How I became Fluent in GERMAN

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We all learn differently. Becoming fluent in German was a long process for me. If you are just starting out on your language learning journey it can be really daunting and seem like you will never reach the level of others who seem to be so much further ahead than you. I'm here to tell you that if I can do it so can anyone. It took me a very long time to get comfortable with the language and I still to this day make a ton of mistakes but that’s all part of the fun.
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About me:
I am a Brit who lives Germany. After completing University in the UK I moved to China where I taught English for two years. I’ve learned a thing or two about cultural integration, language learning and everything else that goes with upping sticks and moving to a foreign country. I make videos about Germany, cultural differences and tend to pose a lot of questions. Join me on my exploration of life abroad.
#germanculture #germanlanguage #germany

[@britingermany]

Good morning everyone and happy Sunday. Get 25% off Blinkist premium and enjoy 2 memberships for the price of 1! Start your 7-day free trial by clicking here: blinkist.de/britingermany

[@e.l.l.y.]

To all those learning German: it’s a tough language, even for some of us Germans - but never ever worry about using wrong Grammar or about your accent. In most cases, it just sounds cute in a way but never stupid. Remember, it is a second language, therefore try to make it fun by choosing topics you are interested in. You cannot learn a language without making mistakes, and using it in a conversation is the best way to practice. My respect goes out to all of you.

[@britingermany]

Thank you for the motivation 🙏

[@saurabhchandra.in.]

Thanks

[@ooen]

Thank you so much for that!!

[@altosh7]

For many of us third language not second

[@michaelburggraf2822]

Wow! Dein Deutsch ist fantastisch! Es ist so gut, dass du dir über deinen Akzent keine großen Sorgen mehr machen mußt. Vor kurzem habe ich ein Video von einem Amerikaner (Zac) gesehen, in dem er sich über zusammengesetzte deutsche Verben lustig macht. Es macht recht deutlich, wie verwirrend unsere Sprache ist. Mir wurde dabei klar, dass der Einstieg in den Gebrauch unserer Sprache gerade durch solche Besonderheiten besonders schwer ist. Zumindest im Vergleich zu Englisch. Um so beachtlicher finde ich es, wie sich dein Deutsch anhört. Tolle Leistung!

[@britingermany]

Vielen Dank Michael. Ja es war nicht leicht 😉

[@UnbekannterSoldat74]

@@britingermany Gib nicht auf, ich bin total beeindruckt. Ich selbst habe viel an meinen Englischkenntnissen gearbeitet bis zu dem Punkt wo ich tiefe Gespraeche auf Englisch fuehren konnte. Es war aber wesentlich leichter. Dass du es geschafft hast so gut Deutsch zu lernen ist bemerkenswert. EDIT: Ich finde allerdings, dass Deutsche im Allgemeinen etwas offener gegenueber der englischen Sprache sein koennten. Das wuerde die Integration allgemein vereinfachen.

[@e.l.l.y.]

​​@@UnbekannterSoldat74 ich fänd es total super, wenn Englisch hier quasi zweite Amtssprache wäre, genau aus den von dir genannten Gründen. Allerdings hab ich auch schon mitbekommen, dass manche englischen Muttersprachler in Unterhaltungen mit Deutschen kaum Gelegenheit haben, Deutsch zu sprechen - sondern sie umgekehrt den Deutschen ungefragt als Gelegenheit dienen, ihre Englischkenntnisse aufzufrischen. Da müssen wir Deutschen auch lernen, geduldig zu sein und nicht kleine Unbeholfenheiten als Aufforderung verstehen, ins Englische zu wechseln.

[@marthapfahl2223]

Du hast solche eine schöne Art warm und herzlich zu sprechen, egal welche Sprache du sprichst ❤

[@britingermany]

Danke für deine Kommentar. Das freut mich sehr 🙏

[@anglogerman2287]

Have said this before: When you speak German, it's like listening to myself 😊 If you ever apply for citizenship, you will need a formal language qualification. I had to sit the B1 Test after 35 years of living here because I had never had any formal German lessons . I passed it with flying colours, as I'm sure you would too😊

[@britingermany]

Yeah in many ways I would like to take the test but I don't want to give up British or Swiss citizenship so I'm waiting to see if there are any amendments in the coming year

[@anglogerman2287]

@@britingermany Oh, I had to take the citizenship test as well of course.But you have to have some certification of German language proficiency. The fact that I was talking to the Sachbearbeiterin in fluent German was not sufficient 😂 In 2011 I was able to retain British citizenship. Have they changed things again?

[@britingermany]

@@anglogerman2287 It’s possible to have dual citizenship but not 3

[@saba1030]

​@@anglogerman2287 Yes. Since Brexit you have to give back your British citizenship. This is why my London born spouse applied for German citizenship before Britain left the EU.

[@alia9087]

@@anglogerman2287 the law changed a couple years ago. My daughter just managed to squeeze hers in at the last moment and got the dual. My son couldn't be bothered and is until now still English. Think you now have to have B2 level as well unless you went through the school system here

[@martinstent5339]

About the accent thing: I had been in Germany for around 20 years when I went to a language specialist and asked if they could help me lose my accent. They said "Sie haben eine individuelle Prägung der Sprache und Sie sollten es beibehalten" (A personal stamp on the language which I should keep). I have since learned to view my accent not as my inability to speak perfect German, but as something positive, it my individual "interpretation" of the language which native speakers lack.

[@britingermany]

Yes good point…I am slowly coming to accept it

[@barrysteven5964]

I have had a similar experience with Romanian. I have reached an advanced level and speak pretty fluently. I am also good at imitating accents and been told I have a really good accent and even have been taken for a native if I don't say very much! 😂 But I know I have a slight English accent and it used to frustrate me. That was until some of my Romanian friends told me that they loved my accent. Not only did it make me very individual but my accent reminded them that I was a foreigner who had gone to the trouble of learning their language and they loved me for that!! Since then I see my accent as just part of me and don't worry about it.

[@jonathanwebb8307]

Nothing wrong with an accent. One of the things that attracted me to my German Girlfriend is she sounds soooooooo sweet when she speaks English. The only trouble with my English accent in German is most people think I am Dutch because they are not used to billingual Englishmen.

