I’ve lost count on how many times I heard that question and the answer depends on so many different factors.
- How motivated are you?
- How much time do you have?
- Are you learning in Germany or in your own country?
- Have you learned a language before?
The Goethe-Institut once produced a poster with the rough amount of hours that you need to reach certain levels.
I tried to simplify it by using an average number spread out over 50 weeks – I’m giving you 2 weeks off for your holidays 😉
Of course, you can get by with a lot less. If you’re going on holidays to Germany for the first time, even a few basic sentences will be good, and you don’t need to be fluent to have a great time in Germany.
Whatever time you can spare, be it a few hours only before a holiday or a business trip to a German speaking country, or for the need to be fluent because of a new job, there are lots of ways to learn whatever it is you may need …… ask me, if you need advice!
Ideally, I’d drop the kids in Munich for the 6 weeks holidays and by the time I collected them in September, they’d be fluent? *plots a dastardly plan for next year*
6 weeks would be a good start, and, of course, would give you some peace and quiet 😉
Great idea!
And fortunately for tourists like me, many Germans know English!
Yes, they do, and many like to practise their English, when they spot an English speaker. On the other hand, they do appreciate it, if you try and say something in German.
To be honest, I find it to be more an excuse for lazy native English speakers. In Berlin, nearly everyone speaks English, and many Germans speak English in a way that you can’t really tell their accent!
Why would these people “practise” a language they already know? LOL
Excuses for lazy arses who’ve lived there for here and can hardly say “wie geht’s” xD
I agree, there is no excuse for anybody who lives in a foreign country and doesn’t learn/ speak the language. But that was a lot easier for me when I moved to the UK. Nobody spoke German, so I HAD to speak English. Trying to find somebody in Berlin who doesn’t speak English is a little trickier.
I think that is the biggest hindrance to learning languages.
Yes, the English speakers’ good luck and curse at the same time.
Love the graphic and excited at the prospect that you can learn in short period of time, of course practice is the key.
Thanks, Yolanda. You can learn in any time span, as long as you’re realistic about how much you will learn.