letslearndeutsch

[letslearndeutsch]

Learning Languages and How to Make it Fun

(gifs not mine, credit to the artist)

How does a child learns? Immersion

So you gotta dive deep

Find songs that you like. You don't have to understand, you just have to enjoy the song.

Listen them at least once a day. The idea is for you to get familiar with the sounds.

Once you have already heard them too many times (without getting tired of them) look for the lyrics. In their native language, not a translation.

If you can read in that language, then try reading them. Print them if you have to or write them down (this is better) and as you listen to the song try to sing.

If there's a word/sentence you like because it sounds pretty, mark it.

If there's a word you don't know how to/can't pronounce, mark it.

For example, I have a journal in which I write Japanesse Kanji that I find beautiful (whether is because of the meaning or the symbol itself is pretty)

Once you are familiar with the song look for a translation.

Check those words you have marked with the translation.

While looking for definitions it's better if you find images (so can have an idea of what that word is) instead of a definition in your language (unless is a long/complicated concept).

Movies, you must watch movies in that language. Better if they are from that country. (It can also be a doubled movie, perhaps you could look for one of your favorites)

Watch them with subtitles (in your language) once or twice. Then watch them again but this time without subtitles or with subtitles of said language. (You already know the plot, so you can still understand what's going on)

If you like to read, look for children literature. It's easy and fun.

Keep reading even if you don't understand a single sh*t. It doesn't matter.

Mark again those words you like, don't know the meaning or can't pronounce.

Write at least one sentence every day. It doesn't have to be right, it doesn't have to be long or poetic, you just gotta write.

If you still don't know much about grammar (enough to formulate a sentence on your own) then write a quote from one of those songs, movies or books you read. Again it doesn't matter if you don't understand what are you writing.

If you already know another language, try to learn the new language with that one. For example, I learn german from english instead of my native language spanish.

Videogames. In my experience this is amazing. You have no idea idea how much I learned english just from games.

You have fun playing, engaged with a story, while constantly hearing the language. You don't even have to pay attention at what they are saying, eventually you'll figure it out. It's very intuitive.

And because games, usually, requires that you spend many hours playing you will have a lot of practice without actually studying.

Some games, if you look on the settings menu, even have other languages instead of english. For example I played Assassin's Creed Brotherhood in italian and french and AsC III in russian and japanese (the voice actors are fantastic).

Seriously, videogames are freaking amazing for learning.

The idea of this, is that you can imitate the learning process a child does, while also having fun and enjoying it. Kids learn by making mistakes, by playing with words and by being constantly surrounded with the language. At first, kids have no idea what they are doing, they just repeat what they see and hear. So it's okay if you don't know what are you doing, take that pressure off. This is not school/college, this is just you trying to learn a culture. So be kind and patient with yourself.

LEARNING SHOULD BE FUN, be creative with your methods and try everything (so you can find what you are comfortable with). It is scientifically proved that if you like what you are studying and having fun it will be 10x easier to assimilate and remember the knowledge you are acquiring.

[letslearndeutsch]

Why Learn German?

Why learn German? My choice to learn German is a truly personal one. Ever since being assigned a family tree project in high school, I have had an interest in genealogy and my family's history. My mom's family, on both sides, immigrated from Germany during the 1800's (at different times, of course). However, our family's German language was lost along the way. During WWII, my grandparents and their families were part of the 12 million German-Americans living and working in the United States. My great-grandparents were told they were not to speak German in the home. Additionally, schools were told not to allow any German in the classroom. In the end, my grandparents grew up without a huge part of their heritage.  Now, in their 80's, my grandparents have books and letters, written in German, that they can not read. These items are key pieces to my family's history and their secrets are yet to be unlocked. 

Why does all of this matter now? In recent weeks I have come to a very simple, yet profound, conclusion. I've always been, and will always be, (half) German. It's who I am. It's in my blood- literally. Certainly, that should not have come as a surprise to me. Right? In many ways, it didn't. However, living in a global pandemic and worrying about the health and safety of your elderly grandparents will shine a huge spotlight on what truly matters. Once your find yourself without work or income, facing empty store shelves, and are left to quarantine away from your loved ones in your home for a month or more (a month and counting at the time of writing), your perspective begins to change. 

Now, to be fair, I've wanted to learn a new language for quite some time. In fact, one item on my bucket list is to be bilingual by my 40th birthday. However, I've wasted a lot of time going back and forth about which language I would study. In addition to German, I have considered Spanish, Hebrew, and Chinese all for different reasons. Many of those reasons were centered on where my life and work were in that moment. However, the one thing that will never change is my heritage. The history of my family will always remain the same. So, here I am. I invite you to follow my journey.

Let's Learn Deutsch together, shall we?