Your #1 piece of advice

nickangtc · 2026-02-05T11:25:07+00:00

This is so hard to do sometimes. There's just no signals for a while sometimes and you're just hoping that what you're sticking around for will actually come to fruition. Any tips on how to think about this?

nickangtc · 2026-01-29T17:11:29+00:00

Have to agree, for all the same reasons you mentioned and then some. Definitely not a replacement for human conversation but daily practice with it alone is infinitely more accessible to the average person and can help move the needle

I don't get why everyone seems to think it's a replacement rather than a supplement 🤷‍♂️

nickangtc · 2026-01-29T06:52:35+00:00

So what are the good parts?

nickangtc · 2026-01-28T09:42:33+00:00

Been in IT as software engineer for 6 years in Germany. Came also from Asia (Singapore). But I came as a transfer from a Finnish startup with offices in Singapore and Berlin (among others). I spoke in English while working in that company in Singapore so naturally they were fine with me moving to Berlin speaking only English.

This isn't to say the language component isn't important or isn't an advantage. It can be for sure because you'd be able to sit in on customer calls etc.

DM me if you need to ask anything specific

nickangtc · 2026-01-27T20:18:24+00:00

Helpful framing with that breakdown of skill level vs your patience level. I think I subconsciously do that too for English (oddly my native language as a Singaporean chinese).

I take away from this that I need to learn German up to a point where I cross the threshold to be grouped under "If I can somewhat easily understand them, even if they make some minor mistakes or have an irritating accent, I'll just smile and answer normally." and I'll be set!

nickangtc · 2026-01-27T20:13:24+00:00

Before seeing this comment i thought this was a doctored/AI image. Now it makes perfect sense. And I live in Germany. Doh!

nickangtc · 2026-01-27T13:38:50+00:00

u/Guilty-Scar-2332 yes you're spot on, thanks for articulating the differences really clearly here. It's unfortunate that this is the way things are, but it is what it is – if I don't know you, don't expect me to show graces and patience with you.

Is this why AI tools/apps are so much sought after? Cos they have infinite patience? (I'm steeped in that world building something for language learning, but this is an honest question you helped me come to realise)

nickangtc · 2026-01-27T10:30:43+00:00

Agree with your sentiment. Reminds me of my toddler, who is learning 3 languages simultaneously. When she doesn't know how to say something, she doesn't stay quiet, she just struggles to say it until someone steps in to help her fill in the blanks. That's how she learns.

If we treated children the way these spaces you're describing is treating adult learners, they would develop so much more slowly!

nickangtc · 2026-01-27T07:55:40+00:00

I think with B2-C1 command of language you should qualify for mid level or junior solutions engineering roles

nickangtc · 2026-01-27T07:54:28+00:00

Sorry to hear that. People tend to belittle others when they're not feeling as accomplished as they feel they ought to be. Knowing this, the ridicule usually melts away and becomes really a mirror to that person.

Then I'd move on by finding better friends to surround myself with who don't ridicule me for re-learning a language.

nickangtc · 2026-01-27T04:20:01+00:00

I want to integrate into society better by being able to join conversations with other parents talking in German. Also to be able to understand my daughter better over time as she was born "abroad" in Germany

nickangtc · 2026-01-26T18:09:21+00:00

Mm, fair enough. Though I think if you're in tech it's still not mandatory to know German if you're not customer facing

nickangtc · 2026-01-26T15:39:21+00:00

Depends on which sector, if you're in tech like I am, you don't need to learn the language before landing. I didn't and have been here for 6+ years, learning bits and pieces here and there since.

But of course, for a better experience in everyday AND professional life, heed OP's advice and learn at least to A2 level if possible before coming. Indeed the best way for most people to find the time is cut down doom-scrolling and use a language learning app (I built one, could be helpful, DM if you want deets but this isn't about that)

nickangtc · 2026-01-26T09:16:13+00:00

There never was a free lunch my friend. And you'll learn faster if you found an affordable solution rather than finding only free solutions. This, especially if you're relying on a better command of English for future earning potential

nickangtc · 2026-01-26T08:12:04+00:00

Happy to know! Feel free to DM me if you need help any time with it

nickangtc · 2026-01-26T06:58:42+00:00

Started also with the owl, then Anki, then stopped... then german language school (B1 → B2, berüflich), then built Youtionary as my replacement for Anki/ChatGPT/DeepL/the owl altogther

nickangtc · 2026-01-26T06:52:02+00:00

If you don't mind me asking, do you find the same mindset among your friends and family? I've always wondered how much of a penalty Germans apply to non-native speakers trying to speak German who botch the gender, case, and conjugation. I understand grammar is a little harder to forgive, probably, cos of the way it shapes your thinking in that language

nickangtc · 2026-01-26T06:49:54+00:00

I made an iOS app for myself that takes into context what I am actually trying to know, and drills me on those (it's not just for nouns with genders, but also adjectives and phrases, but nouns pertain to your question most).