[@martinstent5339]

Same here! I'm often taken for Dutch. I always get a good feeling about that because it means that my accent is not so obviously English 🙂@@jonathanwebb8307

[@bingomachine]

Your voice is so smooth wtf

[@britingermany]

Thanks a lot

[@hidden5920]

Sehr geiles Video. Ich kenne es selbst aus eigener Erfahrung das ein gewisser Progress oft auch "schmerzhaft" sein kann. Allerdings ist die Belohnung am Ende wirklich toll. Auch die Geschichte das deine Vorgesetzte dich nicht sofort rausgeschmissen hat sondern mit dir das Gespräch gesucht hat, deutet darauf hin das sie in dir das potential gesehen hat, das du auch wirklich hast. Ich freue mich riesig für dich, das alles am Ende super geworden ist :)

[@britingermany]

Vielen lieben Dank🙏. Ja manchmal muss man auch ein bisschen Glück im Leben haben

[@hidden5920]

@@britingermany meine Mutter sagt immer: Es kommt alles zur richtigen Zeit und geht irgendwo eine Tür zu öffnet sich woanders eine neue :) Mach weiter so. Tolle Videos :)

[@christinehorsley]

3:45 I think this applies pretty much to anybody who moves to a foreign country and is forced to learn a new language in depth. Thats how I, a German, felt like in my first year in California USA, though before I arrived there, I thought I was already soooo proficient in English. Worst was at my job. They didn’t understand me, I couldn’t understand them either, co-workers and customers alike, had to repeat everything 2 or 3 times before I got it. That was to a large part due to the different terms used in that particular environment. Heck, I knew what a “pallet” was, but hadn’t the slightest idea that a “skid” meant the same thing. So after someone, before rushing off, had pointed vaguely in a certain direction and told me, what I was looking for was “on some skid over there” I walked past rows and rows of pallets, not looking at them closely, searching for an object or objects which might be a “skid” or skids … it took a while for someone else to notice my predicament, and then I could ask “what’s a skid”, and after some thinking that person asked me if I knew what a “pallet” was. Ahhh ! Much later, after observing them pushing, or in fact “skidding” such pallets across smooth flooring did it dawn on me why they called them skids … Many years later I realized that long before forklifts and such were invented, pallets already existed but people bedded down on them. Another light bulb moment … and I’ve been much interested in the origin of words since then. Your German is excellent, and I don’t think you have much of an English accent at all. The biggest giveaway that you’re not a native speaker - in my opinion - is that you enunciate so carefully.

[@AnoNymInvestor]

@@britingermany Du hast bestimmt für einen Menschen oder für ein Tier etwas Gutes getan. Das kommt in Form von gutem Karma zurück. 👍

[@geordiegeorge9041]

Having lived in Germany since being sent here by the army in Febuary 76, I still have my English accent. Right from the start I mixed with the locals to learn the language, I made mistakes they laughed and they helped.

[@britingermany]

Sounds like you fit in well👍🏻

[@ksenss2513]

I did cry in my first weeks in france. And I knew a bit of french. On the other hand - there often was no other language to switch to as many - not all - people were unwilling or uncapable of speaking english, let alone german. Even in the university office looking after foreign students. Luckily there were always other foreign students about, some of which spoke fluently and could even write down telephone numbers correctly that were given in lightning fast french making me guess if it was 80 10 9 or 4 20 19 or maybe 99 or one of several other possible combinations when someone says: "quatre vingt dix neuf" followed by more numbers rapidly...

[@britingermany]

Oh wow! Yeah I imagine France is more difficult than German to integrate into. Especially when it comes to the language. But we learn a lot through that process 😀👍🏻

[@ksenss2513]

@@britingermany I did have a wonderful time and met great people, but those first few weeks were tough.

[@banana53358]

@@ksenss2513 can you speak french now

[@ksenss2513]

@@banana53358 Well...at least better than I did then. But it is still rather basic...or maybe ...technical. Reading is fine, listening to lectures no problem at all, having a conversation works fine, too...until someone starts to use slang (of which there is plenty), makes a joke, an allusions, insinuation ... at which point I'm lost. Also I can say/express most things, though with basic words, but don't look at the grammar!

[@jonathanwebb8307]

I can do individual numbers at full speed however two digit numbers in German always end up with me telling people to slow down because of the numbers being spoken in reverse order to that which they are written. Even after 20 years I am very slow to understand numbers such as telephone numbers where they are all mixed up.

[@AlanJG178]

Thank you, I know of the frustration you speak of and it is refreshing to hear the story of someone else's frustration. I moved to Germany nearly three years ago from England, in the summer. I too did a BRUTAL intensive German language course, two months after I arrived, I passed the B1 exam, however I realised my German was still very poor despite having passed that exam. There are so many different language learning platforms out there that offer a wide range of products, purporting to provide different learning styles. The trouble is, I have no idea what my learning style/method is, so I've bumbled along either at the desk doing online work, learning the vocabulary and speaking the language. I've discovered it is a slow, slow step by step process, filled with frustration and yes my self confidence has taken a few beatings. However, the moments of successful comprehension are glorious small victories to behold. People sometimes say, "oh, German is a tough language to learn, with complicated grammar" but isn't any language? German is my first genuine second language to learn. I did French in school, only because I was told I have to learn a European language and that was all that was on offer. I take courage from those, like yourself, who've come before me and got to a level of fluency that they are happy with, and yes the learning doesn't end.

[@britingermany]

Thanks for sharing, that’s great to hear. It really is a struggle in the beginning and I think you’re right. Passing an exam is not the same as being able to have an easy comfortable conversation. But if you keep at it it can only get better

[@AlanJG178]

@@britingermany Thank you.

[@jonathanwebb8307]

Bumbled along is fine, Ive never done any sort of formal course. If you are totally immersed in the language you pick it up without trying to learn. With us Haussprach is always German, TV is usually German etc. I work with both UK and German customers , so work is 50/50. PC work is OK because I can spell check with Libre Office which also helps with Learning. If present my other half checks anything written and gives me a telling off if its a mess !

[@69Joba]

Respekt vor deinem hervorragenden Deutsch. Habe große Hemmungen, mit Muttersprachlern Englisch zu sprechen, während es mir mit anderen eher leicht fällt. Meine Befürchtung ist, mich entweder zu unbeholfen und linkisch auszudrücken, oder, wenn ich mich an Texte anlehne, die ich gelesen habe, zu hochgestochen (veraltet) oder sonstwie unpassend (geschäftsmäßig im Privaten).

[@britingermany]

ja ich glaube es geht vielen so. We are usually our worst enemy

[@CharlemagneProkopyshyn]

I can relate to this. I studied German at university in the UK but it was still a huge shock and massive upheaval to integrate into German culture despite having the language. Like you, I feel Germany has changed me. I call it my personal hell, a boot camp to becoming independent, but it was hell. And I did not enjoy my time in Germany, despite being there 15 years. I was stubborn enough to stick it out. The first month's were insanely hard and no one helped me. I was however, in Saxony at the time. I struggled so much. Getting work was so hard, they look at your cv like it is diseased. It's not a typical German "Werdegang" so they dislike it. Based on my name I rarely got interviews. It's not German. Sounds foreign. There is a God damn Ausbildung for every type of job. We don't have this in UK and you learn on the job but Germans want German qualifications they know. You cannot change careers easily in Germany and companies putting you on courses and training you is non existent.

