Hallo!
Well, this is the 4 Month check-in post. It doesn't FEEL like 4 Months. I can't tell if it feels closer to 1 Month or 10 Months, but not 4.
So what have I been doing lately? Glad you asked:
1. I've been adding and reviewing paper and ANKI flashcards everyday. I do not take days off from this. I still see vocabulary as the primary ingredient in the language learning process. Vocabulary is like the meat of the dinner plate with grammar as the side dish. Between the 2 methods, I have roughly 900-1000 flashcards that I review at regular intervals. As I don't make flashcards for every word, these usually are words or phrases that I either struggle with or may not come up frequently enough in my studies for me to retain them as easily.
One thing I really like to do when I struggle with a particular word or phrase is to use it out loud. If it is a phrase, I say it aloud and try to role-play myself in a situation that I may use it. This practice and context helps me retain it. If it is a word, I make up a sentence (or 10) and use it out load. Context is king when it comes to retention.
2. Reading. If you've been following my blog, you know I am reading Harry Potter und der Stein der Weissen right now. I am picking up speed, but I have gone back to the beginning several times and I find my understanding is much greater each time. My goal is to read it through without a dictionary (eventually).
3. Grammar. Yes, I've been studying some light grammar. I do not spend an enormous amount of time on it, but enopugh to not sound like an idiot or a 3 year old (no offense meant towards 3 year olds of course).
4. TV audio. This is a new one that I've recently started and am enjoying. Here's what I do: I find TV shows in German on Youtube. I convert the youtube file into an Mp3 and put it on my iPod. Right now I have 3 episodes of "How I Met Your Mother", 2 episodes of "American Dad" and a couple episodes of "Garfield" the cartoon. The beauty is that it's all audio (thus the Mp3). I went grocery shopping yesterday and listened to 3 full episodes while tooling around the grocery store. I was actually surprised at how much I was able to follow and how many words I was able to pick out. I am finding that even though it is a bit above my level, I am understanding more and more. I kind of wish I had done this earlier.
5. Language exchange emails without a dictionary. I have been emailing a German penpal for about 3 Months already and I decided to try writing without a dictionary or Google translate help. Wow. What a difference! I am finding my limitations better at this point and sometimes I have to find a roundabout way to say something if I don't know the vocab. This also makes sure that after I send it, I go look up those words I was missing. Because of the corrections that my penpal provides, this is an amazingly effective practice.
So. am I going to take a test this Month? Not sure yet. I am leaning towards no for one big reason: I don't think I've been studying the things that most tests are geared towards measuring. As I've said in previous posts, I'm learning this language to communicate. I'm not learning German to count farm animals or discuss the color of my clothing (I'm colorblind anyway). I'm learning German to talk to (or email) other people that speak German. Most courses and tests are not geared toward this.
I hope this has been useful. Please leave a comment if you have anything to add.
Tschüss!
Hey, I found your blog today, while searching the web for German learning resources. I find your insight on learning the language very interesting. I wanted to ask you, whats your opinion on Germanpod 101? and what other podcasts, websites or online learning resources can you reccomend for learning German. I've been learning german since March, but only using Germanpod 101 on my commute to university everyday in the subway. I've found I have made quite some progress on the listening and understanding front (although very limited), the thing is I have no time to dedicate because I'm aiming to finish engineering school in 2 years (I'd like to be fluent by that time), and i figured that If I work up to a point where I can have a basic grasp and understanding of the language using the podcasts, that I could then work on my speaking, pronounciation and formulation of German speech. The thing is, as I think I've read in your blog also, that I have noticed, that to understand you also need to do the mental exercise of formulating sentences, to help the brain get flexible with the mechanics of the language, so I'm probably setting myself for a long rocky road. I enjoy learning it though and I can't ask for much more.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your blog
(by the way english is not my native laguage)
Hi Marktop. Thanks for reading. I like Germanpod101 quite a bit. I used it a lot more frequently in the first 2 Months of my studies, but I still listen to some of the Intermediate podcast when I have the chance. I think that it is a good foundation, but it can probably only take you so far.
ReplyDeleteI would recommend a light grammar book like "Essential German Grammar" by Guy Stern and Everett Bleiler. It is small (about 120 pages) and very inexpensive. It isn't complete by any means but does contain a lot of the basics and I have found it to be simple and easy to understand. I would also suggest some kind of German dictionary. There are a ton of resources online that I will post about in upcoming posts so keep reading and good luck!
BTW, what is your native language?
I agree, I imagined that after finishing with Germanpod I would still be unable to understand much of the language, so I plan to listen to any German radio, news, talk show pod-casts and the like that I am able to find online.
ReplyDeleteI'm from Spain. I learned English at a very young age though, before I had consciousness, so I have basically no experience on learning a language. It's a million times easier to learn German while thinking in English, than it would be with any Latin based language, I believe. And there is much more material available.
Thanks a lot for your reply and advice, I'll check out the book, it definitely is a must especially with German and it's tricky grammar.
Good luck to you too