I've been taking German classes for about a year and a half now. I'm nowhere near fluent yet, but I've really enjoyed learning and I hope to become somewhat proficient in the language. Before I took German, I took Latin for a year. And it sucked. Learning German has been such a better experience for me than Latin. Now, I have nothing against Latin, it just wasn't for me; I got frustrated learning so many noun declensions and verb conjugations for a language that wouldn't even be useful to me. So since I've had a really great experience learning German, I'm gonna share the 5 reasons why I think German is an awesome language to learn.
1. German is one of the closest languages to English
English speakers definitely have a leg up when it comes to learning German. English is a West Germanic language, brought to England by Germanic invaders long ago. Many words in German are similar to English words in spelling and sound; some are even the same. The German word for computer? Der Computer. And the word for singing? Singen. So you come into the language already knowing quite a bit of vocabulary, or at least the base of many words.
2. German is one of the 10 most commonly spoken languages in the world
If you're gonna learn a language, it's a good idea to learn one that could be useful in travels or even your career. As one of the 10 most commonly spoken languages in the world, there's a very good chance your German will come in handy. It's the most widely spoken native language in Europe as well. Germany has the fourth biggest economy worldwide, which means many international companies and businesses are located there. So who knows, becoming fluent in German could be beneficial to your career down the line.
3. German is easy to learn!
Easy???? Yes, easy. German has a bit of a scary reputation. Three genders? Four declensions? What the hell even is a declension?? But German is actually not that hard to learn at all. Like I said before, German and English are closely linked, which really helps with vocabulary memorization. And all the scary stuff, the three genders, the declensions, and the harsh sounding pronunciations are not as tough as they seem. Memorizing three genders is really not much harder than memorizing two; and a tip, color coding works wonders. Declining nouns takes some practice, but eventually it will come naturally. I've never taken Spanish or French, but I don't see any reason why they might be any less difficult than German. Every language has it's odd quirks, and yes, some are harder than other, but German isn't as rough as it seems. And hey, if anything, you don't have to learn a whole new alphabet like you do with Chinese or Russian.
4. Germany is an awesome place to live in/travel to
Germany is a beautiful country with a rich culture, not to mention some of the best quality of life in the world. It boasts quaint medieval villages, as well as sleek, modern cities. And it has some of the best bread, bratwurst, and beer you will ever have. I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to live there. Even if you're not planning a move to Germany, knowing the language of a country you're traveling in is a major bonus. German will also help you out in Switzerland, Austria, Lichtenstein, and Luxembourg.
5. Experience German culture, literature, and films the right way
Last week, I read Hansel and Gretel in it's original German. Granted, I only understood about 20% of it, but I knew the story well enough to puzzle through it. And I can't wait until I know enough to truly get the full effect of it. Reading literature in its original language is a fantastic thing that comes with learning a new language. German has so many great literary works to choose from. As well as books, German opens up a whole new world of films, television shows, and music for you. Wouldn't it be great to have double the amount of movies available to you? Learning the German language is one of the best ways to really immerse yourself in German culture.
If you're interested in/already learning German, leave me a comment. I'm always glad to have new people to talk to and practice with. Hope you liked this post, and I hope you'll consider learning German or any other new language!
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