You may not even spot the changes at first. You may notice that the word “daß” (that) is now written “dass.” One of the most distinctive characteristics of German – its long compound words – has been somewhat diluted, with many former compounds now appearing as two or three separate words. “Du” and “dir” are no longer capitalized, while the more formal “Sie” and “Ihnen” continue to be. You may also notice that an attempt has been made to make words adopted from other languages follow German spelling conventions.

Why the need for German Spelling Reform – or Rechtschreibreform, as it is called in German? Rechtschriebreform arose out of a series of conferences between a number of German-speaking countries; the goal was to clear up inconsistencies in the way German was spelled from one region to another. Switzerland, for example, seldom used the “ß” character, otherwise known as an Eszett or a scharfes S. This character, which has an unvoiced sibilant sound, is replaced in Swiss German by a double S (“muss”). Other countries, such as Austria, adamantly felt that the Eszett helped to give German its unique character and the language would be poorer without it.

The haggling over German spelling reform across was bitter, protracted, and intense. For this reason, the changes everyone eventually agreed on were more than the traditionalists wanted but less radical than the reformers sought. The rules governing the use of the Eszett versus the double S are extremely confusing and still inconsistent. Another goal was to cease capitalizing nouns, and that didn’t happen either. After several conferences, an uneasy consensus was reached, and in 1996 most German-speaking countries (and a few with significant German-speaking minorities) signed the agreement. Over the course of the next eight years, according to the agreement, the tenets of German Spelling Reform would gradually be phased in, with all schools teaching the new spelling and all government agencies using it exclusively.

It’s one thing to pass a resolution to standardize spelling in education and government; it’s another to get the average person in the street to go along with it. The new spelling is being used in schools and government offices, but few other people have warmed to German spelling reform. It’s too soon to fully assess the effect the German Spelling Reform will have on the German language; for now, students of German should simply be aware that discrepancies exist, and understand why.

You can learn to speak German easy with the Rocket German language course. You might also like to learn German with the audio-based language course Pimsleur German.

Regular German verbs play nicely. The stem of the verb “machen” (to make) is “mach” – suffixes are added to fit various pronouns, so you can say “ich mache” (I make), “er macht” (he makes), and so forth. When a verb changes tense, it really becomes identifiable as a weak verb – if we were to say “he made,” we simply add the predictable suffix “te” to the unchanging stem “mach,” and we have “er machte.”

It’s possible that irregular German verbs are said to be strong because they have a mind of their own, plowing forth without any consideration for linguistic rules or conventions. In the irregular German verb “helfen” (to help), it seems like the stem “helf” should become “helft” when combined with the pronoun “er” – but it becomes “hilft” instead. If the German verb “helfen” were regular, we could take the stem “helf” and add “te” to it and produce “er helfte,” but no! The correct way to say “he helped” is “er half.”

There is also a third German verb class which is neither weak nor strong, regular nor irregular, but mixed – sharing characteristics of both other types. Since irregular German verbs tend to be so common and there are only a finite number of them, you will easily be able to master them with some good old-fashioned rote memorization.

When approaching the study of German verbs, it’s important to remember to relax. No two students learn exactly the same way, so experiment until you find the exact combination of study techniques that best imprints those German verbs into your brain.

If you learn best by reading, you’re probably a visual learner, and you may want to try putting your German verb forms on flash cards and asking a friend to test you on them. Many students find the mere act of writing words on paper combined with reading those words over to themselves serves as a powerful visual trigger, and this should help you master those quirky German verbs.

Many people learn best by hearing or speaking; if that describes you, try saying “Ich gebe, du gibst, er gibt, wir geben, ihr gebt, sie geben” very clearly into your recording device, playing it back, and listening to the sound of your words, sensing the change in sound when you pronounce the irregular German verb forms.

The act of engaging with a computer in a style very reminiscent of video games enables kinesthetic learners to master irregular German verbs in a way that feels more natural to them.

Set a goal of learning two new German verbs per session, as well as reviewing the ones learned in previous sessions. When you feel confident that you can conjugate the irregular German verbs, ask a fellow German student to test your new-found knowledge.

The key to mastering irregular German verbs is repetition, and only you will know whether that entails writing the same words repeatedly, re-reading them, speaking them, or listening to them.

Learning German verbs is easy with the Rocket German MegaVerbs software game. Get your copy of Rocket German now and learn to speak and understand German fast.

Tips

To become skilled at German easily you should keep certain tips in your mind. The main tips are given below.

The first thing to do is make sure that you want to study German. If you are not motivated, you will just be wasting your time. If you are working hard for some days and quitting, you will not get any benefit.

The next thing to do is to pay a visit to the most reputable book store in your locality. You should search for the different books that can help you in learning German easily. You should also try to get a German dictionary.

Organize yourself and make a specific schedule that will help you in spending additional time for learning German every day. You must not take things too lightly or too seriously as making the right steps is the important factor in mastering the language.

