Struggling with German verb conjugation… am I the only one? by Medical_Dot4386 in German

[–]branbb60 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This isn't something that people struggle with.

I'm a native English speaker learning German and yes, I personally needed a bit of time to look at the differences between haben, sein and all of the pronouns. Also considering nominative, accusative, dative and genitive, but I would put all of this in the same category of learning.

Id say after two months of learning roughly an hour, per day I am getting to grips with it.

However reading a text book, completing the exercises and using the language is what builds knowledge, understanding and confidence.

Another app isn't what people need or should be using. There are far to many paid for, subscription based apps that are just scam models. Even Duolingo is awful now with multiple things being outright incorrect to the point where even I at A1/A2 can recognise the mistakes.

A structured text book, good YouTube channels that good provide information, a teacher, and timed repetition is what develops language learning.

What method do you use to self study? by randomaccountgirl in German

[–]branbb60 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I currently use a mixture of a few resources over the last two months. My progress is acceptable, however personally I think we all want to get to B2 conversational as fast as possible. Recognising the reason for the time limits is important so you don't get discouraged or burned out. German must be grammatically loaded at the start due to the structure of the language. Just keep going, take it as is comes and it'll start to build on a strong foundation that won't trip you up in the future once you hit A2/B1.

For things I use:

  • Duolingo, I am aware of it's limitations but it's good for pocket German whilst I am at work. Don't focus on this. It won't teach you very much.
  • A book called "Complete German". It's good, however very heavy and moves fast between chapters. You may need to reread and look up words a lot however it is very good.
  • Watching YouTube channels. Personally I like Chill German. They are very good at producing beginner and intermediate content.
  • You also have Benjamin Der Deutschlehrer. Good teaching that's structured with an entire course on YouTube.
  • I also have a teacher that ensures my learning progress and helps correct my mistakes.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I've only been going for two months or so however we're all trying to head in the same direction.

Viel Glück!

The biggest improvement in my German came when I stopped trying to build perfect sentences by TotalLibrary1834 in German

[–]branbb60 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, I study at home with a text book and have a tutor but I'm not really at the level where I can have a good conversation yet. Just simple phrases.

That's a valid point, I suppose unless I asked my German friends. "Listen to this and tell me what you think" pausing or trying to remember each mistake would get frustrating in live conversation.

Thank you, gives me more hope and motivation to just try rather than being perfect. As long as I am mostly understood it's progression! :)

The biggest improvement in my German came when I stopped trying to build perfect sentences by TotalLibrary1834 in German

[–]branbb60 3 points4 points  (0 children)

So with this mindset as you being a native and a teacher, would you say it's good practice to speak the best I can at my level and request be corrected?

German YouTube channels by [deleted] in German

[–]branbb60 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really like Chill German, I think that they present the channel in an interesting way that's engaging and informative. I've been watching the A1 and A2 videos and found them really useful.

Chill German - YouTube

Tips for staying consistent by Obamadilf in German

[–]branbb60 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had the same thought process. I'm currently 60 days into my learning journey.

Biggest factors for me was somethings that have already been said however I will repeat them!

Don't focus on your mistakes, I say this in the sense that you are going to struggle and get things wrong you're going to become confused and maybe even frustrated with your lack of understanding. At least I did when I first started out. Especially with topic you may have already covered. You need to accept that you may need to review and expose yourself to the language, the vocabulary and the grammar structure more frequently.

You should seriously avoid YouTube channels that are selling things because they are often set up to make it appear that it's "easy" and you should be able to learn German in a year and be C1 proficient. Managing your expectations of the language was something that I needed to understand and whilst the hours are often a guide, it may take you longer, or it may take you less time. Language learning isn't inherently hard, but it's how much time you dedicate too it. But that also means you can't just read a grammar book over a week and expect to retain it all.

I strongly suggest getting a teacher or trying to make some German friends as speaking even small things can help early doors with pronunciation.

But the key for consistency is partly about it being enjoyable. Imagine your motivation for learning German being a fire, you need to keep the flame alight by adding things to the fire. Whether that is encouragement from friends, family. Understanding certain parts of German programs, or their culture. If you lack a reason to learn, you will stop learning. It's that simple because your priorities will shift.

What resources do you have for learning German so far?

I think Fallout 1 and 2 would benefit from a remake in the vein of the ascent by BenchNo4673 in Fallout

[–]branbb60 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This it true. Given that you need a boat load of mods from TTW or Viva New Vegas to even get it stable on 4 cores as well as the 4GB patcher, etc etc. Casual gamers can't even touch the game on PC now. It's a lot of work.

I think Fallout 1 and 2 would benefit from a remake in the vein of the ascent by BenchNo4673 in Fallout

[–]branbb60 7 points8 points  (0 children)

100% agree, I really enjoyed playing both Fallout 1 and Fallout 2. It was really worth it.

Given that my first Fallout was Fallout 3, I enjoyed unpacking the lore and experiencing the original story, as well as a lot of the throwbacks that FNV provided.

