Is Learning German Really as Tough as Everyone Says? (2023)

FAQs

Is Learning German Really as Tough as Everyone Says? ›

With plenty of straightforward rules, German is not actually as hard to learn as most people think. And since English and German stem from the same language family, you might actually be surprised at the things you pick up without even trying! And on top of it all, it's definitely a useful one, too.

German has a reputation for being pretty challenging for English speakers. There are many factors that make learning it a difficult task – the grammar, pronunciation, and the numerous verb forms just to name a few. But with enough dedication and practice, anyone can learn to speak this challenging language.

Many beginner level language students have the misconception that German is an almost impossible language to learn. Seemingly endless compound words and the concept of noun genders is often enough to scare people off learning German for good. However, German actually isn't nearly as hard to learn as you might think.

Learning German Genders Can Be Frustrating

German has three genders, which makes it even more difficult to master. It's probably the reason why the Foreign Service Institute deemed it harder than French, which only has two genders. German has masculine (der), feminine (die), and neutral (das) gender.

But what makes German so hard to learn? The only reason that German seems so difficult to people is that it has grammar rules that other languages don't. German is a language with relatively high “inflection,” meaning that the words in a sentence change based on their grammatical roles.

With plenty of straightforward rules, German is not actually as hard to learn as most people think. And since English and German stem from the same language family, you might actually be surprised at the things you pick up without even trying! And on top of it all, it's definitely a useful one, too.

German is rated as a category 2 language and considered to be similar to English. The FSI estimates that German takes approximately 30 weeks, or 750 classroom hours to learn. This study was conducted on a group of language students who spent 25 hours per week in class, and three hours daily on individual practice.

Across multiple sources, Mandarin Chinese is the number one language listed as the most challenging to learn. The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center puts Mandarin in Category IV, which is the list of the most difficult languages to learn for English speakers.

1. Mandarin Chinese. Interestingly, the hardest language to learn is also the most widely spoken native language in the world. Mandarin Chinese is challenging for a number of reasons.

Overall, Spanish might be easier than German at the beginning stages, but the two tend to even out in difficulty once learners get to the more advanced stages. German has more complicated grammar rules that need to be mastered early on, but once learners get familiar with them, they find that they're pretty consistent.

What is the best age to learn German? ›

German for Kids: Toddlers (Age 2-5)

Three years is said to be the optimal age to start learning a second language. This is because younger kids are better at mimicking new sounds and learning new pronunciations.

However, in general, we can say that German is generally considered to be an easier language for English speakers to learn than Japanese. This is because German and English share many similarities in terms of grammar and vocabulary.

German is the most widely spoken native language in Europe

English, French and German are the three official working languages of the European Union. In absolute numbers, German is the second most-spoken language on the continent of Europe. However, when it comes to native speakers, German is number one.

English Partially Originates In Germanic Languages

About 40% of German and English vocabulary are very similar to each other, which makes German one of the easiest languages to learn for native English speakers. So, basically, if you already know English, it should be a piece of cake for you to learn German.

Around 40,000 people speak the dialect in Pennsylvania alone, and around 400,000 across America. The number is rising since many Amish and Mennonites faith communities who speak Pennsylvania German as their mother tongue traditionally have large families.

Learning a new language can be accomplished in a relatively short time if you are taking individual classes. With three 60-minute courses per week, you might be able to learn German in one to two years. This approach is excellent for people with hectic schedules, even if it is more expensive.

Similar to riding a bike, what children have learned at a young age they will never forget. Are teenagers too old to start learning German? You are never too old to learn something new. Most people actually first start learning foreign languages after childhood, and they show that it certainly can be done.

The German language has 6 CEFR levels – starting with A1 (absolute beginner), and ending with C2 (completely fluent).

What level of German is required to study in Germany? ›

Depending on the German federal state, level B1 or B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is required.

Kawishana is the rarest language in the world.

1. Norwegian. This may come as a surprise, but we have ranked Norwegian as the easiest language to learn for English speakers. Norwegian is a member of the Germanic family of languages — just like English!

Hungarian grammar seems like the road to death for an English speaker. Because Hungarian grammar rules are the most difficult to learn, this language has 26 different cases. The suffixes dictate the tense and possession and not the word order. That's is how most of the European languages deal with this problem.

Arabic is the queen of poetic languages, the 6th official language of the UN and second on our list of toughest languages to learn.

However, in general, Italian is considered to be a more difficult language to learn than German. This is because German is a more phonetic language, with regular spelling and pronounciation, while Italian has more irregular spellings and a more complex grammar.

If “useful” is about the sheer number of people you'll be able to converse with, French beats German easily. There are 267 million French speakers in the world, compared to 155 million German speakers. In terms of career opportunities, French and German are both very in-demand as business languages.