Try to cover the simple questions in the beginning so that you can make a slow and steady progression. Finding the answers for general questions will help you in getting everything covered.
You must also take advantage of the Internet. Try to download German lessons that are given by different websites. Practice should also be given ample importance. Keeping these tips in mind can help you in learning German easily.

While there are large pockets of German migration all over the world, which occurred mainly over the last 200 years, to places like Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina (among many other places), many of the migrants no longer speak the native tongue of their ancestors.

And surprisingly to some, people of German ancestry form a larger group in the United States than those of Irish or English descent.

German was the primary official language of most of Eastern and Central Europe for many years during the time when the Habsburg Empire rules most of those regions. Interestingly, until about the mid-1800s, German was primarily a written language, with huge regional pronunciation differences in the spoken language from region to region.

In the mid-1800s the first true dictionary of German was published in over 16 volumes – by the Brothers Grimm.
It was only in 1996 that the Spelling Reform of German standardized and simplified rules of spelling and pronunciation. Immediately upon the reform, schools started teaching the new rules, but a transition period led to confusion and protest, as media outlets used a combination of both old and new.

German derives from the West Germanic sub-branch of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. This is shared with a munber of other languages, including English. There are a large number of English words which owe their existence to German – words like hamburger and kindergarten for example.

As with many European languages there are two styles of address – informal and formal.

For English speakers learning German, pronunciation takes a lot of practice as there are sometimes clusters of three consonants, even in one syllable of a word. In terms of changes, the reform resulted in 112 spelling rules and 9 pronunciation rules, down from 212 and 52, respectively. So if it seems difficult now, learning German is certainly easier than it was before.

There are also many online tools which can help, particularly with vocabulary expansion, pronunciation and verb tenses and rules. Be sure to pick one which does a good job of simulating immersion, this is really necessary to truly grasp the German language in context.

The author operates a language website, and you can view his Learning German recommendations. You can also sign up for a free 6-day learning German online course.

Special Features

One of the best things which a person is going to appreciate about this German tutorial software is that you have 13 hours of audio in MP3 form, which means that you can listen to the tapes on your CD player when you are driving to the office, jogging around the park or just mooching around the house. One of the good things about this program is that the German language pack has its focus upon German as it is actually spoken. So, as you look at the software and read the books, you can enjoy the tapes and hear German being spoken by natives. Not only are you going to get a good idea of the accent, but you are also going to get a good idea of the pronunciation.

The software also comes with a grammar guide to aid you in incorporating proper grammar into your study of the German language. The guide is very comprehensive and, if there is any question about a certain point, users of the software are provided with access to a forum online where they can speak with a native German speaker to get their questions answered. This unique blend of self study with teacher access is truly unparalleled.

Get More Than Enough for What You Pay

The Rocket German tutorial software is a program that enables users to quickly and efficiently learn the German language. Like all language software programs, you cannot escape the fact that in order to really and truly learn a foreign language you must practice and practice speaking, writing and thinking in terms of that language. What makes the Rocket German tutorial software stand out next to its competitors is the fact that it makes the necessary repetition required to learn a language fun by incorporating games into the lesson plans. It is also very affordable.

Not only does it provide superb vocabulary and grammar instruction, just the fact that you get to know more about German culture, history and tradition, enables you to learn German more effectively. So, you can consider your rocket German tutorial software with its German language pack to be of good value for your money!

Sidebar : Check out my German language review site, it may help you decide on a course to take. Visit Rocket languages German for comprehensive reviews on some leading home study German courses that can help you to learn German quickly. You will find a review of Rocket German and Rocket German vs Rosetta Stone German

Despite what adverts or any other sorts of literature (even this article to some extent) may tell you, it is not easy learning a new language. It may be easier as a child but then children only have a few words to master and then they are sort of in the groove and just pick it up.

Adults have a great sense that they have to be responsible and act like an grown up at all times, even when they are completely new to something - don't do it. This is a key step to failure I believe. Be like a child in your learning. Approach it with enthusiasm and openness. You could get some odd looks when you try to speak. In that respect, let it be water off a duck's back.

As an adult you may be a touch more sensitive to criticism than a child but try to resist it. Whenever you hit a learning roadblock just crystalize in your mind why you are doing this. Think about the benefits that will come when you can speak conversational German. That's your payoff so to speak. That can keep you going.  

In terms of practical tips, try to watch others speak

You don't have to visit Germany to achieve this. Simply watch DVD or television. Watching how people’s lips move is just as important when you are learning to speak because that shows you how to pronounce. DVD's are perfect for that. And are quite versatile to the extent that you can alter from German to English subtitles and audio. In truth there are four settings that will help you improve your speaking, comprehension and even reading and writing.   

Basically use as many media options as you can get your hands on. For example, the internet has altered the way we get information and learning German in no different. Along with checking out German language on websites or watching movies on places like youtube, you can also pay visits to German forums. There is even options where you can  have lesson via skype or some other voip service with qualified teachers in Germany. What could be finer.

