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.
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.
German grammar is too complex.
There's no way to sugarcoat it. German grammar is complex, can get frustrating at times, and will probably take a while to master. Most learners struggle with grammatical cases (to be fair, they can be a pain even for native speakers).
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!
While it may not be the easiest language to learn, it certainly isn't one of the hardest. Since English has Germanic roots, you know many German words already. Some words are identical to English and others are very similar. This gives you an edge and gets your foot in the door.
According to the Goeth Institute, it takes at least 2-3 months for someone to learn German A1 daily. While some courses offer weekend options or 3-day weekday lessons, it generally takes about three months to learn German at this level, depending on your motivation.
Language students who practice a method of complete immersion, with eight hours of practice per day, could learn German to a high level in a matter of months. Those who dedicate at least one hour per day to language learning can achieve an intermediate level within two years.
C2 (Upper Advanced/Fluent)
Your mastery at the C2 level lets you produce and understand highly complex German.
German for Kids: Toddlers (Age 2-5)
Three years is said to be the optimal age to start learning a second language.
Your German language skills will improve faster if you do just one hour every day, instead of five hours once a week. So, you have finally gathered all your study utensils and are ready to start.
1. Hallo – “Hello” This is the simplest way to say “hello” in German. It's a friendly, all-purpose greeting that can be used in pretty much any situation, formal or informal.
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.
Some parts of German grammar are particularly tricky for English speakers to get to grips with, but German grammar is actually arguably easier to learn than English grammar because it follows set rules that are laid down by the three regional authorities, in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (with small differences ...
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.
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.
“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. The words are differentiated by how your verbal tone goes up or down.
It shouldn't take long to become fluent in German. Actually, after 6-8 months of studying in intense courses (about twenty hours every week) you will be able to gain proficiency of your German language to navigate your daily life. It is possible to gain professional proficiency within a mere year!
GERMAN. This is one of the most important and future-proof foreign languages from a European perspective. Although it is an official language only in 6 countries: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein, the first of these countries has the most powerful economy in Europe.
So if you're looking for an estimate of how long it takes to learn German, it can take around three years with one hour per day of practice, or one year at three hours per day.
Germany – more than 80 million speakers. Austria – 8 million speakers. Switzerland – 4.6 million speakers. Belgium – 75.000 speakers.
There unfortunately have not been any wide-ranging studies on language speed. One 2011 study from the Université de Lyon looked at 7 languages, which reported the order as Japanese (7.84 syllables per second), Spanish (7.82), French (7.18), Italian (6.99), English (6.19), German (5.97) and Mandarin (5.18).
Can you live in Germany without knowing German? It is just about possible to live in Germany without knowing much German. But in order to find employment and to fully integrate into society, you will need to be able to speak and read German to a good standard, especially if you live outside the major cities.
The fastest way to learn German is the Immersion Approach
True to its name, the immersion approach plunges you into German language and culture. It involves traveling to a German-speaking country, spending an extended period of time there, and living your day-to-day life in German.
If you studied well in previous levels, then the German B1 level is not a difficult task for you. What you should do to know “Lower intermediate” B1 level German? Start expressing your complex needs in different situations to achieve lower intermediate German B1.
Based on how far the language is from English, they assigned approximate times for how long it takes to learn them. For German, they estimate 30 weeks or 750 hours of study. Thanks to how closely related German is to English, it takes a relatively short time to learn it.