Learning German

One of the early hacks I used towards learning German, was to keep it simple and less time consuming. For me the harder the language seemed, the more time consuming it became and the more friction I felt towards embracing it.

So I simplified it.

I approached it like it was a causal hobby or a game where my only focus was to learn ten new words. Everyday.

No grammar, no construction, no syntax. Just 10 simple new words.

Everyday.

It helped me immensely to get over that initial reticence.

So, I have decided that I will do the same here, in the hope that it can help someone like it helped me. I will share ten new words. Everyday. Can I do it? Let’s find out!!

If you think this hack can help you, you can create the same for urself.

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1. Schule – School

• “Meine Kinder gehen jeden Tag zur Schule.” (My children go to school every day.)
• Translations: School, educational institution

2. Telefon – Telephone

• “Ich rufe dich später an. Kannst du ans Telefon gehen?” (I will call you later. Can you answer the phone?)
• Translations: Telephone, phone

3. Stadt – City

• “Berlin ist eine wunderschöne Stadt mit vielen Sehenswürdigkeiten.” (Berlin is a beautiful city with many landmarks.)
• Translations: City, town

4. Garten – Garden

• “Im Sommer verbringe ich viel Zeit in meinem Garten.” (I spend a lot of time in my garden during the summer.)
• Translations: Garden, yard

5. Uhr – Clock

• “Die Uhr zeigt 9 Uhr morgens an.” (The clock shows 9 o'clock in the morning.)
• Translations: Clock, watch

6. Kaffee – Coffee

• “Morgens trinke ich gerne eine Tasse Kaffee.” (I like to have a cup of coffee in the morning.)
• Translations: Coffee

7. Tür – Door

• “Kannst du bitte die Tür öffnen? Ich habe meine Schlüssel vergessen.” (Can you please open the door? I forgot my keys.)
• Translations: Door

8. Fenster – Window

• “Ich öffne das Fenster, um frische Luft hereinzulassen.” (I open the window to let fresh air in.)
• Translations: Window

9. Flugzeug – Airplane

• “Wir fliegen mit dem Flugzeug in den Urlaub.” (We are flying on an airplane for our vacation.)
• Translations: Airplane, aircraft

10. Schlüssel – Key

• “Ich habe meinen Schlüssel verloren und kann meine Tür nicht öffnen.” (I lost my key and can't open my door.)
• Translations: Key

Practise using these in different contexts to improve your vocabulary.

I am not a teacher, educator or an expert in German. Learning German is a pass-time hobby for me. I have A2 level fluency. What I write here are things I have learnt on the go. It's unorthodox. It follows no syllabus and is tailored towards my own utility and use case over perfection.