Above all immerse yourself in the language. That is the only way to go. To be fast or speed is all relative but I would suggest that learning a language, for someone with an average aptitude, could take around 6 months. Some may be quicker whilst others will be slower. The key is how deeply you immerse yourself in it.

Learn German Language is fun and empowering. There are so many resources available for anyone that wants to learn the German language. There are several sets of CD’s and videos that will let you learn German from your own home or office. There are many colleges that offer German as a second language and some even offer online courses. You could be speaking the German language in as little as three to four months.

The internet is a great tool to use when trying to learn a second language. There are several sites and even blogs available with people just like you trying to pick up a new language. Did you know that German is the second most used language on the web? Learning the German language may seem like an overwhelming task at first, but you can soon overcome that fear by just taking a beginners course. German is a little more challenging to learn than Spanish or French, but the benefits are worth it.

If you are a college student planning to work in the business industry, then learning German can put you ahead of the class. Employers are crazy about employees that can speak multiple languages. If you are interested in European culture than learning the German language will only enhance your studies. You will also be able to communicate with over a 100 million people throughout the world.

Learning German has been adopted by many as an activity and many High Schools. Those learning by themselves sometimes face many challenges. The problems occur when people without realizing commit basic mistakes hampering their progress. The most basic mistake can be divided into eight different sections:

1.    The first and the foremost mistake is that people translate word after word by thinking it in their mother tongue. In the learning stage all of you should try to think directly in German rather than translating it afterwards.

2.    Figuring out the cases is the next problem and people usually get this part wrong.

3.    In the third place comes the gender recognition. Committing mistakes in this part of the language can lead to serious embarrassment. So learners should not only learn the gender relating words for few cases but should learn differentiating in the genders for all nouns.

4.    Sentence structure is also one of the main barriers in learning German. Unlike other languages like English or others the place of the subject varies according to the case and the endings of the case. So as I said before thinking in German helps in this problem too.

5.    Formality and familiarity also can cause some problem in the learning phase. This is because the words used to address different people are also different. The formal use of you is “Sie” and the familiar use is “Du”. So sentence formation and verb conjugation also prove to be a problem as learning both forms is difficult.

6.     The next mistake in learn german language is the misuse of prepositions and one can spot a non-native speaker by this fault. This is because it is different than other languages. For example: In English medicine is used for something while in German it is to be used against”gegen” some illness.

7.    The next common mistake is the misuse of Umlauts. For beginners it is a nightmare. This is because with the use of them the meanings of words will become entirely different. For example zahlen means to”pay” while the Umlaut form zählen means to “count”. Umlauts are only used on A, O and U so you must always pay close attention for these letters.

8.    Learning German language can sometimes become tricky too.It is required in German to type all the nouns in Capital and many candidates miss this point.

Learning German looks hard but if you try to go slowly and carefully you would understand that it can be learned. So if you are getting ready to go on a German interview or foreign meeting and even if you are trying to impress a German friend, keep all these tips in your mind.

Germany is the most populous European nation and German is the most widely spoken language in Europe. German is the third most popular foreign language internationally and by learning German you are able to connect with 120 million native German speakers. So German will not only allow you to build relationships with people in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein but also German speakers all over the world.  

Germany has the 3rd strongest economy and is the number 1 export nation in the world. Germany’s international trade earnings are proof of the high demand for German goods. Germany’s economic strength means business opportunities not only in Germany itself, but also throughout the European Union as well as in the United States. Germany exports more high-tech products than any other country apart from the U.S. so Germany is a country of innovation.

But all work and no play makes Jake a dull boy and the German’s also know how to enjoy themselves and are the biggest spenders of tourist dollars in the world. Year after year the German’s spend more on foreign travel than any other nation. Tourism companies, airlines, hotels and car rental businesses that can communicate in German will profit from the German tourism industry.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that the German language is dying. In number of books published, Munich is second in the world only to New York. As very few German books are translated into English, the only way to appreciate these books is by learning to speak German.

German speaking countries have a very rich cultural heritage. The Germans are well known for their poets, classical musicians and great philosophers. The world of classical music is inseparable from the names of Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Strauss and Wagner to name a handful of the famous German speaking composers. The psychologists Freud and Jung forever changed the way we think about human behavior. Anyone interested in any of these fields automatically expands their knowledge and skill by knowing German.  Whether you’re interested in cultural and intellectual heritage of these countries or not, the fact remains that Switzerland, Austria and Germany all offer a very high standard of living, which make these countries very attractive to many people.

You’re probably thinking that’s all well and good, but German is too hard to learn. If that’s the case, you’d be wrong! I think you’d be surprised to discover just how similar English is to German. Modern German and modern English both evolved from the common ancestor language Germanic. Also convenient is that German words are spelled phonetically. Besides, there are loads of great resources online that will help you learn to speak German and have a lot of fun in the process.