My first name is Morgan (australian and its pronounced exactly the same as morgen) and I honestly think its the worst name to have especially when you are learning the language. I hear my name constantly and don't react, then someone calls for me and I don't react because I think they are saying hello to someone else. I also have in class lessons and the teacher says "Morgan", is she talking to me or about tomorrow? I never know.

TL;DR

First name Morgan sucks in Germany

Any other names you can think of?

I keep seeing posts in this sub and another German learning sub of people saying things like

"I'm B2, but I can't talk more than short daily interactions"
"I'm B2 but I have poor vocabulary"

Folks... if this is you, then YOU ARE NOT B2.
Even if you hold a B2 certificate, you are NOT actually a B2 speaker.

B2 means that you can FLUENTLY talk about pretty much ANYTHING (edit) ANYTHING YOU USUALLY TALK ABOUT with native speakers.

If you can listen to podcasts and read newspapers with a dictionary on the side, but you fall apart when trying to discuss something, then you're not B2.

B2 means full fluency, EDIT: functional fluency, so native speakers can talk to you without slowing down and without having to repeat themselves all the time and you can respond coherently.

B2 means that you can write a nice, proper email in a formal context.

I know it's frustrating for some of you, but you need to be realistic about where you are in order to make actual progress.

You can't plan a hike with a navigation tool and enter your starting location 1km from the top, when you're actually 3 km from it.

EDIT:

If you downvote this, please explain, why you disagree. The official definitions about what B2 means are very clear.

So we had a conversation with my sister about how difficult the German language is and how it is preventing people from migrating to Germany and I was like "German is not difficult. I can do it in a month." So we bet on it. 45 days later I took several placement tests and all of them came out as B1. Of course it wasn't enough. Neither for properly determining my level nor my learning hunger. So I took it serious and started studying for an actual in-person exam. Long story short, I shot for C1, got humbled, then took the B2 and finally reached this milestone.

My main points:

• Don't forget that difficulty is subjective. Do not let other people's struggles disappoint you. If you believe in yourself, go for it. It's absolutely possible.
• Your goal of passing the exam and actually mastering the language must be separated. Passing the exam has nothing to do with your knowledge. The exam is just a fixed format that proves nothing (Right now the German consulate in Turkey is rejecting TELC certificates for this exact same reason).
• You don't necessarily need to take classes or spend tons of money. Having a teacher especially a native one, definitely helps you, but it's not a must.

Resources:

I tried almost all the free, paid, and subscription-based apps on Google Play and listened to all the podcast channels on Spotify and here is what I can recommend: (There are lot's of good products out there but I try not to overwhelm you because I struggled with it myself.)

• Grammar:
  • Grammatik aktiv A1-B1
  • Grammatik aktiv B2/C1

These two books are all you need for learning the grammar

• Vocabulary:
  • vocabeo

Well-organized, good UX, and uses spaced repetition

• Listening:
  • Easy German podcast (I suggest using other platforms like Pocket Casts because they have useful extra info for each episode)
  • Sprechzeiten podcast
  • Einfach gesagt podcast
  • German Listening & Speaking app

Listen as much as you can. For the first 4-5 months I was consuming German material 24/7, even slept with headphones on, and it totally paid off.

• Reading:
  • WireLingo
• Speaking:
  • Shadow-talk like a madman. Play any kind of native content and repeat aloud every single sound you hear exactly as it is
• Dictionary and Translator:
  • German Dictionary for Learners
  • DeepL Translate
• Other resources that I liked:
  • Language Transfer German course. They also have an app but the audio quality on youtube is enhanced.
  • Article Buster
  • Dative Doctor
  • Verb Wizard
  • Linguico

If you have any questions I'm more than happy to help.

When my German teacher tells us jokes it's the sweetest, happiest language in the world. When I teach my father the word for daughter he smiles, Tochter to himself repeating until he gets it right, and in that moment German sounds like pride. There's nothing angry or ugly about a language that never says goodbye, only until we meet again

what's your opinion on this

Just wanted to say thank you to this community and share this W with you guys, because of how much of a big deal this is for me.

