When German class is over, you’re ready to go live the culture vulture lifestyle.
You know, scanning Twitter, clicking through online magazines, binging on Netflix and recipe pinning. You’re dying to go home, sink into the couch, and get online. Starting even more language practice probably isn’t on the top of your list.
Well, who says you can’t do all of the above?
It’s key to take breaks—they’ll help refresh your brain for the next burst of grammar lessons—but it’s also possible to
incorporate German practice into your everyday life at home. And it can be fun too!
Did you know you can be super productive with your language learning outside the classroom?
Now you’ll learn exactly how to make this happen. In this article, I’ll be showing you tips and tricks for
dedicating spare time to German practice.
5 Excellent Ways to Teach Yourself German Outside of Class
When German class is over, you’re ready to go live the culture vulture lifestyle.
You know, scanning Twitter, clicking through online magazines, binging on Netflix and recipe pinning.
You’re dying to go home,
sink into the couch and get online.
Starting even
more language practice probably isn’t on the top of your list.
Well, who says you can’t do all of the above?
It’s key to take breaks—they’ll help
refresh your brain for the next
burst of grammar lessons—but it’s also possible to
incorporate German practice into your everyday life at home. And it can be fun too!
Did you know you can be super productive with your language learning outside the classroom?
Now you’ll learn exactly how to make this happen.
In this article, I’ll be showing you tips and tricks for dedicating spare time to German practice.
Why You Should Teach Yourself German Outside of Class
Learning as part of a class with the support of a teacher is a
fantastic way to learn the language. It’ll help you really get to grips
with the more difficult aspects of the language. But, put simply:
the more you expose yourself to the language, the better you’ll know it. If you’re in class 3 times a week, you’ll only be getting around 3 hours of practice in each week.
That’s not much considering there are 168 hours in a whole week—there’s a load more German practice that can be squeezed in!
What’s great about independent learning is your ability to tailor it to your own needs. Are you struggling with the definite articles, Der, Die, and Das? Well, make sure you focus on those during your
practice at home. Are you doing a lot of listening practice in class but
would like to improve your speaking? You can do so at home without any distractions or interruptions from classmates!
Plus, do you even need to be reminded that you can
play all your favorite German artists at home for language practice, rather than just using the songs that the teacher provides?
Teach Yourself German: 5 Excellent Methods for Culture Vultures
1. Use German recipes and cookbooks
If you enjoy being a culinary creative in the kitchen, why not start utilizing German recipes?
There are plenty of different
German cookbooks
that have lots of traditional and innovative dishes for you to make.
And while cooking up these tasty treats, you’ll be getting your reading
up to a sizzling level!
Recipes are made up of instructions, so you’ll get to see how the
imperative tense works. Cookbooks are often written
in the polite form,
so you’ll get lots of practice with this kind of imperative, for
example:
Kneten Sie zu einem Teig! Knead (You formal) into a dough!
Not only is this great reading practice, but you’ll be learning by
doing once you get set up in the kitchen.
Here are 5 culinary vocab
picks to help you cook up a storm:
- braten — to roast / to fry
- Die deutsche Küche — German cuisine
- vor dem Auftragen — before serving ... carrying it out (from the kitchen)
- geschält — peeled
- der Herd — stove
It doesn’t take to long to get into this fun activity. Plus, the element of
active learning will help reinforce the language, making it stick in your brain even longer!
2. Tune into German radio stations
There are tons of German radio stations out there, so you can’t use
the excuse that there isn’t one that suits your tastes! Many of these
are available to
listen to online. So that’s the not-being-in-Germany excuse out the window!
It’s pretty obvious that German radio stations provide you with
excellent listening practice. Radio stations will help to liven up your
practice—after all you’ll be choosing your station, so they’ll be
playing your kind of bands and DJs. If you’re more into talk radio,
you’ll also be able to tune into one that has programs covering your
interests. Much more entertaining than listening exercises with stiff,
scripted dialogues in class, right?
