🇩🇪 How the Speaker Reached Conversational German in Two Years
The foundation: Have a strong reason
The speaker’s motivation was to connect with their German family in their own language, rather than having everyone switch to English. They emphasize that a clear personal “why” can help you stay committed when learning gets difficult.
Learning journey and methods
1. Start gently and build a foundation
- Used Duolingo for the first few months to ease into German, then stopped when maintaining a streak became a distraction.
- Watched German with Laura’s “Learn German Smarter, Not Harder” course for an overview of German grammar, including capitalization, plurals, and declensions.
- Worked through Nicos Weg A1 on the free Learn German website. The structured course uses video scenes and introduces new material step by step.
2. Make German part of everyday life
- Listened to German music to become more familiar with the sound of the language and build enthusiasm.
- Replayed short stories in the Linguee app, using context to infer unfamiliar words and tapping words for translations.
- Read learner-focused email newsletters, including “Richtig Deutsch sprechen” and “Dein Sprachcoach.” Working through them word by word helped build vocabulary, while recurring high-frequency words provided natural review.
3. Improve pronunciation through imitation
The speaker chose a short video by Deutsch mit Lara and spent about a week trying to memorize it:
- Broke sentences down and translated them to understand what they meant.
- Replayed the speaker’s pronunciation and tried to imitate it.
- Adjusted mouth and tongue movements to reproduce difficult sounds.
They found this useful for both comprehension and pronunciation.
4. Break through a vocabulary plateau
When native German content felt too difficult, the speaker:
- Studied a pre-made Anki German deck, going through around 1,000 words in one day.
- Spent a week watching German Disney films and Netflix shows, noting new vocabulary.
This made more of the content understandable and enjoyable. The 1,000-word sprint was part of their personal experience, not presented as a necessary approach for everyone.
5. Add structured grammar and speaking practice
At around the A2 stage, the speaker realized that passive exposure alone hadn’t taught them how to form sentences. They:
- Took online classes through Lingoda, which revealed gaps in grammar and word order.
- Studied the grammar-focused Dein Sprachcoach A2 course for at least an hour most days for two months.
- Completed a Lingoda Sprint: 30 lessons in two months. Regular lessons helped bring grammar and vocabulary together and build confidence speaking.
6. Practice in real situations
On a three-month trip to Europe, the speaker:
- Took a week-long immersive German course in Freiburg.
- Volunteered at the FISU World University Games in Essen, speaking with native German speakers regularly.
- Practiced through everyday conversations with strangers and Airbnb hosts.
Most importantly, they were able to speak German with their family—fulfilling the original reason they had started learning.
Resources mentioned
- Courses: Nicos Weg A1; Learn German Smarter, Not Harder; Dein Sprachcoach A2
- Apps and tools: Duolingo (early beginner stage), Linguee, Anki
- YouTube: Deutsch mit Lara, Eli’s Corner, Dein Sprachcoach
- Podcasts: Easy German, Deutsch Podcast Deutsch lernen, Expertly German, Sprachzeitung
- Reading/listening: Linguee short stories; Short Stories for Beginners by Olly Richards, read alongside the audiobook
- Other input: German music, films, TV shows, videos, books, and email newsletters
Main takeaways
- Choose a meaningful reason to learn and return to it when motivation dips.
- Combine structured study with regular listening and reading.
- Use content that is understandable enough to learn from; increase difficulty gradually.
- Don’t rely on immersion alone if grammar and sentence construction are weak.
- Speaking improves through speaking practice—classes, real conversations, or other deliberate practice.
- As your level grows, shift from learner-focused material toward content made for native speakers.