German Language for Beginners: The 4 Language Skills and How to Master Them Easily

There are four language skills that you need to work on whenever you learn a foreign language. These are reading, writing, listening and speaking. Two of these (reading and listening) are known as 'receptive' skills, as they require the receiving and interpreting information. The other two skills (writing and speaking) are known as 'productive' skills, since they require you to produce the language yourself.

As an example, imagine you are using a textbook and there is a short passage you need to read and translate to English. This is a test of your reading skills. Now imagine that the book gives you a short passage in English, and asks you to translate in to German. This is a test of your writing skills, which requires you to think of the correct words and grammar to produce it in a written form. Naturally, the receptive skills of reading and listening are easier, since you are given the words and only need to translate them. Often you can correctly guess the meaning even if you only understand a few of the words. In contrast, the productive skills of speaking and writing are more difficult since you need to correctly remember all the words and grammar forms so that the listener or reader will be able to understand you.

It is very important when learning a language to make sure that you give equal attention to each of the four skills. Many students make the mistake of focussing only on the skills of the type of study materials they first purchase. If this is a textbook, then they will be working only on reading and writing. If it is an audio course, then speaking and listening are obviously the focus. You need to cover all four skills. Here are some ways you can do that and become highly skilled in all areas of the German language...

Reading and Writing

• Purchase a good German textbook with exercises as a great starting point for learning to read and write.
• Practise reading with German websites such as news or sports.
• Sign up for a daily German email, such as a horoscope, for a nice short reading practice that you can easily fit into your daily routine.
• Practise reading with German cartoons and books. (Start with children's books and work up to easy novels.)
• Practise writing by creating your own exercises... Think of words and phrases you spoke about today (or topics that you would like to talk about), then translate these to German. This is a great way to tailor your study to your particular areas of interest.
• Practise reading and writing at an online language community, which is a great place to find German penpals.

Listening and Speaking

• Purchase a good German audio course for listening and speaking practice.
• Practise listening to native speakers by watching German movies, cartoons and television shows.
• Set up a language swap with a German speaker (either in person or using an online language community).
• Get yourself a private tutor for intense practise listening and speaking with a native German.

These are just a few of the better ways that you can use your study time to cover all four of the language skills. Get creative and look for other fun ways to practise these skills and you'll soon find yourself becoming very proficient in the German language. Good luck, and have fun learning German!

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. To ensure you get off to a good start, visit the website for all of our tips and tutorials on German language for beginners.

German Pronunciation for Beginners: A Comparison of German and English Consonants

If you ask a native German how many letters are in the German alphabet, they'll most likely answer '26'. Indeed the German alphabet contains the same 26 letters as the English alphabet, but there are also 4 additional sounds that are written in a way that does not exist in English. These are the 3 vowels with umlauts (two dots above the letters a, o, and u) and a curious letter known colloquially as 'double s'. Let's take a look at the key similarities and differences in pronunciation between the two sets of consonants.

Consonants which are Identical

• The letters f, k, m, n, p and t are pronounced exactly the same in German as they are in English.
• The letter x is also pronounced the same, although it is rare in German, and usually found only in words of foreign origin.

Consonants which are Similar

• The letters b, d and g are pronounced the same as in English when they are at the start of a word or syllable, but shift to sound like p, t and k when they are at the end of words or syllables. (In other words, they become 'unvoiced'.)
• The letter c is usually found in combinations like 'ch' or 'ck', and in the rare occasions that it exists on its own, it sounds like the English letter k.
• The letter h sounds like its English counterpart, except when it is at the end of words or syllables, and in this situation it is not pronounced.
• The letter l is pronounced softly, similar to the English l in 'language'. It does not sound hard like the l in 'apple', for example.
• The letter q is always followed by the letter u, and this combination sounds like the English letter combination 'kv'.
• The letter z sounds like English ts.

Consonants which are Totally Different

• The letter j is pronounced like the English letter y. For example, 'ja', the German word for yes.
• The German letter r is well known for being rolled in the back of the throat, and therefore has a much more guttural sound than English r. It is, however, not pronounced when it is alone at the end of a word or syllable (eg. klar), or when it is before another consonant at the end of a word or syllable (eg. Wurst). In these situations, it affects the preceding vowel sound.
• The German letter v is actually pronounced like English f.
• The letter w is pronounced like English v.
• The letter y is more like a vowel, sounding something like English u.

