Choosing the language:
We’ve chosen it for you in this guide. Of course.
The reason:
Learning German can be a valuable and rewarding experience for your career opportunities.
In addition, you can interact with rich german culture which has some of the world’s most famous scientists, philosophers and many more; like Albert Einstein, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Immanuel Kant (who are all German speakers.)
The time interval:
We recommend 1 hour a day for 18 weeks. We believe this is the optimal amount of time for learning German effectively, but feel free to adjust based on your own pace and schedule. This is a guide, not a course.
The language you learn through:
English. Surprising, for sure.
The amount that you can expose yourself to German:
As mentioned before, 1 hour a day for 18 weeks. You can replace studying with getting exposed to the language as you improve.
Resource gathering:
App: Duolingo is an okay choice for learning German. It provides a comprehensive course with a variety of exercises, including reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The app is available for free on both iOS and Android devices. Note that the German course can be quite lengthy, so plan accordingly.
YouTube channel: GermanPod101 is an excellent resource for learning German. They offer a range of lessons and exercises that cover different levels of proficiency, from beginner to advanced. Their videos are very beneficial, and we absolutely recommend them.
Grammar book: For absolute beginners, we recommend "German for Beginners" by Angela Wilkes. This book is easy to understand and covers most of what you need to know about German grammar. Still, we highly recommend "Hammer's German Grammar and Usage" by Martin Durrell as our main book.
Dictionaries: Langenscheidt and DWDS really stand out.
Children's book: "Der Struwwelpeter" by Heinrich Hoffmann is a great choice for children learning German. It's easy to understand and offers a great way to expand your basic vocabulary.
Studying and Exposing yourself:
Grammar books we recommended will explain everything for you.
You can practice by "The Everything Learning German Book” by Edward Swick, “Living German” by RW Buckley and Paul Coggle, “German Made Simple” by Eugene Jackson and Adolph Geiger
You can learn most used word/phrases by Rosetta Stone, Busuu and GermanPod101. Some movies and series recommendations on the web are: "Unorthodox", “Downfall (Der Untergang)", and “The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (Die Bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant)".