The German Academy Zurich has helped hundreds of expats learn German language skills with our convenient online course. It combines one-on-one tuition sessions with immersive videos, personalized learning, and interactive exercises to help you learn quickly and confidently.
We have many great tips to help you in your language-learning journey, including having first-hand conversations with your experienced tutor and other Swiss friends, listening to German music, changing the language on your phone, and watching movies in German–with or without subtitles! Alongside picking up some useful German phrases for beginners while you’re studying, there are many options to expedite your understanding and ensure you can engage, converse, read local newspapers, and watch TV without needing a translation app to hand.
Three Helpful Ways to Boost Your German Language Comprehension
The best way to cement your German abilities, alongside following our customizable program, is to use the words, phrases, and sentences you’ve already learned as much as possible. If you’ve learned even a few words in another language before, you’ll know that traveling and needing to use a limited vocabulary to get by means you’ll rarely ever forget.
When it comes to how to improve speaking skills foreign language, the same applies–talking is the ideal way to practice, and the more you do so, the easier it’ll be to join in conversations and ask questions, with the benefit of a little help here and there if a pronunciation isn’t quite right. Here are our most recommended hints that will have you speaking, reading, and listening to German in record time:
Speaking German With Native Speakers
As noted above, speaking German with fluent or native speakers is a proven way to gain confidence in your spoken language abilities, and spending time with friends or family can be more relaxing and less pressured than trying to network with peers.
The added positive is that in conversation and informal chats, as in every language, some phrases you’ll learn may vary from the technically correct versions. This can be a fantastic way to learn regional expressions and phrases–many of which sound amusing to an expat’s ears!
Listing to German Music and TV Shows
While you can, of course, turn the subtitles on to ensure you don’t miss a pivotal moment, watching movies or streaming shows in German can help nail down your understanding and give you a chance to try and understand spoken German in real-time without asking for anything to be repeated any slower.
This same method applies to reading books, listening to songs, or watching popular shows–you’ll blend entertainment with learning and help your brain remember words and phrases until they become second nature.
Switching the Language on Your Phone
Your phone, laptop, or tablet is likely set to English as the default language if that’s the language you know best. We rely on technology for so many functions, from ordering food to booking a cab, but if you depend on English versions of apps, you’ll refrain from using your German in practical situations.
As you become more and more fluent, you’ll begin to recognize German translations just as easily as their English versions and actively practice German every time you pick up your phone!