German Letter 'S'

• When at the start of a word or syllable, the German s sounds like English z. At the end of a word or syllable, it sounds like English s.
• When there is a double s sound in German, this is written as either 'ss', or with the unique letter known commonly as German double 's'. The technical name for this letter is 'eszett'. You'll know it when you see it, since it stands out prominently. If anything, it looks kind of like a handwritten capital B. Eszett is basically a substitute for 'ss', and it is pronounced the same way. However, it is only used in certain situations, and it indicates whether the vowel preceding it is pronounced short or long.

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. To ensure you get off to the right start, visit our website for lots of detailed tutorials on German words pronunciation.

Learning German for Beginners: 2 Difficult Concepts Made Easy

Whenever I start learning a new language, I am usually filled with two emotions--excitement and confusion. The excitement comes from knowing that there are many fun times ahead. The confusion comes naturally, since there are many aspects about learning German which can overwhelm you when you first start out. Whether you are a language addict like me, or just learning your first foreign language, you'll no doubt share this sense of confusion.

What I've noticed is that most beginners struggle with a few of the more difficult grammar topics. If English is your native language, you'll be fine with the alphabet and vocabulary, since both German and English evolved from the same family of languages. What will be most difficult are the grammar concepts which are completely foreign to an English speaker. Two of the most challenging concepts to grasp initially are noun genders and cases. Let's take a look at each of these and help you become familiar with how to use them correctly.

#1--Noun Genders

In German, every noun has a gender--masculine, feminine or neuter. It doesn't really matter why this is so. What it means for you is that you need to know the gender so that you can use the correct words that go together with these nouns. For example, in English, you use the articles 'the' and 'a/an' before nouns (eg. the chair, an apple, etc.). In German, you need to use a different word for each, depending on which gender the noun is. Here is what you need to know:

• The word 'the' in German is 'der' (for masculine nouns), 'die' (for feminine nouns), or 'das' (for neuter nouns).
• The word 'a/an' in German is 'ein' (for masculine and neuter nouns), or 'eine' (for feminine nouns).

In addition to the articles 'the' and 'a/an', a noun is also regularly preceded by adjectives and sometimes a possessive pronoun to indicate who owns it (eg. his old, blue bicycle). In German, these words also must match the noun in terms of its gender. The best way to learn these is by memorizing one example in each gender. Once you've done this, you'll be able to apply the same endings to any words matching that gender.

#2--Cases

The second major topic that really trips up a lot of new language learners is that of 'cases'. A case basically identifies a part of speech in a sentence, including the subject, direct and indirect objects, and ownership. What this means for you is that in addition to changing word endings to match gender, you'll also need to make sure that this ending matches the correct case. There are 4 cases you need to know:

• Nominative Case--identifies the subject. This is the easiest case because the endings are not changed from the dictionary form. You'll simply need to change endings to match the correct gender. The way to identify nominative case is to ask yourself the following question... "who or what are we talking about? (who or what is doing the action)?"
• Accusative Case--identifies the direct object. The way to identify this case is to ask yourself the following question... "whom or what does the subject 'see/eat/etc...'?" When you compare the word endings of this case to nominative case, you will notice that you only have to make a change in the masculine gender.
• Genitive Case--indicates that this noun belongs to someone or something. Ask yourself the question... "whom or what owns this?" The word endings in genitive case are different from nominative case in all genders. In addition, the masculine and neuter noun itself also changes, usually adding -es or -s. (One-syllable nouns typically add -es, while those with more than one syllable just add -s.)
• Dative Case--is used for the indirect object of the sentence (the receiver of the direct object or an action). Ask yourself... "to whom or to what is the subject doing this?" The word endings in dative case are different from nominative case in all genders. In addition, when Genitive case is used, an -n is added to the plural noun itself (unless the plural form of the noun already ends in -n or -s).

As you move through your German study bit by bit, you'll soon become familiar with each of the different endings. Keep in mind that these are difficult topics--the most difficult topics that you're going to encounter. Just by being aware of them now, you have made great progress. Keep referring back to these summaries as you continue learning and you'll soon be feeling very comfortable with German grammar. Remember... understanding the grammar rules is the quickest way to improve your German. So now you have a great incentive! Good luck, and have fun learning this wonderful language!

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. To ensure you get off to a good start, visit the website for many more great tips and tutorials, including our free mini-course: Learning German for Beginners.