German Language

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
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  • April 7, 2009 at 8:45 pm
    csmamma
    Participant

    My dh and I have been discussing with our 13yo ds which language he might like to learn. He wants to go to college to be an engineer and thinks that German would be beneficial. Few questions…

    1. Does anyone know if this language would be a “good” one to learn for someone that wants to go into the engineering field?

    2. Is it a hard language to learn?

    3. Would you recommend Rosetta Stone or another program?

    4. Any good books that you know of to immerce oneself in the German culture – whether they be fact or fiction?

    Thanks once again!

    Heather

    April 8, 2009 at 12:43 am
    Misty
    Participant

    Heather,

    I can’t answer many of your questions but I will tell you this in 7th & 8th grade my teacher was from Germany and we learned it. I also, took it in 9th & 10th grade. I personally thought it was VERY hard. But I was determined to learn it.. now 😳 I know very little.

    It’s one of those languages that have three ways to say “the” and such.

    Again that’s just my point of view, your son might love it, some of the kids in my class thought differently than me.

    Good Luck

    Misty

    April 8, 2009 at 3:37 am
    missceegee
    Participant

    Hi Heather,

    I took 2 years of German in high school and 2 more in college. I thoroughly enjoyed studying German, found it logical and easy to understand and speak, and even won 2 poetry recitations in German. At that time, both my teachers and I would have considered myself fluent in the language. Even with all of that, I’m afraid that I’ve lost most of it due to lack of use :(, though I still pick out bits from conversation.

    Here are my thoughts, for what they are worth…

    1. English is a Germanic language and therefore there are a few similarities.

    2. There are very specific grammar rules, including multiple words for the same thing. For example – der, die, das – all mean “the” and have to do with the gender of the word that it precedes. We used charts to learn the rules and how words changed in given situations. Examples in English and then in German below…

    The girl at the table is my sister.

    The man at the door is my father.

    The shoes by the door belongs to me, too.

    Das Mädchen beim Tisch ist meine Schwester.

    Der Mann an der Tür ist mein Vater.

    Die Schuhe durch die Tür gehören mir auch.

    3. In German, you pronounce every letter. This made speaking so much easier for me, than say French, where many letters are silent. So your word may be Hubschrauberlandeplatz (helicopter landing pad), but if you know how to pronounce the letters, you can say it. There are many compound words and many longer than this example, but they can be broken down fairly simply.

    4. I did not use Rosetta Stone to learn German, but I am using it for Spanish now. Short of a tutor or moving to Germany, it doesn’t get any better!

    5. As to being good for an engineer… I am afraid that I have no idea.

    Best Wishes,

    Christie

    April 8, 2009 at 9:01 pm
    richpond
    Participant

    I think Christie should get a round of applause for that tutorial on German..it almost makes me want to start learning German. 🙂

    I wish I knew Spanish that well, I took it in highschool and then two years of it in college and still don’t know it as well as Christie knows her German.

    Sorry Heather, I have no advice about learning German.

    Shelly

    April 8, 2009 at 11:14 pm
    missceegee
    Participant

    Shelly,

    I confess, I cheated for the example. I couldn’t remember all of it myself and had to use an online translator to help. However, because I am visual, I thought a visual example might help to explain what I was very feebly trying to describe. 😐

    Christie

    April 9, 2009 at 12:20 am
    csmamma
    Participant

    Christie, I really appreciate you taking the time for an online tutor and for sharing your thoughts and experience on the German language. 🙂 This has helped me a great deal! My son likes the idea that you pronouce every letter making it easier to read.

    Thanks also, Misty and Shelly for your responses!

    Blessings to all of you!

    Heather

    April 9, 2009 at 1:01 am
    richpond
    Participant

    Well Christie anyone who can pronounce Hubschrauberlandeplatz or even spell/copy it deserves applause. I don’t know if pronouncing every letter would be good for me I don’t think there is anyway I could pronounce that word…but then how often would I need to say helicopter landing pad in German. 😀

    Ok actually now that I really look at the word maybe I could get close to pronouncing it.

    Shelly

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