[@britingermany]

Yes I find the aspect of work to be vera rigid...still...although it is changing slowly. I bet you're stronger for it...the German boot camp 😉

[@CharlemagneProkopyshyn]

@@britingermany absolutely. It made me incredibly tough and... According to my new boss "well, you are efficient are you." 🤣🤣🤣 im. Germanised for sure. And a little too direct and opinionated now according to my family 🤣🤣🙈😅

[@wallykaspars9700]

Great story! Your German is excellent, you handle long sentences very well. I know those days of frustration with the language, but, years later, after achieving fluency, a very satisfying experience was to converse with Germans about various topics and to thoroughly read the Frankfurter Rundschau. I still remember one of my early milestones was when I correctly pronounced Köln.

[@britingermany]

Hey Wally nice to hear from you. From me Rewe was a real challenge 🤣

[@carolweideman1905]

I moved to France and I struggle with my French but I did pass the exams required to get my visa. I still struggle but after finding this video even if it is about German I know that I will be okay. You made me feel not so bad and confident that I will improve and that I know more than I realized Thank you.

[@britingermany]

Very glad to hear that. Thank you for commenting

[@DIYCamping_Offical]

Respekt für deinen Fortschritt, fand es mega spannend dir zuzuhören

[@britingermany]

Danke sehr. Das freut mich 😀

[@teen-at-heart]

Thanks for sharing your (at times painful) language journey! And what a great boss / HR manager…those are far and few between.

[@britingermany]

Yes…It was a lucky coincidence

[@shelbynamels973]

The problem with learning a language is that it reduces your communication abilities to that of a child, and as an adult, that can be a very humiliating experience and difficult to deal with. The best way to handle it is to accept that you are on the 'see Spot. See Spot run' level again and that are learning to run from a crawl stage again. The sooner you come to terms with that fact, the better your progress will be. Your pride will be your biggest hindrance.

[@britingermany]

Yeah that's a big part of it. But also just not being able to communicate what is in your head in an effective way can be really annoying.

[@alia9087]

problem is because you speak like a child, I found I often got treated like I was one. Very frustrating

[@MHK6620]

@@britingermany Oh Ben , you are right; to be speechless (as an adult with language competence) is a sad/bad experience. I felt it too, but i've discovered that most the time it's myself who builds up obstacles in communication. I have search so much in my brain for the right word with the right grammar not to make a fool of myself, that i lost the thread in many conversations. Nowadays when i "try" to learn a new language i'am more direct, telling the people to talk to me like to a child (please use simple words) and i will answer in simple words too. It works; gives me more confidence to open my mouth, even when i use a considered "rude" word . And when WE talk to the people they will talk to us. Du bist angekommen !! Mes doigts sont croisés. Bonne continuation.cwtsh😀

[@britingermany]

@@MHK6620 Totally. Could have said it better myself 😀

[@jonathanwebb8307]

That's one of the disadvantages of a second language. When I speak English I will use a much more sophisticated vocabulary . In German I can understand everything but when speaking tend to go for a simple turn of phrase. Unfortunately many people assume if you don't speak the language perfectly you are a bit dim which is obviously not the case.

[@luis6589]

I totally feel you. I have been going through the same process

[@britingermany]

Oh man! Then keep at it. It gets better eventually 😀

[@wmf831]

I truly enjoy these types of video, where you explain, reflect, recommend and talk about experiences. I feel it makes you so much more relatable when one nows where you're coming from, what molded you, how it has impacted you and how you have come to certain conclusions. It is quite interesting. I truly enjoy this kind of content.

[@britingermany]

Thank you for sharing. That helps 😃

[@JBMusic3]

That was really interesting, thanks for sharing :) Your video really conveys how frustrating and challenging it can be to learn a language, but also that you can get out the other side! I'm hoping there is another video where you talk more in depth about the benefits and great experiences you've had now that you're skilled in the language, showing why it was ultimately worth the pain!! :)

[@britingermany]

Thanks John…mm no actually I haven’t done that video🤣 but it’s a good idea

[@JBMusic3]

@@britingermany It will give us all hope for all the hours us learners are putting in! That there is a reason for the pain in the end! :)

[@miriamreiss]

Beautifully edited Video! Such amazing pictures of spring in a City. Great Job. That was a fantastic addition to your calm and melodic voice. And, your German pronunciation is really great. At least better than my English pronunciation. Have a good one.

[@britingermany]

Thanks a lot Miriam. I really appreciate it 😀

[@tommybinson]

Thanks for your interesting, encouraging video. It's inspiring to all English speakers learning other languages as adults. Best wishes.

[@britingermany]

Thanks. Yes exactly learning a language in your 30s or 40s or older is not quite the same as in your teens

[@nordwestbeiwest1899]

Mal ehrlich dein Deutsch ist doch richtig gut besser als wie ich English spreche . Respekt für deine Leistung eine Fremdsprache zu lernen die so schwierig ist .Eine tiefe Verneigung und Hut ab .

[@britingermany]

Awww das ist sehr lieb. Danke sehr🙏

[@hape3862]

Sogar sein Deutsch ist besser als deins!

[@nordwestbeiwest1899]

@@hape3862 = Danke für deine Beleidigung .

[@hape3862]

@@nordwestbeiwest1899 Gern geschehen.

[@superleisie]

@@hape3862 Das habe ich auch gerade gedacht 🤣

[@beatus7251]

Thanks für this new video! I really got to enjoy your content but for me it is mostly the combination of your accent and your deep-ish calming voice which surely is the iceing on the cake. I can't really put my finger on it but I have always liked to listen to british people speaking german. I would think that you had quite some luck with your boss back then, because if you really felt you were terrible at your you and she still didn't fire you, she must have seen your potential and positive personality as a future promise. :)

[@britingermany]

Thanks a lot. Yes I definitely did have quite a bit of luck with...and I probably wasn't as bad as I thought...I tend to be rather self critical but that really was my school for German

[@bobbysanderz6769]

I love to see how you getting mature in showing your thoughts and emotions in the way some of us can feel them and I love how some of us look deeper into life... Ich hoffe, wir sehen uns eines Tages nach dem Umzug nach Deutschland und Dankeschön für deine lieben wörter herr Brit 🙂

[@britingermany]

Snake Bobby. Wann gehts los mit dem Umzug?

[@bobbysanderz6769]

@@britingermany Danke for Antworten :) Meine Reise begann bereits vor 1 Jahr, aber ich werde ab dem nächsten Jahr oder hoffentlich noch in diesem Jahr mit den Einwanderungsarbeiten beginnen

[@britingermany]

@@bobbysanderz6769 sehr gut. Dann viel Erfolg 😃

[@bobbysanderz6769]

@@britingermany Vielen vielen Dank, Sir Ich hoffe, ich schaffe es dort und spüre, wie es wäre, frei zu sein... 😁🙏

[@PrimeTime24000InTheAir]

It made me laugh when you were saying about answering "yes" or "no" and look at the reaction. This was exactly me when I first moved to UK. 🤣

[@typxxilps]

blows my mind how fluent you have become ! heads off !

[@britingermany]

Thanks a lot. Although I’ll try to keep my head on 😉

[@pjmmccann]

(( *Hats off... ))

[@edrickmerwin]

Your love for Germany and the use of German language has by itself, very subtle and almost imperceptible, brought a little German accent, so very now and then, into your native English language. Very human and charming by the way!