Nitty-gritty things like these can make getting started a bit of a challenge – but between the two, French will be a little easier, with (slightly) fewer endings to learn. That said, experts largely agree that the more German you learn, the easier it gets, while French gets more complicated the deeper you dive in.

Is it harder to learn after 25? ›

And structural plasticity is when your brain changes its structure due to learning. It's strongly believed that once we hit 25, the brain's plasticity solidifies. This makes it harder to create neural pathways. In turn, this can mean it's tougher to learn new skills.

German appears to be a language that can be learned at any age. You may be unable to learn German without an accent. However, with sufficient effort, you can improve your communication and conceptual expression skills.

Good for Practice, Not Always for Learning

Even with some of the well-developed courses, Duolingo may not be enough to completely teach a language to fluency. As mentioned earlier, Duolingo is great for getting a base in a language—but don't expect to get to advanced fluency on Duolingo alone.

Russian and German Language Prevalence

This is likely because German is a difficult language to learn, and many people are not willing to put in the effort. Russian, on the other hand, is a relatively easy language to learn, which has contributed to its popularity.

“German was very easy compared to Mandarin,” English said. One of the issues was the large number of characters in Chinese. The other was the way Chinese speakers used tone to indicate the meaning of words. “They have far fewer sounds.

There is a common misconception that German is a difficult language to learn. If you research online 'Most Difficult Languages to Learn', you will find German is typically not even in the top 10 and always falls behind Russian, Chinese, Polish, and Greek in terms of difficulty.

Whilst there are regional variations in food culture, most German recipes focus heavily on bread, potatoes, and meat, especially pork, as well as plenty of greens such as types of cabbage and kale. Cake, coffee, and beer are all highly popular elements of German cuisine too - which will be good news to most!

The global career: Knowledge of German increases your job opportunities with German and foreign companies in your own country and abroad. Tourism and hospitality industry: Tourists from German-speaking countries travel wide and far, and are the world's biggest spenders when on holiday.

German is the language of Goethe & the official language of 42 countries spoken by over 100 million people. Learning German can provide you with many benefits such as increased job prospects, enhanced communication skills, and a deeper understanding of international affairs.

The main concern is that sovereign debt has continued to rise in many states. According to the Institute of International Finance , global debt reached $305 trillion (€290 trillion), this summer. For comparison: Germany's federal budget for 2023 is €476 billion.

What problems do foreigners face in Germany? ›

The top three were: language barrier, finding accommodation and dealing with German bureaucracy. Other challenges included finding new friends, opening a current account, and experiencing cultural differences.

The Yalta Conference 1945

The leaders of the USA, USSR and Britain had met at Yalta in February 1945 to discuss what action would be taken after World War Two. Stalin wanted Germany to stay weak.

In particular, Swiss German, which is spoken in northern Switzerland and extreme Southwest Germany, can be phenomenally difficult to understand. Many say it's akin to an American listening to an extreme Scottish accent; it can almost sound like another language entirely.

It's also the official language of several countries, including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Both Dutch and German have their challenges, but Dutch is generally considered easier to learn than German.

Is Swedish or German harder to learn? If you're an English speaker, it's much easier for you to learn how to speak in Swedish compared to German. The main two reasons are that German consists of three genders and has four cases.

German has a reputation for being pretty challenging for English speakers. There are many factors that make learning it a difficult task – the grammar, pronunciation, and the numerous verb forms just to name a few. But with enough dedication and practice, anyone can learn to speak this challenging language.

The most common way of saying “hello” in German is “Hallo”. This is a casual greeting. You should only use it when greeting friends and family: Hello = Hallo.

What is a percent of the German population speaks English fluently? According to recent statistics, about 56% of the German population speaks English. It is also ranked 10th in the countries that speak English. If you ask me, Germany is much more rigorously schooled in English.

French tends to be easier for beginners, though it gets harder as you get into its intermediate and advanced layers. German has a tougher on-ramp for beginners, but gets easier as you go along.

So, how long do you need to learn German if you want to reach this level of fluency? According to the U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI), you'll need about 750 hours of study to become fluent in German. This means that if you study 12-15 hours a week, you'll be able to speak like a pro in just a year!

What is harder German or Japanese? ›

However, in general, we can say that German is generally considered to be an easier language for English speakers to learn than Japanese. This is because German and English share many similarities in terms of grammar and vocabulary.

According to the statistical data, there are more than 45,400,000 people in Germany who speaks English on a daily basis. What percent of Germany speaks English? Over 56% of the population in Germany speaks English.

The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) estimates that learning German will take about 30 weeks, or 750 classroom hours, as it is rated as a category two language similar to English.

1. Chinese — 1.3 Billion Native Speakers. Numbers vary widely — Ethnologue puts the number of native speakers at 1.3 billion native speakers, roughly 900 million of whom speak Mandarin — but there's no doubt it's the most spoken language in the world.