What is the Best Way to Learn German?

If you are still asking these questions, then it is possible that you are not aware of the way you learn.

Figuring out your learning style is not an easy task. But the good news is that once you understand how you learn, you’ll be more efficient, and your German learning journey will feel more enjoyable.

In today’s lesson, I’ll give you an overview of the basic language learning types and explain their effects on your learning behaviour.

I will also answer these three questions:

1. Why is the German learning style you hold on to probably not the best for you?

2. What should you do if you’ve hit a plateau in learning German?

3. Where can you find activities and content to improve your German based on your learning preference?

You already know about many ways to learn German. You have used vocabulary apps, flashcards, reading, and listening to stories. 

But most importantly, you know that learning a new language requires time, dedication, and perseverance.

If you’re a busy professional, finding time for language learning might be particularly challenging in the context of full-time work and family life. Therefore, you need to choose the most effective strategies to save time and keep yourself motivated.

As adult learners, we have preferred ways of learning determined by our cultural background, professional and educational experience, and personality.

For example, you might be more visually oriented, reflective, or tolerant of ambiguity than somebody else.

And while the categorization of the various learning styles is complex and requires taking many factors and elements into consideration, in general, researchers have identified different types of learners based on perception, cognitive, and personality styles.

Four of the most common learning styles have to do with how we perceive the world around us.

Visual Learners

You usually prefer watching TV and YouTube videos to listening to the radio.

And you also like to learn by looking at pictures and flashcards. Also, you enjoy richly illustrated books and prefer to see the words you are learning. 

For you, a book has to be beautiful rather than well-written.

If this is you, you will like watching YouTube lessons more than simply listening to podcasts. 

The visual medium will help optimize your memorization and comprehension of the learning material.

Tips for Learning German:

Aural/Auditory Learners

As the name suggests, you prefer to learn through sound. 

You don’t need to see words written down. You enjoy “reading” by listening to audiobooks.
 

If you need to contact your friends, you love calling them rather than writing to them. 

When lost in the city, you like having somebody explain the directions, either by passers-by or using the GPS.


As an auditory learner, you have a unique ability to learn by simply listening, either while interacting with other people or listening to audiobooks, the news on TV, radio interviews, and podcasts.

Tips for Learning German

Kinesthetic Learners

Sitting behind a desk in a traditional classroom makes you restless. 

As a kinesthetic learner, you need to move around and actively engage in your learning process.  

You enjoy going on excursions and learning through hands-on experience. You are a “tactical” learner. You love trying new things and learning through trial and error.

If you are a kinesthetic learner, travel and cultural immersion are the best ways to learn German. 

It is essential to be fully immersed in the new language.

You can put your language skills to the test by taking part in internet forums or working one-on-one with tandem partners.

In addition, it allows you to apply your theoretical knowledge to hands-on experience.

Tips for Learning German

1. Use apps to learn new vocabulary. While apps such as Memrise offer pre-maid vocabulary lists and plenty of courses for beginner and intermediate learners, you can create your vocabulary lists by topics using Quizlet or Anki. That way, you can memorize the German words you encounter in your readings or everyday life. This hands-on experience can be very beneficial, and you can share the lists with anyone learning German.

2. Finding a language exchange partner might be the best way to practice speaking German. It is called Tandem and refers to a mutual language exchange practice. The process involves finding someone who wants to learn your mother tongue in exchange for helping you learn German. You can search for language partners on apps such as Tandem, Hellotalk, and italki to practice your German for free.

3. If you are an advanced learner living in one of the German-speaking countries, another option to get hands-on experience with the language and culture is to embark on one of the cultural tours of a city. For example, Slow Travel Berlin offers tours led by long-time residents who provide unique insights into the city’s history, architecture, literature, and other cultural phenomena. They are very affordable and usually have a maximum of six to eight participants to encourage interaction and discussions on a broad range of topics.

Reader Type Learners

While there is some overlap with visual learning, reading-oriented learners prefer the written word. 

You like reading articles or books, and looking up words in dictionaries, and you prefer taking notes during classroom lessons to process the information. 

You also like searching the internet for just about everything and keeping lists and tables to keep track of things.

Tips for Learning German

1. Find content about topics that interest you in your native language. These are not just books and magazines, but also internet content, brochures, information letters, and much more.

2. Create a habit of reading. Choose two or three days per week to read in German. Integrating German reading into your daily routine helps you think more in German, increases your vocabulary skills, and activates your creativity in using German.

3. Read aloud. Get in the habit of reading specific chapters, paragraphs, or at least some sentences aloud. It might feel strange at first, especially when family members, friends (or your dog!) are listening. But they soon will get used to it (especially your dog :)).

4. Watch series and films with subtitles in German. There are plenty of subtitles throughout a movie that you can read. By linking the words with the pictures, you can understand the content much more easily and activate your imagination in German.

So, What Is the Best Way to Learn German?

Here Are a Couple of Strategies to Help You Advance Your German:

1. Always choose an activity that works best for a particular task to advance your German. For example, as a visual learner who wants to improve your speaking skills of German, you can watch a movie. Then you can read some additional information about it on the Internet. After learning some new idioms or phrasal verbs, you can call your language partner and talk about the film.

2. Work with a text/content that is interesting for you and constantly reflect on what and how you learn. While it is not always easy to change your learning preferences, working with interesting materials to keep you motivated is possible.

3. Choose the most suitable type of learning for a particular task and, most importantly, what advances your German. If you’ve hit a plateau, evaluate your learning strategies.The truth is, what you did as a beginner language learner won’t help you once you reach the advanced level of German. You’ll need to challenge yourself with new vocabulary-learning strategies, focus on advanced-level words, and choose the most effective activities.

Conclusion

I hope this helps. If you find value in this article and would like to learn German with me, subscribe to my weekly confident German lessons, where I share strategies and techniques to help you learn German!