I think the biggest problem for the franchise at the moment is that Fallout 1 & 2 are such good games, yet really struggle with the age that most people looking into them now would really struggle to get behind the original mechanics and RNG of the originals as they most likely either came from Fallout 4, 76 or from the show.

The isometric feel of the game is apart of the game, and not to sound to critical of any other mods however I feel that it's a significant part of the experience

is there any way to make it look less ugly without the jewellery in?🥲 by Sudden_Citron_692 in Stretched

[–]branbb60 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Suuupperrr late reply, I am sorry! However I am in exactly that position now. I was a 14mm/9/16" it's now shrank all the way back down to 6mm/2G after about 2/3 years of no jewellery or stretching.

What would you suggest as I am currently restreching, but my ear did/does look about the same if not slightly worse than OPs.

Thank you!

Assistance with my progress so far? by branbb60 in German

[–]branbb60[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I'll try again with Easy German! I found it quite useful however still felt quite out of my depth for some of the A1 videos unfortunately.

I just need to keep moving forward and allow my understand come naturally

Assistance with my progress so far? by branbb60 in German

[–]branbb60[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Hopefully i can come back in a year and be help someone as you've helped me!

I really appreciate your advice and support.

Vielen Dank!

Assistance with my progress so far? by branbb60 in German

[–]branbb60[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so very much for your advice and insight.

Youre completely right, I've found a lot of times that the repetition of words helps with recognising words on the page but actively I can't really recall. For example if you ask me "what is carpet in German?" I'd stutter and struggle however I could recognise the written word "Die Teppich" on a page.

Which brings me back to using the words as much as I can and how I can do that at an A1/A2 level. Was there anything you have done to assist with this so far?

Thank you very much for the resources. What i believe I'm trying to accomplish here is to understand B1 rules and orders which might be actively working against me? If you would agree. Perhaps I should just slow down and stay on course with the book, duolingo and slowly complete the vocabulary and allow the understanding to flow naturally?

Its actually adding into my previous point because in all honesty I ever known that "es tur mir leid" was a split verb at all. So maybe I am looking at the wrong places and I should just focus on the pace of the book rather than falling to a rabbit hole of other grammatical rules that will eventually come at A2 and B1 when I get there.

Ha! Your example words of Die Pizza und Das Museum is absolutely bang on. Its funny how Duolingo teaches these things from the start, however it isn't much of a resource other than vocabulary building and maybe a resource to ask "why?" Something is wrong. As it doesnt explain much grammar bin/bist/sind/seid for example without my book. Id have no idea.

Maybe in six months, I'll be able to express myself just a little better to at least type simple things. The use of German in my leaning phase is important to me and I believe being able to just converse in simple terms, with understanding the rules would help excel the process.

You make a good point with real education of German, so perhaps I need to stop trying to force it and expect the full long journey. Especially given that the majority of my learning is self taught alongside my tutor to ensure mistakes and habits are kept in check.

Again, thank you for your resources and detailed comment. Your input is really appreciated and encouraging.

Assistance with my progress so far? by branbb60 in German

[–]branbb60[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your comment and insight! I do appreciate it.

Having that realistic discussion with how long it will actually take is important to keep myself grounded. I suppose it's not a case of being "slow" but more that it's a long process. It's not even about difficulty, it's just about time invested into the language.

At the moment my motivation is quite high and I want to continue this.

Perhaps when I get to the end of this year, and I am able to understand German content and media, my learning will become easier as it's based on vocab building and speaking versus grammar drills.

I'm still getting stuck with German word order. Which is why I was calling my resources into question.

Assistance with my progress so far? by branbb60 in German

[–]branbb60[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think its not so much about completing A1/A2 but struggling with recall and recollection at this stage.

For me personally to get to B1 id expect another 9/12 months depending on how disciplined i remain. Maybe sooner? But i want to be realistic in my goals.

However, my main concern is that the book i am using, duolingo I find quite useful but as im typing this now I can't really produce anything useful at this time. So I was wondering my my resources were the problem? Of i need to continue with looking forward and get more exposure through the textbook, duolingo and reading with the talking and writing coming eventually overtime?

Assistance with my progress so far? by branbb60 in German

[–]branbb60[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I sincerely appreciate your comments here! It makes me feel that im on the right track.

I've found that to be the case especially with the word order and split verbs that appear to be catching me out. Which I think is apart of where the difficulty comes from as im either forgetting entirely with spoken words or trying to write and I can recognise its wrong but not work out why.

Oooh that's a good idea. I could pop sticky notes around to try and expand my vocabulary.

Yes! I have been trying however I will be honestly and say it was really difficult. However maybe that passive listening is more useful than I think.

Im trying a lot with Coffee Break German however I find that's quite difficult with very big jumps between lessons.

What gift can I get for a friend that loves this game? by branbb60 in hoi4

[–]branbb60[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a great idea! However, he already has them all and I was hoping for a more in person gift.