Let’s be honest here, if you find foreign languages difficult to master, then learning how to speak German is unlikely to be any different. However, it may just be that the mode of learning you have previously tried was not suitable for you. Here, you will find some key ways to get you speaking German effectively whatever the method you choose.

First, WHY do you want to learn?

Normally, there tends to be only about four reasons why people want to learn a second language, and deciding why you need to learn will determine how to tackle learning how to speak German as a second language.

a) If you are going on holiday for a few days you only need to pick up a basic everyday vocabulary and you should be able to do this quite quickly. Perhaps a free course would be sufficient for this.

b) If you intend living in Germany obviously you will need a better grasp of the structure of the language itself as well as a greater command of the vocabulary to get you started. Once there, immersion into the culture will quickly help you on your way.

iii) If you need to learn how to speak Germany for business reasons, again, the vocabulary you might wish to learn may tend to be more specific to your business aims and you should pay more attention to reading and writing the language sufficiently for your needs as well.

d) Finally, you may just want to learn another language for pleasure or to communicate more easily with German speaking friends. In which case, you would obviously tackle the basics first and it would then be your choice where to go from there.

HOW you want to learn

For a long time the only option for learning how to speak German or any other languages would have been books, college or an evening class. Now, there is a digital option (i.e. lessons on tape or CD) and these often including the use of books as well. The benefits of a college or evening course is that you have access to a real person who is trained to teach you and answer your questions, although a downside is finding the time to attend the course regularly. Home study is an easier option particularly if time, money or circumstances are a problem. Some people are also fortunate enough to be able to supplement their learning with friends who already speak the language proficiently and this speeds the process greatly.

You can do it!

It is often suggested that learning any language is easier before the age of 12 and it is suspected that if you are reading this, then you will be older than 12 and may have to put a little more effort in! Learning any language is easier for some people more than others – so why should learning how to speak German be any different? Success will be down to the individual’s determination and self-belief but ANYONE can learn to speak German up to the level they require with determination.

Which system should you use?

Now you have decided HOW you are going to tackle learning how to speak German, which system should you use? College courses are obviously going to be local to the individual so you must do your own research. If you are going for a home study course to learn at your own pace, then three of the best are Rocket German, Linguaphone and Rosetta Stone. The latter two are possibly more established than the first, although the Rocket courses do have added benefits. For example, the Rosetta Stone courses are excellent but are currently priced at $549 putting them out of reach of many; similarly the Linguaphone course comes in at around $350. With the Rocket courses you get an awful lot of material for less than $100 with no loss of quality.

Learning the vocabulary and syntax

Obviously, when you are learning how to speak German, a German dictionary and a quick grammar guide would be useful. These could include a phonetic guide for the pronunciation of each phoneme (you tend to find these in standard first language dictionaries) that would prove useful.

Remember not to give up when it gets difficult! Many people just stop when they reach the confused stage, but this is when you need to just keep pushing yourself. Remember when you learnt to drive and all of a sudden you just “got it”? Learning how to speak German is the same; once you have “got it” you will be well on your way to understanding and being understood in the German language.