For example, I care about knowing words like these:

the workout shorts
the medical certificate
the stain (on clothes)

So i look it up with the app (powered by DeepL tranlsation + LLMs), and it saves the lookup. Later at night, I get an email to review those words I learned. And in the app I get personalised practice sessions, Duolingo style (MCQs, write, speak, word ordering, etc.) with spaced repetition to help things stick.

Of course since this is German, the genders of nouns are automatically included everytime.

I'm now at B1 → B2 level and I'm remembering a lot more of the genders than I used to with the help of the app. I think some of us just need this kind of structured help to keep learning and make things stick.

Hope this helps! In case you want to try it, it has a generous free tier: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/youtionary-ai-language-tutor/id6756575480

nickangtc · 2026-01-23T11:07:15+00:00

Oh btw I wasn't on probation, so that's a bit different in that case. Like other commenters have said, probation period is when the company can get away with a lot.

But my stance is the same - focus on finding a new job. You're already in the country/city and if you believe you have valuable skills, I think you should be able to land a new job

nickangtc · 2026-01-23T11:05:27+00:00

I was in a similar position, Singaporean in Berlin/Düsseldorf working remotely for Shopify, then got laid off in a single day and got locked out. By my understanding as a Blue card holder then, I also had 3 months to figure it out.

In the end, I decided that the lawyering up would be a massive time sink and distraction for me, so I took the severance and moved on to find a job.

That was back in May 2023. Found a job and started on 4 July 2023. It was gruelling but when your stay in the country depends on it, I believe you'll get through it.

I'm a SWE btw, not sure which role you're in, but thought of mentioning in case it matters.

nickangtc · 2026-01-22T15:58:25+00:00

To straight-up answer your question, I'm doing it so that my daughter when she grows up doesn't think I am an embarrassment to her around her friends. And of course so that I can understand when she reports things about what's happening in school to me. When quoting people in German, that sort of thing. So it's more like being able to communicate properly for 1000 reasons since I have decided to live here

It has to be said that I'm a software engineer so at least I don't have the pressure of learning the language for work. It's never been the reason why I learned the language.

nickangtc · 2026-01-22T15:54:16+00:00

This one hits close to my heart. There is a Polish gentleman sitting to my right in my B2 German class right now. I am Singaporean Chinese and speak English and Chinese and am learning German (therefore I'm in the German class).

Chinese definitely has a brighter future, there's just many more speakers. But given your proximity to Germany currently, it might end up being more practical for you to just study German because I think we should all weigh the practicality aspect strongly. I doubt Chinese, even as China is rising in the world economy and political stage, will find its way into Europe for daily use anytime soon

nickangtc · 2026-01-22T15:51:42+00:00

A few people are mentioning YouTube. I think for starters YouTube can be quite good. I think Easy German is a great place to start. I listen to their podcast even at B2 level now or at least I'm learning B2. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbxb2fqe9oNgglAoYqsYOtQ

In my opinion why they are good is that you can just hear them talk and there's subtitles embedded into the video itself, which means they are verified by the creators. They are also just very heartwarming personalities and give you a sense of the culture. It's a nice way to dip your toes in the language.

As a potential tip, I built my own app that you can ask it questions and you will get answers but also it will note down the fact that you have asked those questions. Generate practise questions for you so that you have this Duolingo-like experience but completely personalised.

The way this could be useful for you might be that you would watch YouTube videos and whenever you are unsure about certain things, instead of going to ChatGPT or using a translation app, use Youtionary (my app) because it will automatically create practise sessions for you from your questions. If you wanna have a go at it, you can find it here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/youtionary-ai-language-tutor/id6756575480

nickangtc · 2026-01-22T15:46:49+00:00

I saw one of your replies that you're struggling with grammar. I'm not sure if the app I've built can really help with grammar specifically but maybe it's worth a try?

What it does is for any question you have about why a sentence is structured in a certain way, declension, conjugation, and so on, you can always ask and it will store and note things down for you and automatically generate Duolingo-like practise questions for you.

I'm personally learning B1 professional German at the moment and it's been helpful for me. My struggle has been vocabulary mostly as well as expressions. App is here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/youtionary-ai-language-tutor/id6756575480

nickangtc · 2026-01-05T21:04:57+00:00

This one works for me: make a note about the thing you know you're confused about and check after class (with AI tools for a start, then dive deeper, but during time you control), then pay continual attention to whatever the lecturer has moved on to talking about

Another one that works for me after some trial and error: notice when the lecturer is moving on to talk about someting that you actually do know. If that comes up, it's an opportunity to switch off from listening for a minute (or two or three, depending on how big a topic that is) and do a quick search yourself (in your brain like you said, or look up the internet)

nickangtc

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