[@britingermany]

Thanks…I think 😉

[@PougueMahone]

I have a sign in my study it says ( you only fail if you quit) Has helped my German lessons.

[@britingermany]

Keep at it 👍🏻

[@Theodisc]

*"The language of a country leads into the heart and soul of its people."* Touché, and very well said. Doesn't hurt to learn simple greetings, p's and q's and "do you speak English" in the language of the country you might be travelling in. You will likely get much more out of the folk you encounter if you make this simple effort and they will appreciate this too (we Anglos are internationally infamous for only speaking Anglo when we visit other lands). I have also noticed that when I learn Hindi words and use them with the South Asians I work with here in Aotearoa New Zealand they open up to me more and one can sense that they are loving it. 🙏🏽🧿💙

[@britingermany]

Oh that’s great😀. Thanks for sharing 👍🏻

[@pfalzgraf7527]

Wow! That sounds like quite the wringer you went through! However, it also looks like your boss did see promise in you, otherwise she wouldn't have let you stay. And in a way, it seems like she even made the clients adapt to you. Of course, diving into another culture changes you. And it is sometimes crazy when you realize how much this is the case - and then suddenly you find an aspect where you're the old self and you might never change. As you see - you triggered quite some memories for me, even though my experiences were of a quite different kind.

[@britingermany]

I hope I triggered some positive memories at least 😀

[@kilsestoffel3690]

2:50 my whole experience of learning English and French at school. I was able to communicate in France, England and even in Ireland (dialect!) quite well, but failed constantly at school. It was so frustrating ☹️

[@ksenss2513]

Haha, yeah I had a teacher who always asked me "why" and expected me to tell him the grammar rules thet led me to choose a certain time etc. I never could and so he assumed I had cheated... I simply read and listened to a lot of english, also had family on my mothers side that spoke lower german, which helped.

[@britingermany]

Yeah I think a lot of people learn language intuitively without really studying on the classical sense

[@skyhr]

You have an amazing voice. You should consider doing voice narration or ASMR reading or something :)

[@britingermany]

Thanks a lot. 🙏

[@AnoNymInvestor]

Wonderful accent! Your German is really good! Please stay here!

[@britingermany]

Thanks a lot. I have no plans to leave just yet

[@anthonydowling3356]

You English is like middle to upper class British .Clipped and precise .I would put every cent i own in betting that you did not grow up in a British Council estate .You German sounds very good to me .I have only baby German myself after living in Berlin many years ago for a year 1977-78 .

[@britingermany]

You’re right I did not grow up in a British council estate😉

[@xelakram]

Die Erfahrung, die Sie gehabt haben, Deutsch zu lernen ist ganz anders als meine. Ich habe Deutsch so gern gahabt, daß ich die Sprache unbedingt lernen wollte. Trotzdem ist es Ihnen aber gelungen, die Sprache sehr gut zu erlenen. Und darüber freue ich mich für Sie sehr. Ihre Videos sind erfrischend und aufschlußreich. Sie bereiten einem eine große Freude. Machen Sie nur weiter so. Grüße.

[@britingermany]

Danke sehr. Das freut mich😀

[@xelakram]

@@britingermany 👍

[@conniebruckner8190]

Sorry you had such a difficult start, but oh my, you are quite fluent! Congratulations! I was luckier than you in that my husband's family and his extended family did everything they could to help me out in the first few years. His cousin had 4 children and spending time with them plus going to the park and listening to mums AND listening to children's programmes was a fun way for me to try out what I had learned at University. In order to get my degree recognized I had to take certain legal courses and for that I needed to know German. At that time the first year it was 4 hours 4x week, and we were all students from all over the world and our only common language was beginner's German. My husband also would plan get-togethers with his friends and their girlfriends at the Heuriger (Viennese wine pubs) and after a few glasses of wine, I lost any hessitation 🙂 Plus getting a job, as you say, also helped speed things up. I knew I had "arrived" when I went to a Nestroy play and understood almost everything. That was about after 6 years.

[@britingermany]

That sounds great! Are you living in Vienna? Have you picked up an Austrian accent?

[@shelbynamels973]

I had to look up Johann Nestroy. I had no idea that he wrote Lumpazivagabundus. I think you helped close a gap in my education.

[@christianslenczka1427]

Love the shots of Frankfurt, my favourite German city!

[@britingermany]

Yay! Glad to hear it. me too😀

[@alpenroseable]

and you have a wonderfull voice even in german

[@britingermany]

Aww we’ll thanks a lot 🙏

[@philipmorgan6048]

I lived in Germany for 18 months back in the mid 80s - and the only words I picked up were Athfleten Footen and Donkey Shite.

[@britingermany]

Are you sure you were hanging around with Germans?!

[@gudrunasche9124]

Ich bin begeistert, wie gut du deutsch sprichst. Du hast mich wirklich irritiert, als du mehrfach einfach die Sprache gewechselt hast. Dein Tonfall war absolut gleich und dadurch habe ich erst nach ein, oder zwei Worten gemerkt, daß es jetzt in der anderen Sprache weiterging. Wirklich toll.

[@britingermany]

Awww vielen Dank. Aber wenn du es am Anfang nicht gemerkt hast dann ist dein English bestimmt super 😀

[@gudrunasche9124]

@@britingermany Leider nicht wirklich, aber du bist so gut zu verstehen, daß sich das nicht so auswirkt.

[@davidh7799]

Enjoyed your video. I'm 67 in America, and looking to come to Germany, learn the language better, work, and stay there. Seems like a huge mountain to cross over. Seems like I'll probably get kicked out after 90 days. Looking at getting into a German language school and extending that time, then maybe getting lucky by getting a job.

[@mikeifyouplease]

At 00:54 I love how you say the word "German" with such a heavy German accent! It is cute and funny. Also I too agree with commenters in other videos about the soothing tempo and tone of your voice. (Perhaps you should check into doing voice-overs. For the right niche/market, I think it might be lucrative for you.)

[@lukeh7854]

I have tried to learn German for years. I study it every day and I’m improving all the time. I moved to Germany in 2017 and stayed there for 2 years (ish). I know very well how difficult the integration and language learning is, I wasn’t successful though, more for financial reasons than anything else, but it honestly warms my heart to hear someone conquering such a difficult life challenge! I salute you, Sir! That’s such an incredible achievement! 👏🏻

[@britingermany]

Thank so much. Please keep going with it

[@AndreasMartinLaute]

Sehr schönes Video und eine faszinierende Geschichte! Ein grosses Kompliment zu Deinen Deutschkenntnissen! Ich bin in Frankfurt geboren und seit 1986 im Ausland: Italien, Schweiz und jetzt seit 20 Jahren in Spanien. Oft vermisse ich Frankfurt und frage mich, ob es Rückwanderer in meinem Alter (60) gibt und wie die "Reintegration" in die alte Heimat verlaufen ist. Viele Grüsse und alles Gute!

