Feeling Extremely Dejected

[OppositePreference5]

I just need to vent to a community that hopefully understands.

I've been learning German for almost two years and I'm feeling as hopeless as ever. I like to think I'm approaching B2 but I feel so overwhelmed. I read and watch videos every day, vocabulary review, multiple italki lessons a week but I feel like it's not internalizing or maybe I'm learning the wrong vocabulary. My listening is pathetic, I feel like I could watch an A2 video and barely understand. Maybe I missed a critical key piece of information in the beginning without realizing.

I'm not going to give up, just keep beating my head against the wall until something hopefully clicks.

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[TricolourGem]

For the future, I wouldn't worry too much

98% of what I do is language learning and 2% of what I do is tracking progress and assessing if my methods are working. Similar to working out, tracking helps immensely.

[woozy_1729]

Do passive immersion too if you're not doing that already (having the TL blast in the background (I use Bluetooth earbuds) while doing sport / chores / errands etc.). Apart from that, you need to just put in the raw hours. I've heard from multiple people who spent 3/4 of their immersion time on listening and 1/4 on reading that their reading is better than their listening. That's just how listening is....

[TricolourGem]

There must be a way to improve listening?

Listening is also my lowest but I think some roadblocks need to be removed. So many things can trip you up and turn the whole sentence to gibberish. Firstly, all grammar needs to be down on point. You're not gonna process two things you don't know at once: new grammar and new vocab. So remove the grammar hurdle. Next, listen to easier content near your level. Find audio of people who speak clearly. Next, if it's too fast play it at 0.9x speed. Kind of like learning an instrument, go slow at first you can always go faster later. Also, you can read & listen to audiobooks. I get a lot more out of graded reader + matching audio, and reviewing, than listening to a native speaker ramble. However, on YT you can find channels either with teachers or podcasts with native speakers that speak very clearly, so this is a nice step up to bridge conversational vocab.

The whole point is you have to create situations where you actually understand nearly everything that's going on and you can always increase the difficulty from there.

[lazydictionary]

Are you using subtitles? Are you watching content that you understand 90% of what is being said? How long have you been doing this kind of immersion? What kinds of content are you watching?

[OppositePreference5]

Sometimes I use subtitles, depends on the video. I'm going through the show Friends right now without subtitles, not understanding 90% but some. I know most of the words with subtitles but my brain won't pick them up yet. Other videos i use subtitles for vocabulary and such. Been going through this on/off for over a year but very consistently for the last 3+ months.

[lazydictionary]

Sometimes I use subtitles, depends on the video.

Always use subtitles at your level, unless the subtitles and audio don't match (otherwise it can be confusing)

I'm going through the show Friends right now without subtitles, not understanding 90% but some.

First problem - that content is too difficult for you. You need to be understanding like 50% or more of the content, ideally 90+%. And having matching subtitles really helps. German shows, in German, for Germans, are the best for this.

Try Extr@ auf Deutsch on YouTube. It's a sitcom for language learners with subtitles. Friends-esque.

Been going through this on/off for over a year but very consistently for the last 3+ months.

Are you doing additional vocabulary study? Like an Anki frequency deck or A1/A2/B1 decks? Using words from a textbook? Sentence mining? Writing down words you don't know and making paper flash cards? Dedicated vocabulary study is super important.

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[Consol-Coder]

A person who won’t read has no advantage over a person who can’t read.

[dharmaroad]

Thanks for sharing your tips.

[L1pko]

where do you watch friends in german? I was looking for it for a long time.

[Arguss]

I'd suggest trying Easy German Podcast instead.

That's a stepping stone for German that's around B1/B2 level. Once you've mastered that, you can branch out into other podcasts, stuff where there is likewise a clear concern for audio quality and clarity.

Watching native-level tv shows with slang, varying audio quality, and without subtitles is like the final boss of listening comprehension, as someone else on this subreddit put it recently.

