Did you know that 15.4 million are learning German? From Asia to Africa, millions of individuals are learning the language. Due to increased opportunities for students and working professionals, the number of German learners is on the rise.
Rahul is among those millions of German learners who are giving their best to learn German correctly from The German Language Haus. He has moved to Germany for a new job and career growth; he is learning the native language. During his journey to learn a new language, he has been having different experiences. Some days are fine, when he can do most of the things correctly, but some days are filled with common mistakes in German speaking and writing.
Sometimes, he even makes funny bloopers. Here, let’s discuss German learning mistakes, every learner would make before gaining a command over the language and how you can avoid them.
Confusing False Friends
What happened:
A word in German, “bekomme,” familiarised him with the English word “become.” But the meaning of the German word is “to get” or “to receive.”
He said, “Ich bekomme Arzt,” and is seen as a weirdo who is summoning a doctor being completely fine. He wanted to say that- “I will become a doctor.” But it sounded like “I am getting a doctor.”
Why it’s confusing:
Both of these words that look similar have different meanings. They are called “false friends.”
How you can fix it:
Always double-check the meanings of similar-looking words.
In this case:
bekommen = to receive
werden = to become
Mixing Up Sentence Structure
What happened:
He said “Ich liebe dich kann nicht mehr,” which, when literally translated, means “I love you can not anymore.”
Here, the wrong word wreck is that the words are not in the correct order, which makes it look unnatural and confusing to the listener.
Why it’s confusing:
He has been learning specific sentence rules in his German classes, but it’s all about implementation. The correct usage of verbs can be done with practice.
In a normal sentence, the verb usually comes in the second position. But in case of a helping verb (like “can”), it moves to the second place. Not only this, the main verb goes to the end of the sentence.
How to fix it:
In order not to make German grammar mistakes, you must understand these sentence patterns. Take a look below-
Normal sentence: “Ich liebe dich.” (I love you.)
With helping verb: “Ich kann dich nicht mehr lieben.” (I can’t love you anymore.) (The main verb is at the end of the sentence, and the helping verb is in the second place.)
Using the Wrong Articles (der/die/das)
What happened:
German nouns have genders. Yes, you read that right (don’t worry, all the concepts will be cleared in the German course.
Der= Masculine
Die= Feminine
Das= Neuter
Rahul: “der Milch,” but the correct form is “die Milch.” It is hard to always guess the gender by the way the word looks or sounds.
Why it’s confusing:
This is a gender jungle. In English, as we all know, nouns don’t have genders. But in German, adjectives and articles change based on the gender of the noun.
Yeah, it’s not always logical. No need to worry at all, it is a mistake that German learners make while learning.
How to fix it:
The best hack is to learn nouns together with their article.
Practice often, and you may use learning apps.
Make visuals to differentiate the gender jungle.
Examples:
der Tisch (the table: masculine)
die Lampe (the lamp: feminine)
das Buch (the book: neuter)
Also Read: Best tips to learn German.
Using Informal Language Too Soon
Du is the informal ‘you’ in German. He made this one of the common mistakes in German learning.
What happened:
Rahul was talking to his boss and addressed him as “du”. According to German language learning tips, unless the other person allows it.
Why it’s confusing:
There are two ways of saying “you” in German, unlike one in English.
“Du”: informal tone, used with kids, friends, and family
“Sie”: formal tone, used with older people, bosses, strangers, and in professional settings
How to fix it:
In order to avoid mistakes when learning German in this context, it is advised to use “Sie” by default. It is always better to be polite; everybody likes politeness. Use ‘sie,’ unless the other person invites you to use “du.”
Not conjugating the verbs appropriately
Learning verbs and grammar is one of the best ways to learn German fast. So, if you are enrolled in an A1 or A2 course, then focus on having a command of them for better results.
What happened:
Rahul was trying to say, “I will go to the cinema tomorrow,” and said, “Ich gehen morgen Kino.” He should have said, “Ich gehe morgen ins Kino.”
Why it’s confusing:
Gehen is the infinitive form. The infinitive form of the verb has to be conjugated always considering 1st,2nd and 3rd person, formal and informal situation, singular and plural. Also, the article “ins” was missing before “Kino.”
How to fix it:
It is a tip to learn German fast- “gehen” needs to be conjugated properly as “gehe” with “ich.
Using conjugated verb + time word
“Ich gehe morgen ins Kino.” (I’m going to the cinema tomorrow.)
Your Turn: Learn German Correctly
Mistakes are part of our journey; they are evidence of us trying to learn something new. So, never get disappointed by experiencing failure. You can master German the right way at The German Language Haus. With time and practice, you would be able to avoid these mistakes and speak German correctly and fluently. Here, we say hello to easy and fun learning.
Keep going, keep learning!
