Curriculum for german self-studying

German Self-studying

 I started German studying after when I was 20. I've never learned it before. I had no opportunity to be exposed by German in Korea. I had lots of difficulties when I first started to study. I couldn't expect any help from private institutes, thus I had to do all by my own. Finding answers for something I want to know, making curriculum for my own, searching learning materials.. before starting study, I spend plenty of time to make a strategy for studying.

 I talk about my experience, effective curriculum. I'll show you the materials I searched. I wish people who are staring to study German or other foreign languages can get some help from it. I'm on the way studying right now, so it couldn't be 100% sure answer. If you have someone who're good at German, ask him. Don't trust me at all. Just make it as a reference.

 Most of official language test in Europe have 6 levels. A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2. A1 is the easiest one. C2 is the hardest one. Normally for immigration or getting a job you need B2, you need C1 if you want to admit university. It depends on country and university, so please check it by yourself. Anyway, whatever you want to do, at least you need B2. That's also my goal of studying.

 At first, searching for the learning materials, you are able to know there are plenty of stuffs. Babbel.com, Podcast, Grammar book in your language.. The problem is, how you use these materials. Starting with the book over your head makes you tired easily. Starting with too easy one, it doesn't help you to move on. You need to check yourself in certain term. You need to know in which part you're having weakness and what is needed. You need to change your strategy.

 Yeah it's hard to study alone. When I was in private institute, when i studied English.. They did it all for me.. Anyway we should do it. I wish my experience could help you

1. Start easy

 If you start with thick grammar book. I guarantee that you'll give up in a week. At first, you should make yourself familiar with basic sentences with target language. Grammar comes next. Fortunately there is somewhere provides the learning material fit perfectly with this strategy. That is Duolingo and Babbel. Duolingo is free, you should charge for Babbel. I'm studying with Babbel, so I don't know well about Duolingo. Flatform and learning strategy seems similar, I'll explain with Babbel.

 Babbel provides material through A1 to B1. Beginner Course 1 ~ Beginner Course 6 corresponds A1 and A2. You can get free trial at Babbel.com, you should charge if you want to go further. Payment system is about period, not each lecture. You have full access during you paid.

 You'd better focus on Beginner Course when you first started. Other things wouldn't help you. It's too hard to understand, however, it makes you tired. At least after finishing beginner course, other things can help you.

 

 I bought korean grammar book. During studying with Babbel, when grammar part comes I studied with Babbel and grammar book both. After every grammar lecture I reviewed with grammar book. In babbel, they show sentence first, grammar second. In grammar book they show grammar first, sentence second. I prefer Babbel's. To know what do I need to make a sentence is totally different with these grammar exist. In that reason, I just often refer the grammar book, I didn't focus on that.

 

 In Babbel, you can reach Intermediate Course after Beginner Course. It actually didn't help me after beginner course. Unlike beginner course, they didn't provide any script, they just let me hear the conversation like a actual test. I understood only 10 percent of it. I recognized only 5 words in 1 minute conversation. I thought I should change my strategy.  

 

 After you finish beginner course, you're able to understand most of simple german sentence with dictionary. And that's when you start studying in other ways. Changing strategy as your level change is important. I didn't know that at the first time. 

2. Podcast, Vocabulary list

 I used several materials in the same time after finishing beginner course. I was able to understand more sentences I had more choice. Studying only one book would be comfortable.. but each materials gives me other experience. I should mix it up. I studied with DW Podcast for listening, Delfin Workbook(Arbeitsbuch) for grammar practicing. I also used Korean grammar book and Vocabulary memorising app like jMemorise and ProVoc.

 

 I was only able to understand written German after beginner course. I guess I didn't focus on listening when I studied with Babbel, I was able to read but couldn't understand by listening. And I wasn't familiar with variety of German sentence structure, it disturbs me to understand directly. By dictation from Audiotrainer from DW I can have experience of focus listening. Finally written German and listening would match.