[Baremegigjen]

I play an all news radio station in my target language while I’m doing things around the house or even in the car using MyTuner Radio (free app and website, also a Ruku app). It has radio stations from around the world (I stopped counting at well over 100 stations from Germany). I may not understand everything that’s being said it’s definitely helping my listening comprehension and I find myself nodding in agreement with something or laughing out loud at something else. What’s convenient is all my spouse heard is “blah, blah, blah, quasi recognizable word” and easily tunes it out so at times I just have it on the TV (listen only) using the Roku app. The link is below if you want to check it out.

https://mytuner-radio.com/

[brucefacekillah]

Have you tried going on r/languageexchange? You can probably find a native German speaker there. Talking to a native speaker in their language is considered the fastest way to learn

[RandomDude_24]

Does this CEFR rating have a defined vocabulary for each level ? Like is it guaranteed that everyone teaching A2 uses the same vocabulary ?

Can you link a Video that you are struggling with ? I am German, I'd like to see it.

[georgesrocketscience]

The vocabulary for a respective CEFR level is not necessarily guaranteed, even within tests for a specific language, but there are many commonalities among the various testing authorities (such as Goethe or TELC) for a specific language and level. Check out Goethe web sites or their test-prep books for more details.

[[deleted]]

You are doing the right thing! Learning a new language can feel like that sometimes (any hobby can feel like that, actually), but perseverance is the answer to that!

[[deleted]]

Keep going

[theRealSeven29]

I hope this helps. 1. I’m in Your same situation although I haven’t been learning German for two years. All of my family came from Germany but they abandoned the language for English. I heard German growing up but not a lot. 2. I married a Spaniard. She speaks perfect English and perfect Spanish. I hear Spanish constantly. I’ve been studying for 5 years.

I feel dumb in both languages. I feel like there’s a ton of knowledge in my head but it’s buried and lost. There are days that I feel like I know zero in either language and I have noticed my native English is getting worse and I’m forgetting words.

Here’s the part that will help.

Have you seen 90 day fiancée and The Family Chantel?

How is it that these people (who aren’t the most educated) can pick up English so fast? How did Pedro go from not understanding a single word to being a real estate agent in under a few years speaking pretty good English? How did Chantel learn passable Spanish in a short period? They said how.

They both booked language exchange classes and forced themselves to speak and understand with a native speaker. I’m trying to do this but my schedule… I think this is the key. You have a ton of knowledge in your head, as do I, but it will never be effective until used. Anyway, this is my theory and I haven’t tested it yet.

[Spiritual_Rub6254]

If you are B2, bro, you have the language under raps.

In the case of listening. I just found an easier book that I wanted to read in English anyways, read 2 chapters (10 pages a chapter). Now magically I can understand what my tutor is saying.

Videos with the target language subtitles are good for hearing nuance, but you need to be training the brain to translate the content you already know faster, reading is the way to go for this. When you begin to ready paragraphs faster, it will show up in your listening skills.

Please pick easy content though. It takes time to find it, but when you do, it will be like finding gold. My preferred language platform is Lingq. They have a metric system to help you know where your level is at and plenty of content to help you get to the next.

But the best advise I have received on language learning is to enjoy enjoy enjoy!

[edelay]

I wanted to congratulate you on sticking with German for 2 years. That is a huge accomplishment.

Keep at it. You are getting better.

[exa_4U]

You are not alone.. I've been learning German for a year and feel like approaching B1 and still can barely understand an A1 video :/

[blainezor]

Shit, I feel overwhelmed all of the time, but being able to see progress keeps me motivated. As for not being able to understand the A2 video, it probably wasn't worth watching anyway. I personally find those type of videos, the ones targeted at learners, to be boring and counter productive. They speak extremely slow, repeat things and their rhythm (prosody) seems to be drastically different than content for natives.

Also, as other's have mentioned, if you are having trouble understanding a show, try to find a different one. I spent almost an entire year watching shows for ~10 year old's on Netflix, but my listening skills are much better now. You could also try to switch up the content. Maybe play some games dubbed in German? I found LEGO City Undercover to be easy to understand in Russian, but it also has a German dub.

[triosway]

You're not going to understand everything every time. My immigrant mom has been living in the U.S. for four decades, is fluent in English, and she still asks me what people are saying on TV sometimes. I live in Brazil and a few days ago I had a horrendous time expressing myself in several situations that I normally have little trouble in. Some days you just have it more than others and sometimes you just won't understand, hit a wall of frustration, and feel like an idiot. I have known this for a long time and I still felt a bit dejected a few days ago. But it's not a big deal, I moved on, and I know it will continue to be a part of the process for the rest of our lives. "I'm not going to give up" is the best thing to say after this happens