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If you pick up a German book that is more than fifteen or twenty years old, you’re likely to notice some spelling discrepancies when compared to German texts today. This is the result of the German Spelling Reform that was initiated in 1996 and has gradually been getting phased in ever since.

In most cases, the changes are very subtle. Under German Spelling Reform, there is a greatly reduced usage of uniquely German characters such as “ß”. You may also see that some verbs with nouns built into them (such as “eislaufen,” or ice-skating) have been separated into two words, as they are in English. Informal pronouns such as “du” and “dir” are not capitalized (as they inconsistently were in the past), while formal pronouns such as “Sie” and “Ihnen” always begin with a capital letter. And words such as Katostrophe (catastrophe) have be changed to something that looks more distinctly German (Katostrofe).

Why was this already heavily-regulated language ripe for Rechtscreibreform, as German spelling reform is known in its native tongue? The very orderly Germans felt that their language was rife with inconsistencies in both spelling and usage. Austria, for example, is passionately attached to the scharfes S or Eszett (“ß” ) – on the other hand, Switzerland had pretty much phased out the letter altogether, replacing it with a simple double S.

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.

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One of the most difficult aspects of learning German is conjugating German verbs. Why are some German verbs harder to learn?

All regular German verbs, also called weak verbs, are composed of a stem onto which a suffix has been grafted. When regular German verbs change tense, they do this in a predictable manner as well, by keeping their stem consistent and adding a consistent suffix or prefix to indicate the tense change.

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 “sprechen” (to speak), the stem “sprech” seems like it ought to become “sprecht” when combined with the pronoun “er” (he) – but it becomes “spricht” 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. Fortunately, there are many more regular German verbs than irregular ones, and newly-created German verbs such as “surfen” are always regular.

Mastering irregular German verbs takes hard work, so put yourself in the best physical situation to do it. There are a vast number of techniques available today that will enable you to tailor your study methods to the precise way you learn.

Experiment with flash cards, figuring out by trial and error the best way for you to use them to memorize your German verbs. Some people actually learn best by writing — copying and recopying the material they’re trying to memorize.

Listening to your own voice repeating the irregular German verbs over and over will powerfully imprint the conjugations on your mind.

Kinesthetic learners, who need physical involvement to maximize their intellectual output, should be able to find excellent computer-based programs to master the intricacies of irregular German verbs.

Trying to learn too much material too fast never works. When you feel confident that you can conjugate the irregular German verbs, ask a fellow German student to test your new-found knowledge.

Regardless of whether you’re a visual, an auditory, or a kinesthetic learner, you’ll need to commit to a program of rote memorization in order to conquer irregular German verbs.

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

Technorati Tags: Conjugate German Verbs, German, german language, German Verbs, learn German, learn to speak German, learning German, speak German

Most of you will agree that learning a new language is not an easy thing to do. It requires you to put lots of efforts and have a certain level of dedication. All these are true for the German language as well. The main advantage you will get when you are trying to learn German is the fact that this language has an ordered syntax. There are many foreign words in its vocabulary too. The most interesting fact is that the majority of these words come from English. This is the main reason why learning German can be a lot easier than you actually think it is.

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. You will be wasting your time if you are not motivated. 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.

Technorati Tags: german language, learn German, learn German language, learning German, learning german language

Some history of the German language can only help with learning German. German is arguably the major “first” language spoken in Europe, and is one of the World’s major languages. In terms of learning German, it is the third most learned language in the world.

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.

Also, who would have thought that people of German ancestry in the USA outnumber Irish and English ancestry groups.

The language of government and commescr of the Habsburg Empire was German – significant as that Empire spread to most of Central and Eastern Eurpoe. But did you know that Germany was mostly a written language until about 1850 – there were really no common spoken rules of pronunciation, rather a connection of loosely related dialects.

In the mid-1800s the first true dictionary of German was published in over 16 volumes – by the Brothers Grimm.
The German government implemented the Spelling Reform Act in 1996, to simplify and reduce the number of riles to be followed in learning and speaking the German language. 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.

The Indo-European group of languages is where German comes from, namely the West Germanic subset of the Germanic branch. This is in common with English, Dutch, Yiddish, and some other languages. If you look hard you will find that many German words have crept into the English language – for example kindergarten and frankfurter.

In German there are two tiers of address, the informal style and the formal style.

With sometimes as many as 3 consonants in even one syllable, those learning German from English can have a particularly hard time with pronunciation. To put the spelling reform in context, 212 spelling rules went to 112 rules after the reform, and 52 rules on pronunciation were slashed to only nine. If you think learning German is hard now – imagine what it was like before the reform.

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.

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You can easily learn to speak and understand conversational German if you know where to begin. Let’s have a look regarding your options learning German. You might like the idea of learning German at your local university; or you could get a book or audio CD course at your local bookshop – or you can use an interactive German course to master the German language. Read on, and we’ll show you why an online course might be the best solution for you!

But first let’s have a look at the first two options one at a time. Most people might say that you must learn German at your local university – but will you really be able to speak and understand enough German afterwards to travel through Germany? Many people will say learning German from a native teacher at university is the best way to learn German. But will you have the time to take a German language class after work? Most likely not with a university course, but you can with an online course. Best of all Rocket German give you access to their native German teachers and fellow students with their exclusive German learners forum.

Why not visit your favorite bookstore and pick up a book and CD combo? If you’re a visual learner, you’ll primarily use the book, supplemented by the CD for pronunciation practice. If you’re an auditory learner, you’ll primarily use the audio CDs, using the book to learn spelling. However what do you do if you learn best by making use of a hands on approach? You won’t have much to do with an audio CD and textbook. On the other hand you can learn to speak and understand German by playing interactive computer games provided by some online courses. Nothing can beat learning German like this!

In the first paragraph, you’ll recall I suggested an online German course. You’ve probably figured out by now that there is no other program quite like Rocket German. You’ll notice that this German language course is unique. Learning German with their authentic and interactive audio lessons is fun and you’ll quickly learn to change the conversation as you go on. You can make your own notes about lessons right in your private members area. The games – MegaAudio, MegaVerb, and MegaVocab – are really fun, and there’s even a set of flashcards you can print out for times when you’re away from your computer. Use the self tests and quizzes to test your progress and focus on the sections you need some help with. The Rocket German learn German forum allows you to ask questions or even help fellow students with the course material, moderated by German teachers and native German speakers.

Now that you have the facts, how could you consider any other German language learning system? Get Rocket German today or take their free 6-day German language course! You have nothing to lose, only the German language to gain…

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It’s never too late to pick up a second or even a third language. German is the most widely spoken language in Europe and makes getting around much easier. If you plan to travel through Europe than knowing German is a must. Learning the German language can create business opportunities that might have passed you by. If your business is considering taking up an online market, then German Language Learning can gain you access to even more sales.

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. Many colleges offer German as a second language and some 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.

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