If you want to learn German for an upcoming holiday, but you don't have a lot of time, you'll have to take a few shortcuts. There is no point in ploughing through a detailed German text designed for university studies. You need to focus on speaking simple German, and learning crucial words and phrases to get you through the key moments.
The first thing you'll want to do is head to your local bookstore and get yourself a good pocket-size phrase guide. All the large language publishers have their own version, so just flick through a few of them and see which one you like best. You'll want one with useful phrases separated by topic... meeting people, asking for directions, public transport, restaurants, shopping, and so forth. Plus, a good phrase guide should also have a mini-dictionary with the most common words, as well as word lists for days of the week, months, numbers, food, and so on.
A phrase guide is a great way to familiarize yourself with the alphabet and with key words and phrases that you'll need. It is especially useful since you can fit it into your pocket or handbag and refer to it when you're actually there and needing to communicate in German. At worst, you'll be able to point to the phrase and get the message across that way.
To really speak German, however, a phrase guide is only of limited value. The main reason for this is that it doesn't have audio, so your listening skills don't get a workout and your pronunciation is simply an educated guess. Therefore, in addition to your pocket phrase guide, the second thing you'll need to learn simple German in a short space of time is an interactive audio course.
Using an audio course gives you the benefit of being able to hear native speakers, and practise correct pronunciation. It forces you to learn key phrases as they are used in natural conversations, and this is by far the most useful way to learn a language. Since you'll want to be able to speak German while you're there on holidays, learning it in an audio format like this will enable you to do that with confidence.
Most audio courses are now available in mp3 format, so you can listen to them easily on an mp3 player, or on your computer. The best courses also provide additional information about grammar and colloquial use of the language, so they can also be used by students who want to learn German to a serious level as well. The courses are usually broken up into short lessons of approximately 30 minutes, which is an ideal length to fit into your daily routine.
In the days and weeks leading up to your holiday, give some thought to the situations you think you will need to speak German. This will help you to focus your study time on the topics that you'll need. For instance, if you are visiting Germany for a tour of the wine regions, the German words you'll need to know will be quite different to those you would need if you were visiting Germany to watch football! Just focus on the topics that are important to you. Not only will you enjoy learning these words and phrases, but it will also make your holiday much more enjoyable. You'll be able to interact with the locals and experience a taste of German life!
Steve Galvin is a language teacher and owner of leading German site http://www.easygermanlanguage.com, which is packed with free resources for anyone wanting to speak German the fun, fast and easy way. Check out the website for many more great tips and tutorials to help you speak simple German quickly.
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