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Here’s the best way to learn German (or any language) from home

Learning a new language can not only boost your confidence and social circle but may also enhance your career prospects. Research even shows it could help protect against dementia.

Published: 18 May 2020 12:35 CEST
Here’s the best way to learn German (or any language) from home
Photo: Getty

With an online school, you can be tutored by native teachers in your own home – you don’t get that with an app. Here are six reasons why joining an online language school like Lingoda could give you the best chance of learning German or achieving your other linguistic goals. 

1. Go to a real language school – without leaving home

Flexibility is vital in these strange times. Millions of people have found they can work from home. With Lingoda’s fully online classes, you can also go to school while remaining in the comfort of your own home.

Start mastering German now with a 7-day free trial and learn from any where at any time

Fire up your computer, grab a headset and join a video class anytime, from anywhere. Everything you need is viewable in the video, so there’s no need to download anything beforehand. But you can review the materials later – perhaps while unwinding on your sofa or on a balcony in the sun.

2. Set your own timetable 

You love the idea of having the time and energy to dedicate yourself to studying a language. But even before lockdowns, it was hard to see how to fit it in. 

The solution is a real school that lets you set your own timetable. Lingoda fits around even the busiest lives, no matter your working hours, your time zone, or how many kids you have.

Video classes in German and other languages take place 24/7 thanks to an international network of teachers and students. Plus, you choose how often to study: just once a week or several times per day!

Photo: Lingoda

3. Comprehensive content 

An online school can recreate an educational environment far more fully than a simple app. Many apps offer only a few dictionary or translation features. 

You may get little or no communication with teachers in an app and learn strange phrases you will never hear – or need – in real life. But with Lingoda, you’ll be writing, reading, speaking, listening, learning grammar and practising pronunciation. 

Get your 7-day free trial with a private class or three group classes included

4. Native-speaking teachers

Some language programmes soon leave you bored of the same recorded voice. When you join Lingoda’s live face-to-face video lessons, you speak with a qualified native-speaking teacher – and students around the world.

You’ll learn to recognise a variety of accents – just as you must in life. Just choose whether you want to learn German, English, Business English, French or Spanish. 

5. Staying connected

Fed-up of the phrase social distancing? While keeping physical distance between us is now necessary, so is human connection. Unlike learning alone with an app, Lingoda’s group classes have an average of three students – a small enough number for the kind of meaningful interactions you get in a physical school.

Photo: Shutterstock

Feeling below your best or having a pyjama day? No problem. Classes are held on the video tool Zoom but you can always join on audio only.

Start your 7-day free trial now to find out how Lingoda could help you connect with confidence 

6. Real world value

Imagine how great you’d feel at impressing your colleagues or friends by speaking a new language. Or the impact on potential employers browsing your CV.

Lingoda’s live lessons require you to think on your feet in preparation for the real world. Topics include typical expat challenges such as opening a bank account or visiting government offices, as well as how to make conversation at work.

Your teacher will encourage you to share opinions on topics as you discuss them. Simply memorising simple phrases like how to order a coffee or a cab will not cut it.

Ready to give yourself a chance of learning German or another language? Find out more about Lingoda – and start your 7-day free trial with a private class or three group classes included

LEARNING GERMAN

‘Forget about bilingual Kitas’: Key tips for raising bilingual kids in Germany

With greater numbers of international workers choosing to settle in Germany and raise a family, the question of how to best raise bilingual children is often considered. 

Published: 25 April 2024 15:01 CEST
Updated: 28 April 2024 08:35 CEST
'Forget about bilingual Kitas': Key tips for raising bilingual kids in Germany

The Local asked its readers who have raised bilingual children in Germany to tell us how they managed to raise children who speak German in addition to their parent’s mother tongue. 

Trust the (school) system. 

One piece of advice was echoed by several readers: Trust the German education system to take care of teaching German through immersion. 

Siniša, 44, from Hesse, who speaks Croatian and English at home, told The Local: “Speak your native language at home. The school will ‘cover’ German and other languages.”

