How Long Does It Take to Learn German? Amazingly Faster Than You Think!

The German language has quite a reputation. Its ancient roots go back to the ancient Germanic tribes that inhabited Central Europe more than 2,000 years ago. This was followed by Old High German (750–1059 AD), Middle High German (1050–1350 AD) and the Modern German we know today. 

Do you find it difficult to learn German? Several people believe so. However, German is faster to learn than you think.

 

How Long Does it Take to Learn German Realistically?

German has been categorized by the Foreign Service Institute as a Category II language. That is, it is more difficult than French or Spanish and less than Russian, Greek, Hindi, or Arabic:

 

• • Spanish, French, and Italian (Category I)

• • German (Category II)

• • Russian, Greek, Hindi (Category III/IV)

• • Arabic, Cantonese (Category V)

Simply put, it will take you approximately 750 hours of classroom time or 30 weeks of full time study in order to achieve a professional working proficiency in German. In an intensive course (or similarly intense self study), spending 20-30 hours a week could mean you get to this advanced level in 7-9 months. It may take a year and a half even at a slower rate, say 10 hours a week.

Fluency Milestones

A1 Level (50-100 hrs): Survival for a Traveller

By the end of 6-8 weeks of evening classes you will be able to:

 

• • Order one beer, “ ein Bier, bitte? ” and actually get beer

• • Ask, “ Wo ist der Bahnhof ?” at train stations one is lost.

• • Introduce yourself: “ Ich heiße Maria und bin aus Amerika ”

A2 Level (100-200 hours): Elementary Conversations

When you are 3-4 months you are dealing with:

 

• • Shopping exchanges: “ Haben Sie das in Größe 42? ” (Do you have size 42?)

• • Restaurant questions: “ Ist das vegetarisch? ” (Is that vegetarian?)

• • Simple past experiences: “ Gestern war ich im Museum .” (I was in the museum yesterday).

B1 Level (260-490 hours) Real Independence

This breakthrough will occur at some point in month 6-8:

 

• • You watch German YouTube cooking videos

• • Communication with German friends comes easy in text messages

• • Job interviews become a possibility (albeit a stressful one)

• • You speak German in dreams every now and then.

Why German Isn’t the Monster It Pretends to Be

Just open a German children’s book and count the known words. In only one paragraph of Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt (The Very Hungry Caterpillar):

 

• • Haus = house

• • Mutter = mother

• • Hunger = hunger

• • warm = warm

• • Wind = wind

Approximately 60 % of the basic vocabulary of English and German is shared through either common Germanic roots or borrowings. In the German language, computers, internet, pizza, hotel, are the same as in English.

Pronunciation That Makes Sense

German has predictable spelling rules as opposed to the torturous English spelling where “through,” “tough,” and “though” confuse learners. See “Straße”? It is pronounced like SHTRAHS-seh. Always. Nothing exceptional, nothing unexpected.

When applied to the seeming difficulty of learning to read your first German news headline: “Berlin plant neue U-Bahn-Linie”, compared to learning the Mandarin characters, each of which must be memorized separately. The Roman alphabet will give you an immediate advantage.

Logical Grammar

Four cases (the Nominativ, Akkusativ, Dativ, Genitiv) and three genders (der, die, das) are in German, yes. However, German is predictable, unlike the craziness of English conjugations of verbs; (“I go, he goes, I went, I have gone”).

Take the regular verb example machen ( to make) for example:

 

• • ich mache (I make)

• • du machst (you make)

• • er macht (he makes)

• • wir machen (we make)

As soon as you have learnt the pattern, it is applied to hundreds of verbs. English speakers learn by memorizing dozens of irregular verbs. German has perhaps 30 genuinely irregular verbs.

 

German Learning with the 80/20 Rule

The Pareto Principle, otherwise known as the 80/20 rule, holds that 80 percent of your outcomes are due to 20 percent of your efforts. When applied to German, this would involve concentrating on the aspects of the language that provide the quickest access to use: 

 

• • Become Vocabulary-centric: Around 2,000 words are used in 90% of daily communication. Learn German words you are going to use instead of memorising obscure ones.

• • Learn German Basic Grammar: Do not stress yourself, you may not necessarily know how to use all the four cases or know all the tenses at once. Pay attention to the present tense, main modal verbs, and the most frequent sentence structure.

• • Don’t Learn German words, Learn German Phrases: Learning some of the more common phrases such as Wie geht’ s? (How are you?) or Ich hätte gern e… (I would like…) will enable you to communicate immediately, even with wrong grammar.

It does not matter how perfect the sentences are at the initial stage. Be okay with screwing something up, that is how you get better!

Practical Ways of Quicker Learning

Interested in a fast and not frazzled way to learn? Consider the following practical advice:

 

• • Specific goals should be written. Choose what you really want; travel, work, talking with friends, not some abstract fluency.

• • Do it daily. Ten or even 15 minutes is better than one long weekly session.

• • Take language apps. Spaced repetition can be helped by Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, Babbel, Memrise, or Anki. They render enjoyable words.

• • Observe and hear. Some passive exposure is given by German YouTube channels, Netflix shows, podcasts or music.

• • Start talking from day one. Find language exchanges, tutors or conversation groups. Don t wait till you feel ready.

• • Read authentic material. They are simple children’s books, comic strips, menus and street signs.

• • Take down short notes. Write a diary in German, name household items or even write to friends.

• • Soak yourself. Be in places where you are exposed to learn German (unless virtually) as much as you can.

• • Monitor yourself. Small victories-reading a chapter, having a brief conversation, knowing lyrics.

Success Technology Stack

Must have apps (free)

 

• • Anki: Spaced repetition flashcards with shared German decks

• • HelloTalk: Meet German native speakers, who want to learn English

• • Deutsche Welle: German audio courses A1-C1

• • Forvo: Dictionary of pronunciation using recordings of native speakers

Fine tools that are worth spending on:

 

• • Babbel ($299.5/lifetime): Lessons that are organized and are centered on conversational use

• • Italki ($10-30/lesson): Tutoring by German teachers individually

• • Lingopie ($299/lifetime): German content with editable subtitles. 

Conclusion: You Can Learn German Faster Than You Think!

Speaking German is not some unattainable dream, it could take shorter than what many can think of. Due to its similar structure and some vocabulary overlap with English, it takes a committed learner half a year to a year to find doors open to a new culture, new friendships, and career opportunities as well.

Keep in mind that you do not have to be perfect to begin. Study what is most useful in the language, drill regularly, and have fun doing so. The idea behind learning faster than you think is not only a dream but a reality to the ordinary devoted learner of the German language.

The learning of the German language is an educational experience. It is not an easy task but believe me, when you get into the process, you will realize that you will be speaking German more quickly than you can imagine.

FAQs

Is learning German possible within 3 months?

Although it may be ambitious, one can learn German within 3 months when they concentrate and work extremely hard. With the above strategies and a few hours a day, you will succeed in becoming conversational in the language.

What is German B2 Level?

B2 German means an upper- intermediate level. At this stage, you are able to comprehend the key points of difficult readings, be able to express yourself well on various subjects and also communicate quite well with the native speakers, even though there is a certain level of fluency.

How many words should I learn in German in a day? 

To learn German, the target should be 5-10 words per day. This is still slow enough to enable you to memorize well and steadily grow your vocabulary adding to your vocabulary without being overwhelmed. Regular review is important so that consistency is attained.