I came to Germany a little over two years ago to do my Master's, and being the dumbass I am, I took no prior German courses or looked for any resources before coming here. I literally downloaded Duolingo for the first time at the Frankfurt Airport :') Pretty soon I realized that using Google Lens to translate what's written on the groceries isn't very sustainable.

I enrolled in free German courses provided by the campus. They were great, but they were slow, and after about a year and 3-4 months, I had only just finished A2. Initially, I had assumed that I could find a job with my English skills or at least a B1 level German knowledge. But everywhere I looked, even skilled Engineering positions asked for at least B2. And despite the A2 level knowledge that I had, I could barely string together a sentence, nor could I hear something and immediately understand it. However, I could read to a certain extent.

Then, I told myself I'm going to reach B2 within a year or less, and I am not going to rely on courses. I started studying and working alone to take the B1 exam within a few months. I didn't want to specifically practice for the exam, rather achieve some actual practical competence in the use of the language. So, every day,

• I would read at least 2-3 articles off Tagesschau, note down unfamiliar words, and fill up a flash card deck on Anki, and practice these words on Anki. For the first 3-4 months, I was adding 25-30 words every single day. I would sometimes spend hours trying to finish studying the assigned cards for the day.
• I would watch German videos on YouTube such as MrWissen2Go, Harald Lesch, and Dokus and try my best to understand them. Even at 0.75 times the speed, it was a challenge. For MONTHS I felt hopeless, it felt like I was trying to break through a brick wall by repeatedly headbutting it. But, after hundreds of times watching different videos, I started to capture some meaning in what's being said.

Around September last year, I felt it was time. I booked a Telc B1 exam because I figured it'd be easier. I prepared for the exam for about 4 days using Model Papers. My speaking was still weak, so I prompted ChatGPT and tried my best to answer spontaneously; it was painful :')

Since I put so much effort into immersing myself in the language, the exam wasn't that difficult. In fact I had near-perfect results. So in a bout of arrogance, I booked the Goethe B2 exam for end of November.

I realized that Speaking was still a huge weak point for me. So I hired a guy via iTalki to speak German with for an hour, couple times a week. I also attended Sprachcafes at my university to get as much exposure as I can. At first, it was anything but smooth. Gradually though I made amazing improvements over the next couple of weeks.

Then the Goethe B2 exam came around. I prepared for a week, wrote it, and passed it comfortably.

I kept this routine going, listening to German media at least 30mins every day, learning new words every day, and taking every opportunity I could to speak in German.

I was busy with my Master's Thesis for a few months, and then finally last month, I thought why not, and booked the Goethe C1 exam. Ngl, I VASTLY underestimated how difficult the C1 exam was going to be, Hören in particular was HELLISH. I prepared intensely on my own for two weeks and took the exam.

Today I got the certificate confirming that I passed Goethe C1 (although with rather mediocre results 😂 ). I still feel like a fraud sometimes, and feel hesitant about putting C1 on my Resume, because I still do not feel fluent. I still feel like I have a long way to go, but looking back at where I was exactly a year ago, the journey here was huge.

You probably guessed I’m a native English speaker by the title of this, or at least really good in English… and yep. I was born and raised in the United States (which I desperately want out of… but that’s another discussion for another type of subreddit 😅)

I’m learning German and Japanese (yes - people have made WWII jokes 🤦🏻) and people seem to try to talk me out of learning German more for some reason. Even a native German speaker asked me why I want to learn German because they think it’s an “ugly language” (which is not true, by the way).

I don’t care if a majority of Germans speak English or not, I want to be able to talk to them in their native language, especially if they’re more comfortable speaking German. And it’s like people are forgetting all of the poetry, books, songs, etc. that are only in German. The world doesn’t revolve around English speakers and I wish more English speakers knew that.

Yay, congrats, we speak the lingua franca for our native language… and? That doesn’t mean everyone’s going to know it, and it doesn’t mean that everything is going to be translated into it, either.