Not sure which one to pick? Here’s a speedy roundup of the 5 best stations:
- Deutsche Welle has a great selection of music podcasts that suit all levels of language learners.
- hr3 has some fantastic comedy shows. Time to get used to German humor!
- FluxFM always broadcasts top-notch interviews alongside an excellent selection of alternative indie pop.
- Radio SAW is great for those of you who want to stretch your vocal chords along with some true pop divas!
- Sport1.FM has all the latest games and match results.
3. Add German books and magazines to your stash
Not only will you look
über cultured, but you’ll be upping
your German reading skill. As I’ve said before, the great thing about
independent learning is that you can tailor it to
your needs and
interests; and not to those of your teacher's supplies, or of your class.
You’ll probably already have some favorite books and magazines that
are available in German. You may even have some favorite written
material originally in German!
If not, or if you’re looking for something new, here are my top 5 written resources to learn German with:
- Often compared to Time, Der Spiegel is a weekly roundup of all the latest political happenings in the German-speaking world.
- “Heidi” is a classic Swiss tale of mountains, goats and an idyllic childhood. Find suggestions for abridged classic German novels books here.
- German Vogue is a great option for all you fashionistas who want to learn who’s who in the German fashion world.
- One for the cool kids, Neon offers a trendy take on lifestyle, culture and travel.
- Kafka should be on all advanced learners’ bookcases. Start out with his most famous book, “Die Verwandlung.”
4. Connect with German social media
This one is easy in this day and age. Everyone’s on social media all the time.
If you follow some German Twitter accounts, then you’ll have
bite-sized chunks of German delivered to you around the clock. It’s fab
reading practice and, once you start to feel really confident, you could
even show off and tweet
auf Deutsch!
Here’s a brief summary of 5 of the best Twitter accounts to connect to:
- @NeinQuarterly is
one of the most popular German Twitter accounts. His philosophical
satire is tweeted both in English and German, but his witticisms in
German are often a great critique of the language.
- Another one for lovers of satire, @PolizeiBerlin_E is a mock account of the Berlin police force and provides a comical view of life in Berlin.
- @GrumpyMerkel is
another parody account, this one based on Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Following this account will also keep you up-to-date with international
goings on!
- @DieZeit is one of Germany’s favorite broadsheet newspapers so this account will keep you abreast of all current affairs.
- @dw_deutsch is one for all culture vultures and provides links to loads of German multimedia and cultural pieces.
5. Have a German movie night
Why not
switch the settings on your favorite DVD and watch the movie
in German for a change? The listening practice is unbeatable and, seeing as
you’ll already know the story, you’ll be able to keep up easily.
Once you start to get the hang of things you can push your listening
to its limits and watch something you’ve never seen before! Invite all
your friends over and pass around the popcorn—you’ll soon see how fun
teaching yourself German can be!
Spoiled for movie choice? I’ve narrowed it down for you…
- “Goodbye, Lenin!”: This
lighthearted comedy follows an East Berlin family during the fall of
The Wall. Alex’s mother—a supporter of the East’s Social Unity
Party—wakes up from a coma just after the fall of the wall. How long can
Alex pretend that her beloved state no longer exists?
- “Die Fette Jahren Sind Vorbei”: A
group of rebellious twenty somethings take out their anti-capitalist
sentiments on their well-heeled neighbors with disastrous consequences.
- “Der Untergang”: A movie for history aficionados, “Der Untergang” portrays the downfall of Adolf Hitler.
- “Lola Rennt”: An exhilarating race through Berlin. Can Lola find the 100,000 German Marks she needs in order to save her boyfriend’s life? Time is running out…
Hopefully this article has persuaded you to get your German on at
home! You’ll instantly feel the benefits—it’s amazing how far a couple
of hours of practice outside the classroom will take your German!
After studying German and Philosophy at The University of Nottingham, Laura Harker relocated to Berlin in 2012. She now works as a freelance writer and is also assistant editor at Slow Travel Berlin.
