Challenges of Learning German Language

By: Antonia Ava Posted on Mon, 16-03-2020

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 As globalization has taken over the world so language plays a significant role in connecting people. Every language has its importance. When we talk about the German language, various things come into our mind which are associated with German-language like German Scientists, literature, music, rich German heritage, academic reasons and most important of all is global business opportunities.

The German language is native to 140 million people in Europe and around the globe. It is associated with French and it is the most learned language in the European Union. Learning a language is a great competency and requires some important aspects to consider. Let's look into them.

Approach

If you have a positive approach towards learning the German language, then you can overcome all the hurdles which come during the learning process. First of all, don’t pay attention to those people who say that German is a difficult language to learn for English natives. This notion is incorrect. German is considered one of the easiest languages for English-speaking people to learn.

The reason is that English and German have the same Anglo-Saxon linguistic roots and German dialects are close to English. Your positive approach towards learning the German language will enable you to learn the German language fast.

Driving Force

Your objective of learning the German language is a driving force and creates motivation for learning a new language. Many people learn the German language because it is required in studies and at work. Many immigrants also learn the German language to get a job in the German market.

People who don't know their objective behind learning a language easily give up. Many people residing in metropolitan cities of Germany are not compelled to learn the German language,  they don't feel the need for learning language because they get along with English.

Learning Process Slows Down With Age

Learning slows down with time. People at a young age tend to learn a language fast. They learn just by listening and while talking to other people. On the other hand, adults need to make conscious efforts to learn a new language. For this reason, they need to take lessons. Young people learn easily from the internet by downloading language learning software. They. easily become competent in speaking a foreign language whereas it takes years for older people to develop language eloquence.

Let's see how we can overcome the Challenges of Learning German Language.

Challenges of Learning German Language

Nouns and Genders

Nouns in the German language are capitalized and have three genders like masculine, feminine and neuter. To know the correct use of these genders one should know four different cases

Nominative Case: In this case, the noun works independently without any association with another object.

Accusative Case: In this case, the noun is associated with the action.

Dative Case: This case deals with the position of the object or subject.

Genitive Case: This case refers to origin or ownership

Some verbs require the use of one case, while others depend on the use of another case. The best way to learn is to practice.

Grammar and Sentence Structure

The biggest challenge which German learners face is complex grammar and sentence structure. The German language has many rules and regulations, but these rules are easy to follow because they are logical. If you have a good memory, then you can learn it easily.

In the German language, words are joined to describe the things and use of prepositions to construct an inverted sentence order. Wrong word order is the biggest mistake that German learners make, especially the placement of the verb at the end of the subordinate clause. German grammar, sentence and word order if understood by the learner than learning the German language is a piece of cake.

Pronunciation

While learning the German language, one should learn how to pronounce different letters and sounds. Many people face problems in pronouncing German umlauts (o, u) and some face problems in pronouncing the final consonants. They also need to know which verb prefixes are always together. In the German language usually, the first syllable is stressed. The German language is famous for its long compound words that have lesser stress, and it is very hard to understand..

Spelling

Learning to spell is not a waste of time, though free spell checkers can be used. German spelling and pronunciation go simultaneously. German spelling is phonetic and depicts pronunciation. If you don't know how to spell the German word, then you will end up learning the wrong pronunciation.

Some words from English and other Languages

German and English are known as West-Germanic languages, and many similar words have lexical roots from French and Latin. The German language has also taken many words from English. Sometimes it becomes very difficult because some common words have a different meaning in both languages. For this reason, you need to learn these confusing words to save yourself from embarrassing moments.

Speaking

Many native English speakers who are residing in Germany complain that they get very little opportunity to speak the German language. No doubt oral communication is an important part of learning the language. People who are residing in the US or UK may not get many opportunities to speak and practice German language. English native speakers who are residing in metropolitan cities of Switzerland, Germany, and Austria speak in English.

It is very essential to communicate in the German language to learn fast and to become fluent in the German language. The best solution to this problem is to find some German-speaking partner in your neighborhood who can speak and correct your German pronunciation.

Accents and Dialects

Even though you are a fluent German speaker it is very difficult to get accustomed to different accents and regional dialects of German language especially from Switzerland and some parts of Austria. If you want to improve your know-how of different accents and dialects, listen to German news on TV or radio. Some German dialects are so different that native Germans need to use subtitles to watch German programs.

Bottom Line

Learning a new language gives you global exposure. It requires hard work and dedication. Besides, practice is the key. Keep trying and meanwhile, if you need any help, our German translation services are here to help. We, at Mars Translation, provide impeccable translation services to and from german and you can contact us for translating any type of content.