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Yes, that’s a real word in the German language, or at least it was until 2013. In the German language, this 63 character word referred to “law delegating beef label monitoring”.

An EU regulation dropped it. You have been told the German language is really hard to learn, or maybe you just naturally got this feeling when you heard a native German speaker talking? The scary word above confirms your assumptions? But…

Is learning to speak German hard?

Well, no, learning German being hard is just a myth. Learning any language takes time and commitment. It’s the same with the German language.

Having enough motivation and working hard towards your goal, is all it takes. And if you feel confused about where to start, we’ve put together some tips in this article that will help you learn to speak German really fast. Let’s be real. Chinese people will find it harder than an English native speaker to learn German.

This is because the German language is part of Germanic languages, a group of Indo-European languages, that shares plenty of similarities with other Germanic languages like English or Dutch.

How Long Does It Take To Learn German

Learning German can be a bit difficult, especially if you are a native of a language that doesn’t belong to the Indo-European family of languages. But, no matter what your native language is, and even if German may seem tricky to you at first, don’t get discouraged.

If you’re wondering if there are any shortcuts or specific ways how to learn german, we have mentioned a few in this guide that will help you make progress faster. There is no fixed period of time that guarantees you will succeed in learning the German language, but what’s most important is consistency. You’re not going to wake up one morning and find yourself speaking fluent German.

That only happens in the movies. If you take just one step at a time, you’ll see results happening fast. Learning a new language may take a different time depending on many factors like your prior experience and exposure to the language, your resilience, how much work you put into the learning process, motivation, and so on. But, if you practice on a daily basis for a period of at least three to six months, you’ll probably be able to handle a daily conversation with a friend and doing things like getting into a cafe and making an order in German.

Some people struggle more than others and need more time to reach that level but that’s mostly because they’re not putting in the effort and practicing daily. If you want to speak German fluently, it’s probably going to take a few years of practice, but we’re just looking to get started, right?

How To Learn the German Language?

Here’s how to learn the German language fast and easy:

1. Find a strong reason that will keep you motivated.
2. Learn all the fundamentals of the German language.
3. Keep things interesting by learning slang, funny words, and idioms.
4. Practice daily. If possible, talk with native German speakers.

People say it’s all about mastering the basics. So, if you’re wondering how to learn the German language if you’re a complete beginner, we recommend you start with the alphabet. The German language has 26 letters, just like English. There are a few letters with pronunciation that doesn’t exist in English: ä,ö,ü and β, but you won’t find these letters in the Alphabet. Practice their correct pronunciation as this will help you adjust your accent significantly.

German Language Grammar

What makes a language look difficult to you? It’s grammar, right? Grammar is usually a nightmare for all people planning to get into a new language, and it’s not the case only with the German language. But, learn this part well and you’ll be speaking German fluently in no time. German has six tenses: Prasens, Präteritum, Perfekt, Plusquamperfekt, Futur I and Futur II.

• Präsens relates to the Present tense in English,
• Präteritum relates to Perfect tenses,
• Plusquamperfekt relates to Past Perfect,
• Futur I relates to the Future tense,
• Futur II relates to the Future perfect plus “will” and “have”.

This relation is not completely accurate, but looking at the tenses this way will make it easier for you to understand German grammar. They have four cases (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive). Here is a tricky thing about German that many people mention often: the 16 forms that “the” of English takes on German in different cases and gender. German has three noun prepositions for each gender: die (for feminine nouns), der (for masculine nouns), and das (for neutral gender). With every new word that you learn in the German language, you must also learn what preposition needs to come in front of it. It may confuse you at first because sometimes a biological gender may not match its grammatical gender. However, there are some rules determining which noun gets which article with exceptions. There’s no need to stress about this part too much. Although you have to memorize all of them mechanically, a huge part of this grammar fundamental will soon start making more sense to you.

Funny German Words

Let’s make this a little bit more fun, shall we? Like in any other language, you can find words in German that when translated literally in English sound really funny.

For example, how do you call someone who pees outside the toilet in English?

There is no specific word for these people in English, but in German, there is “Wildpinkler” which literally means “wild pee-er”. Here is a list of the 10 funniest words in German and their meaning in English.

Brustwarze – breast wart.
This word literally means “breast wart”. It stands for “nipple” in English. This is not the only funny word for body parts. There is also Zahnfleisch (tooth-meat) which actually means gums.

Liebfrauenmilch – beloved lady milk.
This word originates from a German wine back in the 1700s and it refers to the Virgin Mary. The expression “Liebfrauenmilch” is now a legally protected name of German wine (from the Mosel region).

Handschuhe – hand shoes.
Germans don’t have the time nor the patience to create a unique word for the clothes we wear on different parts of the body. Everything you put in your hands, they refer to Handschuhe which literally translates to “hand shoes”.

Klobrille – toilet glasses.
Germans are known as people who value cleanliness. Some say that when they get into a hotel before deciding to pass the night there they check toilets to be sure they’re all clean. Toilet glasses are not actually any special device Germans use to inspect toilets. They are just toilet seats.