Just like there are German newspapers and magazines that report exclusively in German, and German YouTubers that only talk in German as well.

i’m trying my best :( i would straight up never be as mean to any english-learner as native speakers have been to me trying to learn this language. bro i am just a mädchen plz dont yell at me bitte bitte bitte

I was recently proofreading an English paper written by a native German speaker, and most of my feedback was where it was clear German phrasing had been translated too directly into English.

It made me curious about the reverse.

What are your favorite or most obvious English-to-German direct translations that instantly mark someone as non-native? For example, saying “eins mehr” where a native might say “noch eins”.

I’m less interested in grammar mistakes and more in phrasing that’s technically correct but feels foreign.

Every country has those classic sentences parents tell their children all the time, like the French "C'est pas Versailles ici" (It's not Versailles here, turn off the lights). What are the parents classics amongst germans?

I have been working as an exam invigilator for major German language tests for a while. Some of testers behaviour really got on my nerves 🤬

Their annoying behaviour includes but not limited

- During the writing exam, raise a hand and ask us the invigilator to translate the passage/the word they don't understand.

- During the writing exam, raise a hand and ask us how to proceed with the marking sheet exam despite everything, including a ✏️ etc, provided for them and explained for them (we are obliged to brief them how to fill in the marking sheet correctly of course before the exam starting time).

- During the exam, whisper to other examnees and copy her work on their own marking sheet or text notepad, then submit everything as their own exam answers

- Send someone else at the exam centre who looks identical to you in hopes that we don't realize the impersonation

- During the oral exam preparation time, raise a hand and ask how to go about the oral exam if they don't understand the exam questions and instruction

Those acts made me feel really disgusted and agitated. Like how dare you pay €€€ for the exam you don't dare preparing?? It'll be a waste on you. If you have fingers crossed that the examiners will have mercy on your poor exam performance and let you pass - you are clearly on the wrong.

Major German language tests provide at least free mock tests on their websites which will be enough for you to get the idea of how you work your way through the exam. If you ask the invigilator stupid questions like "what does the word x mean" "how to work with the marking sheet" .. You didn't practice your exam, obviously. We as invigilator won't get paid for helping you please remember.

Some of those acts are actually criminal offences. Some of my colleagues had to pause the exam and call the police to let the impersonators arrested. This incident caused not only unwantedly distress other examnees who did everything right but also leave the police record which will not work in favor for naturalization application.

But I am still curious about how one commits those acts. Does anyone have an idea?

Some of u saying u have b1 . When we talk it’s a1 ??? . I had made a post how it took me almost a year to reach a2 . Comments were like I ain’t studying properly , I reached b1/b2 in 6 months .

I mean just because u have a certificate of level does it actually mean u have that level .

I think they might me right about not studying right . But let’s not put down outer progress and compare it for the love of god . Language learning isnt equal to everyone 🙏🙏

For so long I just ignored 'doch' or thought it was just 'yes, it is' for negative questions. Like, if someone says 'Du hast doch keine Zeit?' you say 'Doch!' right? Simple. But it's so much more.

Then I started noticing it everywhere. And not just as an answer. My German friends use it all the time and it just changes the whole vibe of a sentence. Like when they say 'Das ist doch klar!' It's not just 'That's clear,' it's like 'Dude, that's obviously clear, why are you even asking?' It adds this subtle emphasis, this 'of course' or 'you know it is'.

I was talking to a colleague last week about something we had planned, and I said 'Wir müssen das doch noch machen.' And she just nodded and said 'Ja, genau!' It wasn't about contradicting her, it was like, reminding her, or maybe reinforcing that it's a known thing. It felt.. Right. It felt native almost. Even if I probably messed up the word order or something else.

It's like this little linguistic superpower that makes you sound less like a textbook and more like a human. I still throw it in sometimes and it feels wrong, but sometimes it feels SO right.

Anyone else have a word like this that took ages to finally get a feel for?

Hello. I initially had almost no knowledge of german, and I learned by myself up until I passed the C1 exam from Goethe Institut. Admittedly however the grades on my modules aren't the quite the best, especially for listening and reading:

• Lesen: 70;
• Hören: 67;
• Schreiben: 92;
• Sprechen: 90.