 After that I started to study with 'Deutsch - Warum nicht?'(I started when I listened 10 Audiotrainer). Warum nicht helps me more because it has conversations between people. I could hear various sentence structure, I could be practiced. If you did beginner course, you can understand 80% of Warum nicht with script. It's not that hard. I have emphasized a lot, studying with materials which corresponds your level is most important.

 

 Nobody give me Review because I'm not studying with babbel anymore. So I found Voca app which provides review in the same way with babbel. (This strategy is called Leitner memorization) When I find the word I doesn't know, I searched, add up in my app, do the review everyday.

3. Workbook, Grammar Book

  

 I could read and listen. But I could rarely make a sentence everytime I tried to speak or write. I didn't understand about structure and set position well, I didn't have any experience of making a sentence. Especially the word order was hard. Babbel shows me a complete sentence thus I could understand it. But when I try to, I didn't know which word comes first. Inversion, Postposition.. the grammar was different with English and also Korean. I was so confused.

 I thought the basic of writing and speaking is being familiar with grammar. I made a plan for that. At least I have to be able to understand it, writing and speaking experience affects.

 Grammar studying in Babbel was useful, but there wasn't many practice. So I found a book for grammar practice. The most proper was Arbeitsbuch from Delfin. Just knowing them and attain proficiency is different. In that point, this book satisfied me. It makes me to practice with basic grammar repeat and repeat. I refered grammar book for study, practice with this book. 

4. Interpals

 Best way to practice speaking and writing without being paid. Lots of people who want language exchange and penpal are there. There are several more sites like italki.com, interpals was the first site I knew, I've been using that. Sign it, fill up the profile, let them know which language you're able to speak and you want to learn, you'll get messages from people who read your profile. You can also message to others.

 I wrote like this. I want to learn German, I'm a native speaker of Korean, I'm able to have a conversation in English. I got some messages from who are native speaker of German, interested in KPOP. Most of them like KPOP and want to learn Korean. Some messages sent in English, some messages sent in German. I still make a message with a dictionary because I don't know lots of vocas. But making a sentence like that is really helpful for me. Some friendly friends(it sound awkward.. does anyone know how to say that in English?) make a proofreading for me. I could ask them when I have some things to ask. 

 But it was really hard at the first time. That's not about interpal, just my grammar problem. I don't have a deep understanding with sentence structure. I was able to make only S+V+O sentence. In English I can freely make 'I think that ~~' , 'I know the guy who ~~'. I couldn't make it in German.

 I knew what the problem is. I studied about sentence structure with grammar book. Made some sentence and get checked by interpal friends. Now I can make a bit complicate sentence, it makes me better to have a conversation in German. I'm proud of it

 Some people are having a conversation on Skype when they  get close. I've just started. By 'fluent in 3 months' , they say talking with foreigner on Skype helps you a lot for foreign language learning. After few days I'm planning to Skype with my friends.

 And at this point, I stopped reviewing words. I got too many word in my app, I spent about a hour everyday for review. At the first time I studied word that are usually used, but now I'm facing words that are not used often. At that time, my app is fulled with the word like die Speiserübe(the turnip), die Lakritze(the licorice). I was spending my time memorising words I don't need right now. Now I don't put all of the words in my app, I just put some words which are used often.

 

 

5. Way to learn

 I labeled every part for understanding and wrote it in order. But these things are used in the same time. I studied with grammar book while I study with Babbel. After babbel I studied with Podcast and workbook and I still studied with grammar book. Now I'm still listening Podcast and studying with Workbook. I recently started to have a conversation on interpal, and I'm studying conjunction.

 The important thing is knowing what you're not understanding enough, deciding which way to make up for it. Changing way to learn depends on situation is important. Knowing which materials you're able to use makes you better to make a choice. I didn't know which materials are able to use, I spent lot of time. I'll upload useful materials on this blog steadily. I hope it can help you :)