Stinktier – Stink animal.
Germans name some animal from their smell, their looks, or any other treat, physical or non-physical, that differentiate them from the rest. The slug is an animal-like snail but without its home. Germans call it Nacktschnecke which literally is “a naked snail”. They call Wolverine Vielfraß which means “eat-a-lot”.

�������������ü����� – donkey’s bridge.
This term stands for the trick you use to help you remember something when it doesn’t come to your mind at the moment you need it. It originates from the Latin term “pons asinorum” (bridge of donkeys).

Donnerbalken – thunder beam.
This word long ago referred to the military latrine, but now in slang refers to the toilet. In English, the slang “thunderbox” would match it. You can guess what’s funny about it.

Durchfall – through fall It stands for “diarrhea”” in English. It originates from Greek and it means “through-flow”

�¾�����辱�԰�������– wild pee-er.
It is a unique word when referring to people who pee outside a toilet. It may sound like an offense but for your curiosity “Wildpinkler “–s were eroding the ancient walls of Ulm Minister church a report said.

Dudelsack – yodel sack.
Dudelsack stands for the well-known Scottish national musical instrument. Literally means the bag that tootles.

German Slang

If you are stuck in the streets of Berlin and can’t figure out what people are saying, you’d probably find some slang expressions pretty helpful. Here are some to learn:

Auf dicke Hose machen

This is used when somebody acts like they are stronger or wealthier than others. Literally translates “act like you have huge pants”.

Gebongt sein

It means that a deal is settled. A “bon” is the receipt you take when you buy something. Something “gebongt” means agreed or booked.

Was geht ab?

It’s the equivalent of “What’s up?” in English. “Was geht” is the even shorter version used by teenagers.

Is a greeting that means “hello” and “what are you doing?” at the same time. It’s also used along with “gehts” and some greeting words like “Na, alles gut?” to ask the other person “how are you doing?”

Nicht alle Tassen im Schrank haben

It means you are crazy. Literally: You don’t have all the cups in your cupboard.

Bock haben

Means being in good mood. When they say “Null bock” means they are in a bad mood.

Die Nase voll haben

Literally means “to have your nose full” and it refers to having enough of something that you are starting to lose your interest in the matter completely.

Chillen

Is a German slang version of “to chill” in English, meaning to hang out, have fun.

Aus der Reihe tanzen

Refers to those people who like to stay off the line, acting differently compared to the rest. It may also have a positive meaning for someone who is just minding his own business.

German Food

Another thing that will make you love Germany is their traditional delicious food. Here are the 10 most known German foods:

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Bratwurst

Bratwursts are sausages from pork meat and are part of every barbeque in Germany. Most known are the ones from Nurnberg.

Currywurst

Are also pork meat. This food was invented in Berlin by Herta Heuwer in 1949.

Bratkartoffeln

Potatoes are considered to be typical German food. So, it is not a surprise they made a joke out of it. Germans eat at least a portion of this food in a day.

Sauerbraten

Sauerbraten is a dish of meat. Basically, you just sink a piece of beef in hot juices for hours and hours and you’ll get soft and delicious food at the end.

Maultaschen

Maultaschen is another delicious food you must try if you are in Germany. It is a dish made of a lot of stuff like pork and beef, but it also has its vegetarian version.

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Here is the other dish made with pork meat. ������������� is served in little pieces with bread and mustard rather than a real meal. It is a sausage but in contrast with other German sausages, it is kept in the oven for a long time.

Schnitzel

You slice a piece of veal meat and cover it with flour, egg, and tiny pieces of bread, and when you put it in oil or butter until it becomes golden on the outside. That is how you cook Schnitzel.

Rouladen

Rouladen takes time to prepare it. If you decide to cook it you’ll need a thin slice of meat where you put some ingredients like mustard, onions, ham and then you roll it to give the form of a cylinder. Then you’ll have to grill it.

Gulasch

You thought Gulasch originated from elsewhere. Well, you were correct. But, Germans have their own variation. German Gulasch is made of a sliced piece of meat combined with a rich sauce and sometimes with some wine which makes it softer and tender.

Free Apps To Learn The German Language

Today technology is on your side. Make sure you use it efficiently. On the Internet, you have a bunch of free online applications that can serve you as perfect tools to boost your language skills. You can access them for free and it takes minutes to have them on your device. Here are some of these applications you should consider:

Anki

It’s an app designed to help you widen your vocabulary through flashcards. You can make flashcards on your own with text, images, or sounds or you can download pre-made ones.

Memrise

With Memrise you can learn and socialize at the same time. You can compete with your friends in German. This app also offers other programs, so once you are done with German you can change the subject.

WordPic

This app will help you expand your vocabulary with pictures and also helps to practice your pronunciation.

Babbel

In Babbel, you’ll have questions with multiple answer choices. The app reads questions aloud so you can practice pronunciation.

DeutscheAcademie

This app is dedicated to practicing. You get access to a lot of materials that can help you upgrade your level in the German language

Wie geht’s

Is an app that covers a range of topics. It is focused on vocabulary. It can be used with or without an Internet connection

Duolingo

Duolingo is one of the most popular apps for learning German and other languages. It’s an online course where you can create your profile and set your own goals.