German Language - Learn to Speak German

German or Deutsch is a West Germanic language. The German language had its origin in Germany during the separation of Old High German dialects from Old Saxon. German is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union.

What is the Best Way to Learn German?

Discover the amazing ways how you can learn to speak German fast. Let's have a look regarding your options learning German. You might like the idea of learning German at your local university; or you could get a book or audio CD course at your local bookstore - or you can use an interactive German software course to master the German language. Read on and discover why we recommend you learn to speak and understand German with a interactive online software course.

But first let's have a look at the first two options one at a time. Will you really learn to speak German with a native like accent by enrolling at your local university's German class? A lot of people assume that this is the best way to learn a language because of the face-to-face contact with a native speaker. But can you afford to take German language lessons at your local university? I don't think you would be able with a university class, but definitely yes with an interactive online course like Rocket German Premium. With Rocket German you can still interact with native German speakers, students and their German teachers when you make use of their private learn German forum, that you can access 24/7 for as long as you want.

Why don't you rather learn German with a German audio course on CD or by studying a German textbook like you use to do at school? If you're a visual learner, you'll primarily use the book, supplemented by the CD for pronunciation practice. As an auditory learner you'll prefer the CD audio lessons above the textbook, but will still use the book to learn the correct spelling of the German words you've learned with the audio course. But what do you do if you learn best by doing something? You'll have nothing to do with a CD course and German textbook. On the other hand, some online courses includes amazing computer games that actually teach you German as you play! Can learning get better than that?

You will remember that I mentioned an online German language course. No other German language learning course can compare to Rocket German Premium. It's completely unique. Learning German with their authentic and interactive audio lessons is fun and you'll quickly learn to change the conversation as you go on. You can make your own notes about lessons right in your private members area. The games - MegaAudio, MegaVerb, and MegaVocab - are really fun, and there's even a set of flashcards you can print out for times when you're away from your computer. You can easily test your progress with their multi-choice quizzes and self tests to see what sections you need to study again. Make use of the private learn German forum and get answers to your questions fast.

Now that you know what is the best way to learn German, how can use anything else? Get Rocket German today and learn the secrets how you can speak German with a native like accent in a couple of weeks! You have nothing to lose, only the German language to gain. Learn to speak German today with Rocket Languages German.

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Last Updated (Friday, 26 February 2010 07:31)

New Rules and Reforms about German Spelling

Have you noticed, when leafing through a brand new German book, that some words may not be spelled the way you remember them? About fifteen years ago, most German-speaking countries agreed to initiate a program of German Spelling Reform, which was planned to phase in over several years.

Often the changes will be barely noticeable. The distinctly German "ß" appears less often, replaced by a double S under certain conditions. Compound words composed of double verbs or a noun and a verb are now often separated into two or more words. It is no longer considered proper to capitalize "du" and "dir," as opposed to the more formal "Sie" and "Ihnen." Many words imported from other languages have been changed to conform to German spelling rules.

In German, Spelling Reform is called Rechtschreibreform, and there's no doubt it was intended to change the language forever. Its designers' goal was to straighten out many centuries-old spelling and grammar inconsistencies that had arisen between one German-speaking country and another. Many of these inconsistencies amounted to a sort of border dispute; Switzerland's spelling is a bit different from Austria's, tending to replace the scharfes S or Eszett (ß) with a double S. Austria, on the other hand, clung to the traditional use of the distinctively German character.

The differences of opinion raised by the German Spelling Reform movement were not easily resolved. As often happens in such situations, the resulting compromise wasn't completely satisfactory to either traditionalists or reformers. Reformers had hoped to simplify the rules governing the use of the Eszett, but unfortunately that didn't happen; the new rules were no more consistent than the old ones had been. Early reformers wanted to eliminate the capitalization of nouns, but that did not pass in the end. Yet in 1996, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Lichtenstein, and several other countries signed the agreement. By the 2004-2005 school year, all schools would be teaching the new spelling, and government agencies would adopt German Spelling Reform for all official documentation.

It's one thing to pass a resolution to standardize spelling in education and government; it's another to get the average person in the street to go along with it. The new spelling is being used in schools and government offices, but few other people have warmed to German spelling reform. It's too soon to fully assess the effect the German Spelling Reform will have on the German language; for now, students of German should simply be aware that discrepancies exist, and understand why.

You can learn to speak German easy with the Rocket German language course. You might also like to learn German with the audio-based language course Pimsleur German.

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Last Updated (Monday, 22 February 2010 12:07)

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