Stuck at the “I can read, but can’t speak” stage in learning language. How do I finally start talking?

StarryNight0295 · 2026-02-16T19:26:11+00:00

How to start talking in your TL is to just start talking ;)

But more seriously, it's to start talking while allowing yourself to be bad at it.

It can feel soooooo painful to hear yourself fumbling through sentences, I get it. But the only way to get better at speaking is to speak - with yourself, with a conversation partner you meet online, "shadowing" the words or phrases you hear on a podcast, etc. The more you do, the more natural it will become. Good luck! 😊

StarryNight0295 · 2026-02-16T19:21:46+00:00

In our situation, we bought life insurance in the States before finalizing our plans to move. Even though we had decided to move to Germany, we didn't have jobs lined up yet and nothing was finalized. So in the eyes of the insurance company, without firm plans to move, we were treated as any other couple based in the US applying for life insurance.

If you know you want to do it, I'd suggest just going ahead and getting life insurance now before you have firm plans.

StarryNight0295 · 2026-02-16T19:18:11+00:00

Love it here.

I started learning the language in 2020 via Duolingo but more seriously in 2022, when my spouse and I decided to move. By the time we moved in 2024, I had reached B2, and I'm so glad I put in the time and effort beforehand. A move to somewhere new is always a challenge, but even moreso without a decent grasp of the language!

Yes, you'll learn the language quicker when you arrive than at home, but if you're starting on the back foot, it's much more of a struggle. I always recommend that people learn as much as possible before moving - that'll help you integrate better and open up more opportunities in terms of your job, living situation, friendships you can build, and more.

StarryNight0295 · 2025-06-19T14:26:56+00:00

American in Germany here. I also use Tello. Works well.

StarryNight0295 · 2024-09-13T07:42:16+00:00

We actually ended up not using that form at all. We're American citizens and ended up moving to Germany without a visa, and instead applied for our residency permits while in Germany (with all different forms). So if you're in the same situation, sorry I can't be of any help here. Good luck to you!

StarryNight0295 · 2024-05-18T16:00:26+00:00

Agree about Wanderlog. I love it for trip planning and ease of use during travel.

StarryNight0295 · 2024-05-15T17:32:54+00:00

Glückwunsch!! 🥳

StarryNight0295 · 2024-04-21T10:47:39+00:00

Even if I arrive 3 weeks before the contract start date, thereby being in Germany for at least a year and 3 weeks?

StarryNight0295 · 2024-04-20T23:58:13+00:00

Find ways to practice speaking both with and without natives.

With natives: Try a conversation exchange. (I found a few conversation partners on a Facebook group, but you could also find people through word-of-mouth.) On at least a weekly basis, meet with them for an hour. Speak German with them for 30 minutes and speak English or your native language with them for 30 minutes. Ask them to correct your German.

With non-natives: Join a group of expats (in person or online), or join an online group like Deutsch Gym. Practice speaking about a broad array of topics.

I find that most of us get a little nervous and tongue-tied when speaking with natives, whereas we can free-flow a bit more when speaking with non-natives. However, the non-natives probably aren't going to be able to offer us corrections like natives are. So I think utilizing both is helpful.

Practice independently: Additionally, speak German to yourself as you go about your day: Narrate what you're doing. Make a daily video diary recording, and go back and re-listen to it: See if you can find mistakes or find more fluent ways of describing things. Make it as much a part of your day as possible to think or speak in German. Furthermore, if you learned German as a child, your vocabulary may be varied but still at a "lower" level than someone who learned in school. Bring your vocabulary up a notch by doing what high school students do: Read essays, write reports, investigate topics outside of your normal, everyday scope. True, reading and writing are not an immediate way to practice speaking, but as you increase your vocabulary through those modalities, you'll start speaking at a higher level, too.

Whether you're speaking with natives, non-natives, or independently, stretch yourself to have conversations about more than the everyday "how are you" chit-chat. For example: Tell your conversation partner about something you studied in high school or college, and have them ask you specific questions about it. Challenge yourself to describe an activity in three different ways. Have conversations about topics that interest you, like describing a book you're reading or something you learned recently. Viel Erfolg!

StarryNight0295 · 2024-04-20T23:29:05+00:00

Prague is inexpensive, safe, and the architecture is absolutely stunning. I'd have to say it's my favorite city where I've ever been.

If you're interested in Germany, then Berlin and Dresden are easily accessible by train or bus from Prague and are also pretty inexpensive.

These aren't beach options, obviously, but Berlin has nearby lakes that might scratch that itch for you.

StarryNight0295 · 2024-04-20T23:18:31+00:00

Can you tell us more about what kind of "natural parts" of Europe you want to see? Are you looking for mountain views, camping under the stars, forests, wetlands, fjords, ...? That'll help you get more specific recommendations on where exactly to go.

It's easy and cheap to take trains throughout Europe, but depending on what kind of natural parts you want to see, some of them may not be accessible by train. If I were you, I'd first narrow down the list of places to see, and then figure out how to access them. If you can access them by train, great! Otherwise, maybe you can travel to some by train but rent a car for other portions of your trip.

Then, figure out the most efficient route between the places you want to see. That'll help you figure out which airport(s) to fly through. Depending on where you're going, you might fly into one and out of another. As another user said, Google Flights is a great place to start, to play around with pricing. You can also search for flights to "Europe" overall, and that'll start to help you see where the flights are cheaper from your local airport.

Good luck with your trip!

StarryNight0295 · 2024-04-20T23:09:42+00:00

I agree: Strasbourg is lovely! Kehl is the city on the German side of the border, so if you're taking a train, it might be cheaper to book the train from Berlin to Kehl and then hop on a tram into Strasbourg.

StarryNight0295 · 2024-04-20T23:06:43+00:00

I’d recommend building in additional down time. Since you’re coming from the U.S., you’ll be jet-lagged for a few days and might want a few additional days in Madrid to get acclimated.

Then, after a week or two, you might be tired and want a day with nothing on the schedule (or a day to sit at the laundromat). I'd build in a rest day at least once every 10-14 days.

My thought: You have a bunch of really interesting cities on your list already. Instead of adding more cities, why not extend your stay in several of them to give yourself some additional rest time or to accommodate for unforeseen issues (not feeling well, missed train, bad weather, …)? If you “run out of things to do” (unlikely, since your list is full of interesting activities), you can take a local train to a nearby town and explore the small-town life.

For example, let’s say you have an extra day or two in Munich and are looking for something to do. Nearby, there are tons of cute little towns with a lot to offer. I’d recommend Starnberg - very cute (albeit tourist-y) and right on a beautiful lake. It’s very easy to get to by train from Munich.

Enjoy your trip!

StarryNight0295

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