[@NonSequitur404]

Thanks for your video. I am curious to know what field of work you are in. I have watched a few of your videos where you talk about (getting/switching) jobs but never reveal what you actually do (not what company you work for). Maybe I missed it? I lived in Germany for a while and am always curious to learn what other Europeans do for work in Germany.

[@britingermany]

Thanks for watching and for your curiosity. I work in sales

[@steveneardley7541]

I'm improving my German by watching videos in both German and English, set at 3/4 speed with German subtitles. These are not language videos, just anything I happen to be interested in. It's really helping my vocabulary, but also grammar. I don't have a problem with cases, having studied Latin, but still find German quite a difficult language.

[@britingermany]

So glad this helps. I always found it difficult to learn that way but I know that some people learn really well through videos or also through music

[@ErdoganIstKeinZiegenfi...]

beeindruckendes Deutsch, wohl das Beste, ds ich je von einem englischen Muttersprachler gehört habe! Respekt dafür!

[@britingermany]

Vielen dank 🙏

[@1976JasminK]

Dein Deutsch ist sehr gut! Respekt! Und ja, ich kann absolut nachvollziehen wie es ist eine Sprache in 3 Monaten zu lernen, bei mir war es Latein und ich war am Limit! Dabei musste ich "nur" den lateinischen Text ins Deutsche übersetzen und nicht auch noch vice versa!

[@britingermany]

Danke sehr. Wow Latein ist aber auch spannend.

[@dees3179]

I work in England and have two German colleagues who both speak brilliant English. Almost perfect but definitely with accents and grammatical differences. However, one is a vastly better communicator despite the other being better at pronunciation and having a wider vocabulary overall. When you get to that level it comes down to personality. One wants and tries to be understood. The other is relying on their ego and assuming they will be understood. Guess who makes the most messes!? For context that is not me denigrating them….I’m in awe of both of their linguistic abilities. Six years of German learning and I’m still only about B1 level and struggle to have actual conversations. I can just talk about prepared topics, which is essentially useless. if we discuss what we’re doing at the weekend I can tell you I’m flying to France and the relative height of the mountains and what I’m packing in my suitcase. But not what I’m actually doing….because I don’t have the words for that yet! I would have to be thrown in the deep in end get on with it like you to get much better I think.

[@Sharkbait_Soybomb]

I live in Berlin and I’m in German Intensive now, A2.2 and I swear the more I learn, the worse my German gets. It’s really messes with your head and is SO exhausting to be so terrible at it. I also feel like the stupidest person in class. Your video gave me a little charge to keep my head up and keep the faith. Thank you for this!

[@britingermany]

Keep at it. I know exactly how you feel and I think that is a normal phase of learning languages. Eventually you get through it and by B2 you really start to learn organically without having to put in too much effort.

[@UglyKidJoe71]

I love Germany. It has so much to offer and I am grateful to live here, but jeez the language takes a long time to learn! But little bit by little bit it improves. I did a bit of an internet hack course to get B1 so I don't think I learnt the structure / grammar properly. Maybe I should do a formal course. I passed my B1 with 84% to my surprise, but I a m so frustrated with my actual level of speaking. Maybe I should do a formal course, would you advise please? It is a lovely language though. It makes a lot of sense but I just wish I could speak it more fluently. Living here does help, so the immersion is invaluable

[@britingermany]

I would advise most people to start with a structured course for at the very least 3 months. Everyone is different and some people done learn well the traditional way but for me I was so grateful that my teacher dug deep into the grammar at the beginnning. Once you've got basic word order and sentence structure down things become a lot easier

[@ste2pac]

Ich finde dein Deutsch wunderbar! Ich wünschte ich würde so gut english sprechen, wie du deutsch sprichst!

[@britingermany]

Vielen dank. Das sit sehr lieb

[@christinamotzer174]

Ihr Deutsch ist richtig gut 😊

[@britingermany]

Aww vielen Dank Christina

[@kutluakalin5129]

Wow really difficult times there. I was lucky/unlucky that I was surrounded by English-speakers when I stayed in Germany but I did continue evening classes for academics, and then I did improve my German. I was also consciously reading children's books just to learn more everyday vocabulary. There were more than a few times when I thought I was butchering the language but then I realized that actually those were mostly the times when I was exhausted. Did you ever try doing tandem courses while you were learning?

[@britingermany]

No I didn't actually. I made a conscious effort to avoid native English speakers as I knew I would have never have learned it. if there are other German around then we will speak German but otherwise it is super weird to speak German with native English speakers

[@SS-dl5fc]

Hello,I know there is no exact or late age to learn a new language but if you are not young enough it may be more difficult.I am 43 and feel a bit exhausted but I know that I'll cope with it.Congrats for your determination and success.

[@britingermany]

Thanks a lot. Yes I think the older you get the harder it is…although I think part of that is that you don’t have as much time to focus on it as when you are younger. Keep at it💪

[@luke-oakley]

I have to say, your German is perfect. Sehr gut, weitr so!

[@britingermany]

Thanks a lot 😀

[@Darklord345646]

Meine Fresse. Was für ein gutes, flüssiges Deutsch du sprichst. Respekt.🖖

[@britingermany]

Vielen Dank.

[@rosenpuzzle4204]

I had the same experience with English (still living in Germany), not my first love. But a lot of information is in English and I wanted to know everything. Meanwhile I dance English Country Dances and the dance descriptions are in English. Soooo... I have a lot to learn. Your German pronunciation is really good 🌸

[@britingermany]

You do English country dancing in germany? I did not even realise that was a thing. How did you get interested in that?

[@rosenpuzzle4204]

@@britingermany Ich liebte historische Tänze im mittelalterlichen Ambiente, meist französische Branles. Auf einer Mittelalter-Fantasy LARP Convention erfuhr ich von einem historischen Workshop-Wochenende mit Ball im Norden. Ich dachte sie tanzen ähnliches wie ich. Mit einer Freundin fuhr ich hin und lernte an einem Wochenende 50 English County Dances als Anfänger unter sehr erfahrenen Tänzern. Es war furchtbar und ganz toll. Die Freundin, die mitgekommen war, und ich wollten da wieder hin. Aber nicht ohne zu üben um weniger rumgeschubst zu werden. Also gründeten wir ein Tanztraining. Das war vor 11 Jahren und wir tanzen noch immer :) Die Szene ist klein, aber es gibt Wochenend-Workshops bei den LAGs (Landes Arbeitsgemeinschaft Tanz), Seniorentanzgruppen und LARP-Tanzgruppen. In Mittel- und Norddeutschland mehr als hier.

[@philipmorgan6048]

I did one German lesson in Frankfurt nearly 40 years ago - the tutor asked me who is the leader of Germany, I said "The Reich Chancellor" - she nearly fell off her chair and said, "Nein, nein, nein, it's the Bundes Chancellor.

[@dweamy1]

LOL !!

[@bigboymamba]

the accent is not a problem:) my German accent in English is very strong but i can still talk to many people which i would not have been able to speak to without learning the language!