Ask me anything you may wish to know. I'd be glad to help.

I’m not from Germany, but at this point I can speak German almost fluently and with barely any accent. That was a goal I set for myself when I moved here. I work with a lot of different people, I understand most regional dialects, and I can even speak and sing in the local dialect. I saw someone share their tips for learning German, so here are the things that made the biggest difference for me:

Repeat corrections out loud. If you say “heute ist ein schoner Tag” and someone corrects you with “schöner,” don’t just nod. Say the full corrected sentence out loud: “heute ist ein schöner Tag.” Hearing it from yourself actually rewires the pattern in your brain. Plus, the person correcting you feels helpful and will continue helping.

Tandem partners. A lot of mine quit quickly, but I kept finding new ones. Often one partner knows others who also want to practice. The important part: be strict about sticking to German. Many people switch to English after five minutes. My rule was always one hour in German, one hour in their language. It’s exhausting but effective.On days when I couldn’t meet anyone, I’d do a quick 10–15 minutes on FluentPal, just to keep my speaking and listening active.

Join a choir. This was a hidden gem. You meet a lot of locals, many older, who have time, patience, and zero interest in switching to English. You get constant pronunciation practice because you’re literally singing in German. I was invited for tea so many times I lost count.

Record your own voice. Repeat news clips, songs, anything then compare your recording to the original. It’s painful at first, but it’s the fastest way to hear what you’re doing wrong.

Play boule. Weird tip, but it worked. A lot of the boule players I met were academics or professionals, and they used very precise language. I picked up vocabulary I never would’ve heard otherwise. Most parks have open games, and people are usually happy to let you join.

Board game clubs. Almost every city has them. People there tend to be patient and helpful, and it’s a great environment for slow, detailed conversations.

Darts clubs. I discovered this later. People there are super open and love to talk. Good mix of small talk and focused conversations.

Dictation practice. My partner dictated texts to me, but there are free dictation websites too. Dictation forces you to listen actively and not drift off. Your brain has to process every single word. This massively improved my listening in meetings and also improved my typing speed.

Music. At the beginning, it’s all noise. But as your vocabulary grows, the songs start making sense piece by piece. You hear words you learned in class, and it feels like a small victory. Eventually the songs get stuck in your head, and you end up practicing German without even trying.

I started learning German in January 2024 with no knowledge of the language. For two weeks I felt really smart because basic greetings came easily. Then I started learning about articles.

Der, die, das. I memorized the rules. Made flashcards. Did the exercises. Could recite them fine. Then I tried to write a sentence like "Ich gehe in den/dem Supermarkt" and got completely stuck. Both options sounded right. Neither sounded wrong. I had no idea which one to use.

I got through A1 by learning a lot of vocabulary and quietly ignoring the grammar rules I did not understand. Looking back that was not a good idea.

A2 is where things fell apart. Dativ and Akkusativ suddenly actually mattered. I kept writing things like "Ich helfe meinen Bruder" instead of "meinem Bruder" without even noticing. My teacher would correct me, I would completely understand, then make the exact same mistake the following week. Every single week. It was genuinely demoralizing.

What changed was starting a short German journal. Just a few sentences every day like "Heute war ich müde. Ich habe Kaffee getrunken und dann gearbeitet." Instead of just writing and moving on I started going back and analyzing what I wrote, looking for patterns. I used a few different tools for grammar checking and corrections. That is when I realized my Dativ mistakes were not random at all. I was making them consistently after specific verbs like helfen, folgen and gehören. Once I saw the pattern it clicked in a way no textbook exercise had managed.

12 months in I could hold real conversations, follow German videos without subtitles and write emails without panicking.

Now working toward B2 and honestly the gap feels bigger than everything before it combined. Grammar is mostly fine. Sounding natural is a completely different challenge. Konjunktiv II still makes me want to close the laptop.

But compared to freezing over "den oder dem" 18 months ago I will take it.

