sorry

These are some of the common words that you might use in your daily conversations. With these phrases in your back pocket, you’ll soon find yourself having your basic conversations in Germany. 

Movies to Watch for Learning German

Once you get a basic understanding of the language watching movies is a great way to improve it. This will help you to understand how words are pronounced and is also a great way to pick up a bit of colloquialism. Here we have compiled some of the best German movies which would improve your German skills while you enjoy some captivating stories and gain exposure to native German dialogue.

• “Good Bye Lenin!” (2003) – A heartwarming comedy-drama set in East Germany, offering insights into German culture and history.
• “Das Boot” (1981) – A gripping war film following the crew of a German U-boat during World War II, exposing you to military terminology and intense dialogue.
• “Lola rennt” (Run Lola Run) (1998) – A fast-paced thriller that explores different scenarios as Lola races against time, providing exposure to contemporary German dialogue.
• “Der Untergang” (Downfall) (2004) – A historical drama depicting the final days of Adolf Hitler’s regime in Berlin, featuring intense performances and formal German speech.
• “Die Welle” (The Wave) (2008) – Based on a true story, this film delves into a social experiment gone awry, offering insights into German society and language.

Best Books to Learn the German Language

Reading books will help in a great deal to learn the vocabulary. Here is a list of recommended books for the bookworms-

• “Der Vorleser” (The Reader) by Bernhard Schlink – A thought-provoking novel exploring post-World War II Germany, guilt, and responsibility.
• “Der Steppenwolf” (Steppenwolf) by Hermann Hesse – A classic novel delving into existential themes and the struggles of a man in a society he feels alienated from.
• “Die Verwandlung” (The Metamorphosis) by Franz Kafka – A surreal novella that explores themes of alienation and identity through the story of Gregor Samsa.
• “Tschick” by Wolfgang Herrndorf – A coming-of-age novel about two boys on a road trip, offering insights into contemporary German language and culture.
• “Emil und die Detektive” (Emil and the Detectives) by Erich Kästner – A children’s book following Emil and his friends as they solve a mystery, providing accessible German language learning.

Learning a language requires time and patience and one must take small baby steps to accomplish this mission. Learning some basic words and phrases in German will help to enhance your confidence and this won’t be that difficult as most of the commonly used words in English are taken from German, since both languages belong to the Germanic language family. And we at Mentora Language Academy will help you kindle your passion for learning German, where you will fall in love with learning again.

Article by Karthika S