[@britingermany]

Thank you

[@nobodysgirl7972]

Dein Deutsch ist sehr gut und ich mag deinen Akzent. Abgesehen davon finde ich deinen Humor toll. Wie kam es denn überhaupt, dass du nach Deutschland gekommen bist? Gibt es dazu ein Video?

[@britingermany]

Danke schön. Ich kam nach Deutschland Für die Liebe 😉

[@nobodysgirl7972]

@@britingermany oh wow, super schöner Grund

[@Kartoffelsuppe_m_Wursteinlage]

Ja, Deutsch als Fremdsprache ist kein Spass, vielen Muttersprachlern ist das nicht immer so bewusst. Mir ging es meist in Vorlesungen in Mathematik so, dass ich dachte, ich würde es nie lernen. Aber Du hast es durchgestanden und sprichst ein richtig gutes Deutsch. Ich glaubte einen schwachen Frankfurter Dialekt bei Dir zu hören? ;) In welcher Sprache träumst du jetzt?

[@Kartoffelsuppe_m_Wursteinlage]

Es gibt noch eine Steigerungsform bei manchen Schweizer Dialekten z.B. beim Brienzer oder Berndütschi. Die Leute kommen mit einer perfekten Vorbildung in Schriftsprache und verstehen kein Wort. Das haben dort aber alle, weil auch die Berner genau zuhören müssen, wenn jemand im Dialekt des Oberwallis spricht. ;)

[@britingermany]

Also bezüglich Träume da bin ich mir nicht ganz sicher…I h glaube es ist eine Mischung aus beiden.

[@Claddagh319]

@@britingermany Heißt das nun, daß Du in fließendem Denglisch träumst? 😂

[@Rok_Weiler]

Dein Deutsch ist super ! Es gibt sogar deutsche, welche nicht an deinen Stand kommen. Dein Akzent reiht sich auch blendend in all unsere Dialekte ein. 🤝💪

[@britingermany]

Vielen Dank Rok🙏

[@jonathanwebb8307]

Languages are harder the older you are and I didnt speak a word of German until I was 38 and met "her indoors". She wanted to practice her English but instead taught me German. The first thing I did was buy a book caller German in 3 months and it did what it said on the tin. After 3 months I was fluent enough to have conversations and watch German TV etc. Once I started watching German TV things improved rapidly. I got a second satellite dish so I could have German TV when in England. Its now 20 years on and I understand pretty much everything as long as I can hear it clearly. I still make lots of mistakes, often the same mistakes I have been making for 20 years - der die das den is often a random selection, word endings and sentence order but generally its good enough and its only on rare occasions people ask me to repeat something. The only time I struggle a bit is when its hard to hear such as on two way radios and sometimes I miss a bit of dialogue on TV dramas, but if its a documentary or the news I understand everything. If anyone is starting out I highly recommend watching German TV, its a relaxing way to learn and you can choose what your interested in. Funny things are I accidentally use the odd English word when speaking German and German words when speaking English. Just occasionally I forget what a word is in English as only the German word comes into my head. Its strange how life turns out !

[@mohamedakl4412]

Great Jonathan, you Just confessed that secret that is hard to be believed by traditional learners, with full respect to those who do the efforts to digest the grammar,tenses and the right sentence structure

[@Hollaraedulioe]

There is a colloquialism I inherited from my grand mothers linage about the two ways o handle life:"Mai auf ode Geidbeidl" - literal "Maul auf oder Geldbeutel". as so often1:1 translation from Bavarian comes out ... lets say 'old fashioned', but meaning is rather clear: Either one speaks out (ask or explain) to get along, or he has to buy his way along ...

[@britingermany]

Wise words 😉

[@Schwuuuuup]

Hearing your accent and stumbling a bit over your Ü/U I wondered, what were the hardest or most annoying letters and sounds while learning German. I recon some were hard to learn (to pronounce) but easy to remember (to use) and with others it was the other way around.

[@britingermany]

The “r” and “ch” we’re not easy for me. As in “sprache” or “sprechen”

[@conniebruckner8190]

For me it is when writing: I often don't know or remember if there is an h in the word or if it is u or ü. And then even after 43 years (!) the declinations to der die das: deren/ desen/ denen usw. usw. Funny enough when I hear it wrong, i'll notice that it was wrong and rush to correct myself. TG for DeepL translator!

[@EvaCornelia]

Would you allow me to ask a question? For a long time I thought I understood American English well and had serious trouble understanding British English. Now I found I understand you well, and I also like watching the British TV series "Fake or fortune". It's easy to listen to and understand. So I was wondering if the British English I don't understand has to do with dialects. For example some people from Britain say donkay instead of don-kee and they say all endings with ay instead of ee. Some swallow almost all vocals and it's just a staccato of consonants, so that even if I enable subtitles I don't get a word on the screen. And some change all the vowels into something else. So are these forms of dialects? And maybe I do understand British English, but just not the dialects? Thank you very much.

[@britingermany]

Yes Britain has just as many dialects and accents as Germany. There’s a huge amount of variation. Downtown abbey is quite illustrative of this 😉

[@bbell1549]

Ich mag Deinen Akzent. Weiter so, glaube kaum, dass Dein englischer Akzent irgendjemanden stört. Ich finde ihn süß. Hast Du schon mal von Chris Howland gehört? Er war ein ehemaliger Soldat, der nach seinem militärischen Service in Deutschland geblieben ist. Vielleicht kann sich jemand an Studio B (eine Musik Sendung) erinnern - mit Chris Howland & und seinen Gästen. In den 70iger Jahren hat er als Schauspieler gearbeitet, vor allem in den deutschen Karl Mai - Winnetou - Filmen. Anyhow, Chris Howland hat mit seiner Stimme und seinem Akzent Karriere in Deutschland gemacht. Er war sehr beliebt. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJncmptmpNVsm8k This is a link to one of Chris Howland’s songs. Brings back memories…… he was so nice & funny.

[@britingermany]

ahh ja. war ein bisschen vor meine Zeit aber ich meine ein paar Szenen von ihm gesehen zu haben.

[@rigasarzemnieks4230]

I know exactly how you felt. Had the same torture with the Latvian language in a class comprised mainly of Russians who have lived in Latvija for years, I was new and felt like a total idiot. Yes,"humiliating" is the correct term that you used. You are a great role model for me because I want to get where you are in my new home.

[@britingermany]

You’ll get there. Sometimes it takes a lot longer than we would like but I bet you’ll look back in 5 years time and think what was I worrying about back then….😉

[@rigasarzemnieks4230]

@@britingermany Thank you for the encouragement, I appreciate it!!!!

[@PeterBuwen]

Großartiges Deutsch! 👍

[@britingermany]

Danke Peter 🙏

[@ajsctech8249]

interesting, in most professional services or graduate jobs in German almost all adverts request C1 level of German. Often fluency is not necessary for jobs in Technology sector, but I think the social component of getting to know colleagues seems to be more important. You won't get any job in Germany today in a professional services career job without C1 German certificate. Some employers might accept the B2 level of German but C1 level is absolutely vital. What your video confirms to me is that you need German fluency to succeed in Germany, its as simply as that.

