How to learn German fast part 4
Quick start phrases
The next step to learning German fast is the memorisation of quick start phrases.
Now that you have a basic understanding of the grammar of the German language, which can be said to be the rules of the language, and since you also have a basic knowledge of some verbs, nouns and other vocabulary associated with what you intend to speak and hear, then you can start memorising some quick start phrases of the the German language.
I know that many teachers go about teaching German with quick start phrases immediately rather than grammar and vocabulary. This is a wrong approach, in my opinion. It ensures that the student has no idea what is going on and does only encourage blind memorisation. If there is no understanding of how the grammar works, and then no understanding of how the words look like by a memorisation of vocabulary, then one cannot understand why some phrases are written one way and some in another.
Example:
Ich gehe in der Schule.
Now, isn't school in the German language die Schule? But if you know your rules, it's Dativ and hence must be in der, as the question is "wo" (where). If there is an actual movement towards the school, then it's die, because of Akkusativ. My example shows that it is better and more efficient to learn the grammar and some vocabulary first, before going on to memorise phrases and learn how to join it all together.
Now learn some key phrases related to everyday conversation, and then some key phrases related to your tasks that you intend to do. I mean learn some key phrases that are related to the topics and fields that you intend to go into, and perhaps make up cards for those. Several learn German fast online websites actually have cards and other materials, resources and e-books that you can use to build your stock of phrases.
Always have a stock of phrases, or even better, a stock of questions. Maybe even have some questions to ask about the German language, so that you can better your grammar and ideas and concepts while talking to strangers, who will be happy to elucidate "Gentiv, deklination, Verben und so weiter".
Remember, learn the grammar, then the basic vocabulary (and please memorise those gender words!) and then some phrases. The hardest part of the learn German fast journey is now over. Fun and enjoyment will set in and make your learning journey so much better from now onwards.
Memorisation of a few basic rules, memorisation of some words, and then memorisation and learning of some phrases - tough indeed. But if you did that well, via...
repetition,
overlearning,
revision,
recitation,
and testing yourself again and again,
in a short time you should have made progress with the German language. Don't give up, because the fun is about to begin.
A SHORT NOTE ABOUT THE SKILLS OF MEMORISATION
I am going to talk a bit about memorisation. There are many ways: mnemonics, imagination, and the like, but I will focus on what I have told you:
repetition,
overlearning,
revision,
recitation,
and testing yourself again and again
repetition means to look at something again and again
overlearning means to repeat something till you know it so well... and then more
revision means to re-read what you know already... and is another word for repetition and overlearning
recitation means to recite and say something out loud over and over again
and testing yourself again and again means to test again and again....
what are we doing here?
MEMORISATION is merely doing something so many times that you get good at it. Period.
Practice makes perfect and makes permanent too! OK, the hardest part of the course is over, well done! :)
HOW TO LEARN GERMAN FAST
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