More comfortable in German
I came to Germany straight after college in London after doing A + S Level German at school, so I already had a good knowledge of the language. However, when I started to work in a large company in Hamburg many years ago, I was amazed at how little spoken German I actually understood on the phone. Nowadays I find the German words come to me more quickly than the English ones and I almost feel more comfortable in German. On the whole I would say that German is a pretty difficult language to learn at first, but becomes easier as you progress. It is a very structured language with clear rules and very few exceptions, in strong contrast to the English language! Once you learn the rules of pronunciation, you can literally read anything out loud correctly, which again cannot be said of English or French. It is also a precise language and you can form one single compound noun to replace a whole phrase in English. I would recommend Hamburg to anyone, especially young people, as a fun,modern and tolerant city to live in, with so many cultural and social activities offered at the same time, that it is impossible to indulge in all! It is a very green city with an abundance of canals and lakes, as well as the River Elbe, and you can escape into the countryside quickly. In fact I don't know yet whether I will ever go back to England - perhaps when I retire!
Sent by: Helen
Comments
I am 15 years old and have been learning German for 3 years. I love the accent and logic of the language and I wan't to live in Germany when I am older.
I'm 13 years old and have been teaching myself German for about a year now and I have got fairly far. Some people say that the German language sounds harsh but I think it is great and really fun to learn, it gives you a real sense of achievement when you learn something new even if it's just being able to name the furniture in a room! Some time when explaining myself in English I get really muddled up and the German answer comes into my head quicker!
I am living in America and learning German. I would love to visit (like for a long time), but I was more thinking around Munich. I wonder how someone might get a temporary job that would enable them to live there for a while.
Well yes, the language becomes easier as we progress. It is structured and very precise.
re: learning German ... that is so encouraging! I'm struggling through German studies now. My second language (Spanish) sometimes comes to me more easily than English, so it's nice to know I'm not alone. Best of luck to you Helen!!
Indeed it's not easy to learn German. I am Dutch speaking and the German language likes similar to the Dutch, but it isn't. There are many long composed words. The cases (nominative, genitive, dative and accusative) are very special. The verbs are difficult too!
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