Steve, 55, who lives in Munich and speaks English and Spanish with his daughter agrees.

“Be consistent and raise your child in your native tongue. At a local school, they will learn German quickly,” he said.

Chris, 44, from Hamburg, who speaks English with his children, backed the idea of leaving kids’ schools to take charge of teaching them German.

“Get the kids into the German education system as early as possible and let them learn themselves from native speakers. As a bonus, they’ll pick it up quickly and not pick up a ‘non-German’ accent either,” he said.

Read more: ‘Multilingualism is an enrichment’ – The challenges of raisin bilingual kids in Germany

Readers also noted that even in the preschool stage, children can handle multiple languages. 

Julie, 41, who lives in Hamburg and speaks English and Italian at home, said: “Relax and go with the flow. Don’t get hung up on finding bilingual Kitas for toddlers if they already get significant exposure to the non-German language at home. Languages seem to develop in different spurts at different speeds.”

However, liaising with schools in Germany was noted as an essential skill. 

Kim, 46, based in Sindelfingen, with a family speaking both English and German, said: “It’s essential for at least one parent to understand German when children attend a German school. They can help explain language and cultural differences. They can also help with administrative matters and even homework.”

Maintain the mother tongue.

While readers were keen to encourage parents to trust the immersion process that German schools provide, they were also quick to advise a concerted effort to maintain speaking the mother tongue in and around the home. 

“For international parents, I think it’s very important that their children do not lose touch with their mother tongue, as it is a very special part of their identity,” said Prashanth, 42, who lives in Munich.

Anne-Marie, 52, from Frankfurt, who speaks ‘Singlish’ (Singaporean English) with her children, stated that it’s essential to be firm.

“Speak in your mother tongue to your kids from the day they are born. Be consequent about it, even in front of other people who do not speak your mother tongue,” she said.

Karl, 44, who lives in Celle and who speaks English and the indigenous American Ute language with his children, said getting family on board is important. 

“Communicate with all family members your decision, intentionally speak all of the languages, when possible provide translations so family members present are not excluded from conversations,” he said.

Charles, 40, from Berlin, even stated that speaking German at home may prove detrimental: “Don’t speak your own mediocre German with them. It may be hard to see them speaking another language as their more comfortable primary language than your own.”

Charles, who speaks English at home, added: “Find books and shows to share with them in your native language to continue the shared experience.”

Read More: What foreign parents should know about German schools

Just let it happen with the kids…

Sometimes, it seems, becoming bilingual takes care of itself. 

Paul, 40, from Munich, married to a German, said: “Our oldest just started speaking English one day around age 3. She had heard so much she could understand and just started talking. 

“The twins are starting to speak more and more English. It wasn’t a problem since she was fluent in both by age 4. I advise patience and not expecting perfection at a young age.

Crystal, 38, who lives in Nuremberg and speaks English at home, responded: “At first, my main concern was getting as much German into our lives as possible so my son would be ready for Grundschule. 

“Now I’m swinging the other way. My advice is to try to relax. There are always other things to worry about, and kids learn so much really quickly.”

…but also challenge yourself

Finally, respondents to The Locals’ survey repeated that raising bilingual children is something that requires a degree of effort – on the parent’s behalf. 

J.K, 40, who lives in Hanau and speaks English and Telugu at home, told The Local: “Language is very important for the kids to grow in a culture. 

“Parents should facilitate situations around the kid to better integrate locally. Parents (at least one) should be able to speak German at a level better than B1. 

“If not, supporting kids in their education is difficult, and this will hamper their chances of reaching a higher education level.”

Read More: Six surprising facts about Germany’s school system

Moreno, 40, who lives in Munich and speaks Portuguese with his children, was firm in his advice: “Don’t choose the easy way for you, parents. Don’t hide in your language community bubble. 

“If you intend to live in Germany for a long time, put your kids in German schools and get them in touch with the German community.

“If you don’t speak German like me, deal with it. But don’t transfer your problem to your kids.”

Have we missed any crucial advice for raising bilingual children in Germany? Tell us in the comments section below.

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