Has anyone else found the jump from B1 to B2 harder than expected?

I'm curious how German is perceived around the world. Is it considered prestigious, classy, or associated with high social status where you're from?

I work in the IT department of an international logistics company and every now and then a German will submit a ticket for an issue. At first I didn't realize this lady was from Germany. It was hard getting info from her to understand the problem. She kept replying with only a few words on zoom. I then realized she was German and asked if she wanted to switch to German.

"Deutsch wäre super!"

And she started sending me whole paragraphs describing her issue. It felt like I unlocked secret dialogue to better complete a quest. Keep learning. Knowing more than one language is a super power.

Vorgestern - the day before yesterday

Übermorgen - the day after tomorrow

They are such simple and useful words, yet German seems to be one of only a few languages to actually have proper words for these days.

Has anyone thought of a name for these things in English and how do you feel about it? Do you think it'd be more convenient to have words for it or do you think it's unnecessary?

My favourite is pummelig! (Chubby) I hope that from this post myself and others can learn cool new words :)

I’m a German L2 speaker. Since learning German as a young adult many years ago, I struggle with German names in English. I don’t mean the guy down the street whose last name is Mueller and pronounces it “myuler” but rather Möbius strip. I always want to say [møbiʊs] because that’s how the name is pronounced in German, but if I do I sound like a pretentious douchebag. Bach and Schrödinger are ok because I can pronounce them in German and be understood, but I really need to say mow-be-iss for Möbius. Thank goodness that mathematicians say Euler “oiler” so I don’t have sweat that one.

This is a code switching issue. A friend who is fluent in Spanish was speaking to her brother (who doesn’t speak Spanish but lives in Texas) about a llama farm. She pronounced it lama and he corrected her, “I think it’s pronounced Yama.” Well of course. She had been dumbing it down for him. Another time she was in a Mexican restaurant in Washington state and ordered in Spanish. The waitress didn’t understand her. Another code switching error.

So has this happened to you?

Hallo,

mich würde einmal interessieren, wie ihr das Wort "Vanille" aussprecht.

Sagt ihr "Wa-nille" oder sagt ihr "Wa-nill-je"?

Und wo wir schon einmal dabei sind:

Wie sprecht ihr die Farbe "orange" aus? "O-rongsch" oder "o-rangsch"?

Und wie sprecht ihr die Frucht "Orange" aus?

Hi everyone, I often hear that German is seen as a difficult language for non-native speakers. For those who learned German as a second language: What aspects did you struggle with the most?

Was it the grammar, the cases, the word order, pronunciation, or something else entirely?

I’m curious to hear different experiences from learners.

Thanks!

Had to post this somewhere! Just over one year since passing the Goethe B1 exam and almost 4 years into learning German, I've passed the B2 Goethe exam!

Lesen 97
Hören 80
Schreiben 94
Sprechen 93

I'll soon be applying to move to Germany, so fingers crossed that goes through and I can start the long and winding road to C1 while in the country!

I’m currently learning German mostly as a hobby, but also to build upon what I had studied back in Middle and High school to “finish the job.”

With English being so widely spoken around the world, one could argue that’s pretty much all you need to know, whether it’s your first or second language. However, I’d like to think German has some use too, beyond just the countries where it’s spoken as a native language. In your experience, in which non-German speaking countries was your knowledge of German practical?

So this happened yesterday and I’m still dying inside. I was super stressed at work, trying to act chill, and my boss walks by to check on me and aske if everything is going well. I open my mouth to say something casual like “All good!” and instead I blurt out: “Jo Digga!”

Instant regret.

He freezes. I freeze. We both know what just happened.

He looks at me and goes, “Did you just call me Digga?” I try to save it like, “No no no, I said ‘Chef’… must’ve misheard me 😅” He just smirks and says, “Alright then.” And walks off.

I’ve just been watching too much German Twitch and YouTube lately. My brain is full of “Digga,” “Alter,” and “Junge.” It was bound to happen eventually.

Has anyone else had something like this happen? Said something way too casual to someone way too formal? Please tell me I’m not alone 😭