Repetition is your best teacher. I made a choice to enroll in an intensive beginners class just under a year ago. It comprises of three hour lessons over four weekdays which can be quite overwhelming. I really encourage you to attend every single class. One missed class leaves a big gap in learning and you don’t want to get left behind. Seek to understand the theory so you can practice alone in your own time. Then repeat! Here is an example of an activity that encourages repetition. Repetition is the best teacher. 

Wiederholen [Vee-der-ho-len] Verb

The act of repeating. E.g Bitte höre, sehe, lese, spache. Immer wiederholen!

April

Focus on what really matters and don’t get bogged down on words that you would never use in a dialogue at first. You can start by picking up all the greetings, introductions and how to present yourself. This is why i chose “Sprachen” as my word of focus. Practice different ways to say Hello, Good bye, How are you, My name is, I am…, and so on. Greetings in another language are sure to help break down barriers. Today in class we had a speaking exercise which involved asking where certain furniture items should be placed and the partner responding with instructions.

April

I’m afraid I can’t tell you the secret formula to successfully learn a language. Everyone who has become fluent in a secondary language has had to go through the same journey. I am fortunate to have German all around me. So what did I do? I soaked my brain every day. I activated all “die Sinne” and kept at it consistently. Remembering words by seeing, listening, reading and reciting. Joining a class, getting a tutor or a tandem partner is a good first step. Then the rest is up to you to apply. Here is my kitchen (the place I actively spend the most time at home). You see what I mean by brain soaking?

Sinne [Sin-neh] Noun

The way in which the body perceives an external stimulus by way of sight, smell, touch, hearing, taste.

April

My name is April from Sydney Australia (yes, like the month). Sounds like a distant land doesn’t it? Because it is. It’s a 24 hour direct flight, across sea and land of a total of 16,318 km from my doorstep to Munich city. If you take the vertical distance of Germany from its northern border of Denmark to its southern border of Austria just east of Zugspitze that’s equivalent to 19.5 trips! I’m a long way from the motherland, living in Munich for the last year to pursue a different cultural landscape and embrace an exciting role working for one of the world’s number one travel platforms. Each day I’ll present a practical tip of how I’ve embraced learning a new language as an absolute beginner. Buckle up as “die Reise” is a bumpy one.

Reise [Rise-Eh] Noun

to travel from one place to another.; the act of journeying especially to distant places. e.g. “Ich reise von Sydney nach Muenchen”

April