[@christophercooper2208]

One thing that got to me when I was living in Germany is that all the windows in my street were the same size and this uniformity got me down.

[@britingermany]

Interesting. Unfortunately the new blocks they are building do all look the same

[@christophercooper2208]

@@britingermany There are things i loved living in Germany and the language is one of them. Das mache ich morgens = That I do tomorrow sounds a lot more believable than I'll do it tomorrow. You know that when someone says that to you, the probability is that they won't do it tomorrow at all. It's just bla bla bla. Too much insincerity in English and the result is I don't believe half of what I hear and I don't even bother watching TV to listen. German TV is far more interesting, more documentaries, less violence, more variety, The Germans say what they mean. I like that. I like also that it sounds how it's written unlike French or English. I love too the timekeeping the Germans have and I have learnt through living there to be on time out of consideration who I'm going to meet. I like too the greeting culture that there are different ways to say Hi or Bye. I love the cycle paths too. I used to cycle everywhere. I rarely used the trams but it's nice to have them there in case it was too icy or wet. However having said all that - Deutschland fehlt schoenheit

[@sisuguillam5109]

I can hear a very very very slight hessischer Akzent! Wie süß!

[@britingermany]

Haha someone else also mentioned that. I wasn’t aware of it I till now

[@sisuguillam5109]

@@britingermany I love it!

[@tobiMelka]

Ah... I felt exactly the same way after coming to live and work in England from a country that is not Germany but very much influenced by its mentality and culture... It was definitely not love at first sight 😅 but after a year, the English accent had finally grown on me 😇 and later on, I even started to appreciate the differences much more than I have ever thought I would or could ☺️

[@britingermany]

So you are from Austria or Switzerland? 😉

[@tobiMelka]

​@@britingermany Ha... I wish ;)) or maybe not anymore... I've come to terms with my 'first home' country and my Slavic heritage... I'm from the Slovak Republic (the central aka the finest bit of all the Slavs 🤫😁)

[@sigmundreiner3483]

Heyyyy nice. Deutsch gesprochen mit Englischem Untertitel. Freut mich das du meinen Tipp angenommen hast. Edit: Spoken in German with English subtitles. Nice to see you accepted my tip.

[@britingermany]

Yes thanks. Thought I'd give it a try 😀

[@666wurm]

As a German who lived in Britain (Nottingham, not London :-) I can well relate to your statements here.

[@britingermany]

And why Nottingham if I may ask?

[@666wurm]

@@britingermany My university had a coop with Nottingham's Trent Uni. And so it began...

[@tiefseehase9503]

Ofc you have an english accent, but OMG your grammar and vocabulary are outstanding. They are better than that of about 80% of native germans. 👍

[@britingermany]

Haha I very much doubt that but thanks for the kind words

[@capri2673]

High quality camera on this.

[@opencurtin]

I lived in Germany for two years and I was still very poor at speaking German it would have taken me 5 years to become fluent but I decided Germany wasn’t for me and haven’t kept it up which is a pity ..well done on your determination to integrate into your environment by learning the language..

[@britingermany]

Thanks a lot. Everyone has their own “calling” so to speak when it comes to languages and counties

[@jagdavey7483]

After you had the Frontal lobotomy you became fluent in German!!!

[@Mayagick]

Very well, quite telling the HR person saw the progress during your probation period and had faith/trust in you to overcome the obstacles. And I bet you as a non German native speaker have fun, when it dawns on you, what sickness "Durchfall" is

[@britingermany]

haha OMG! Yes Durchfall and durchgefallen...that was fun learning that these two are not as similar as I thought

[@conniebruckner8190]

@@britingermany 😁 and between Schwul 😃 and schwül 😄😅 and there are a few more... how about some more false friends and funnies like that?

[@tombeton9300]

Wenn ich deine Videos sehe, weiß ich, dass ich nichts kann im Englischen. Es scheint mir, dass in Sachen Wortwahl und Satzbau auf einem höherem Level als viele andere Briten bist.

[@britingermany]

Oh das glaube ich nicht aber vielen dank trotzdem 🙏

[@jackkruese4258]

As a Brit I live in the UK but have been learning German for some time and yes it was brutal at first, very brutal but it does get easier. Though I now find that because I can’t hear myself when I talk I don’t know who accurate I am as I find I lack any frame of reference.

[@britingermany]

I actually recorded myself when I first started learning. I recorded myself reading comic books and then listened back to it to try and impove my pronunciation....I think that helped quite a bit

[@banana53358]

there is a saying '' life is too short to learn german '' but you showed life is long enough for learning german

[@britingermany]

Well I’m still going

[@CavHDeu]

Als ob ich nicht auch noch einen Akzent habe, wenn ich Englisch rede, auch wenn es sicher nicht diese typischen Betonungsfehler sind und das 'th' bereitet mir auch keine Probleme, genauso wenig wie das Wort 'Squirrel' 😁 Ich kann dein Empfinden ein kleines bisschen nachempfinden, denn so geht es mir oft mit Niederländisch, obwohl die Sprache wirklich viele Gemeinsamkeiten mit Deutsch aufweist und ich es wirklich gut lesen und auch recht gut verstehen kann (im Fernsehen), scheitere ich noch an Konversationen. Ich verstehe einfach zu vieles nicht, wenn es schnell gesprochen wird und Slang enthält und meine Aussprache ist noch viel zu fehlerhaft, vom Satzbau ganz zu schweigen. Die meisten Menschen finden einen leichten Akzent im übrigen auch sehr sympathisch und da kann ich mich auch nicht ausklammern. Hinzu kommt aber auch noch deine angenehme und ruhige Sprechstimme, von daher kannst du gerne öfter mal deutsch reden in deinen Videos.

[@britingermany]

Vielen Dank 🙏. Wohnst du in den Niederländer oder bist nur oft da?

[@CavHDeu]

@@britingermany ich wohne nur unweit der Grenze, dementsprechend oft bin ich dort, aber zumeist bin ich in der Provinz Limburg unterwegs und die sprechen dort halt Limburgisch, welches dem deutschen Dialekt Südniederfränkisch entspricht und sich dann doch noch etwas vom Niederländisch unterscheidet. Dafür verbindet es direkt Teile von Belgien, Deutschland, Niederlande und ein kleines Fleckchen in Frankreich sprachlich miteinander. Die Dialekte bzw. Sprachen gibt es schon seit dem vierzehnten Jahrhundert und man kann an den einzelnen Lautverschiebungen, sowie Vereinfachungen gut erkennen, wie sich einige der deutschen Begriffe zum englischen hin entwickelt haben: Machen - Maken - Make, Ich - Ik - I, Das - Dat - That, Wasser - Water - Water, Apfel - Appel - Apple, Schlafen - Slapen - Sleep. Kleine Änderungen die dennoch ausreichen, dass man sich nicht auf Anhieb versteht und doch haben wir so viele Gemeinsamkeiten, dass es sich lohnt, zu versuchen, den anderen besser zu verstehen.

[@gudrunasche9124]

@@CavHDeu Erst habe ich „Südniederfränkisch“ für,einen Gag ala Loriot gehalten, aber nachdem ich dienen Kommentar ganz gelesen habe, habe ich eingesehen, das es Sprachbezeichnungen gibt, von denen ich noch nie gehört habe. Danke, daß du mir neue Denkanstöße gegeben hast.

[@CavHDeu]

@@gudrunasche9124 interessant ist auch, noch obwohl man hier dazu Platt sagt, hat es nichts mit Plattdeutsch zu tun, welches eher mit Niedersächsisch verwandt ist und Niederländisch ist eigentlich ein niederfränkischer Dialekt. Such mal nach dem Rheinischen Fächer, ist echt sehr aufschlussreich.

[@Claddagh319]

Ich habe das Gefühl, daß 'meine Landsleute' härter mit ihren eigenen Mitmenschen umspringen, die sich nicht perfekt artikulieren können, als mit fremdsprachigen. Das mag viel aussagen bezüglich 'unserer' Weltoffenheit, gewährt aber auch einen tiefen Einblick in 'unsere' Gesellschaft an sich ...

[@jimmyjames3136]

Scottish Army brat here...i started German school when i was 14 in Hessen, the things that helped me learn German when i look back is LISTENING to Deutsches Hip Hop...was tough to start with but wow and the main wee tip is to play your favourite Xbox Game in German ....i had ordered Skyrim when i first landed in das deutsches land expecting all things to be in English but it was in German (Duh).....i was PISSSED at first, tried getting a refund even when that failed after a week of looking at the skyrim disc i just thought Fuk it.... started up Skyrim and had my mind blown by how much it levelled mein Deutsch hoch. lol Still have my Scottish accent speaking ANY language and most dont understand me because of this anyways MIR EGAL GOD SHAVE THE KING

[@britingermany]

Most people love the Scottish accent so I guess make there most of it 😉

[@jimmyjames3136]

@@britingermany thank you mein bruder. apropo, Meine tochter (Geborn in Scotland) kan kein Englisch sprechen.... clown world continues on and on.

[@ebbyc1817]

I think learning a language is an art, rather than a science. For me, I have noticed that learning a language is a labour of love, the more in love I am, the easier it is, and the more I retain. I have never loved German. I hit a wall after I got to about intermediate stage. It has always been something I had to do, rather than something I want to do, and if I left the country I don't know how much of the language I would retain. French was easy. I loved French. I still speak even though I am barely exposed to it and have never actually lived in France. I can read and understand Spanish, but have never actually lived in Spain. The challenge with German seems to lie in how I feel about it. I am currently considering doing an official course just to get to that level where I can have a conversation at work without thinking. Perhaps like with so many things in Germany, you just have to go the boring route to get what you want.

[@britingermany]

Very true. I think that is one of the reasons why I have forgotten so much of my Chinese (Mandarin) that was a language where I had to sit down and force the vocal into my brain through repetition. It did not come easy.

[@dweamy1]

I cannot do maths to save my life, but I can learn languages...given time! I was lucky as my first language was German (mother german) but grew up in Denmark. Had German lessons at school, and the grammar lessons were excruciatingly painful, teacher eventually told me to just go with my instinct. Took it at Uni too, as an extra thing, and did wonderfully. Learnt French at school (and mostly forgotten now) and Arabic at Uni (grammar again a total monster!). I moved to the UK (a year after finishing O'Levels) thinking I was great at English as always got top marks in school, and was unable to even read the Sun! So, it was on the job learning, and I have to say, I think I learn best when immersed in the language, country and culture. (forget about teaching me grammar, that's just not my thing at all!)

[@meri058nal9]

Hey im an algerian north african berber 1nd i speak 4languages i speak berber wich is my mother tongue french arabic and english and learning german I can help you with arabic and french

[@ksenss2513]

The germans often struggle with the th and w sounds in english, which leads to our "frightfully german" accents.

[@britingermany]

Yeah those are tricky for some.

[@rustymason3860]

Immersion.

[@gehacktetYKzZY]

wow. Welche Kameraaparat verwendest du?

[@britingermany]

Eine Fujixs10

[@RandomlyScrolling]

Im relying on the free online course from DW it offers basics, gives you stable foundation pretty good headstart. but ngl it dreads me to think to undergo Tests etc 😭

[@britingermany]

I cna understand that. It's hard to keep up the motivation when you are not living int he country

[@RandomlyScrolling]

@@britingermany It's easier when you're in there, cz you're forced to hear it ever bits of your day 😅

[@dark_s5718]

Ich finde es lustig, wenn du zwischen Englisch und Deutsch wechselst, dass es mir zunächst nicht aufgefallen ist,wie oft es in diesem Video gemacht wurde, weil der Sprachfluss einfach gleichmäßig weiter geht. 😂 Ich hab nur plötzlich gedacht, ah er spricht in Deutsch 🤔 War jetzt das ganze Video auf Deutsch ohne, dass ich es realisiert habe? Und dann geht es plötzlich auf Englisch weiter 😄 Also es spricht auf jeden Fall auch einfach für dein fließendes Sprechen und ja, au h für den britischen Akzent, aber der ist einfach nur sympathisch, weil trotzdem alles perfekt ausgesprochen und verständlich ist. 👍🏻 zumal ich ihn sehr dezent finde und nicht überladend.

[@britingermany]

Danke schön. Habe mir Mühe gegeben 😉

[@habicht6]

ich finde die englische Fremdsprachenlehrer- Ausbildung gut.... ich machte einen PGCE Kurs in Canterbury.... das war auch nicht einfach.... aber ich profitiere noch heute davon...

[@britingermany]

Oh super! Wie la he hat das gedauert?

[@habicht6]

@@britingermany ein SCHULJAHR in KENT

[@engine42]

Guuuuude :)

[@SpeakFluentGerman]

I totally agree that Fluent does not mean perfect. The word "fluent" stems from the latin word fluentem which means "flowing freely". I think this is a great definition! I consider someone as fluent if they are able to speak freely and independently in a foreign language. That doesn’t mean it has to be flawless. Thank you for sharing your experience with learning German! That was very interesting to watch.

[@britingermany]

Thanks a lot for watching 🙏

[@christianedoeur9394]

Hallo, ich bin solch ein Rückwanderer nach Deutschland nach mehr als 40 Jahren in Australien, Frankreich, England und Mittlerer Osten - das 1. Mal mit 50 hat es nicht geklappt mit Jobsuche und ich bin wieder zurück nach Aust bis zur Pensionierung..... Dann ist es leichter on vueler Hinsicht.....Ausser der Jobsuche darf man nicht unterschätzen, wie sehr man seine deutsche Identität unbewusst abgelegt hat nach so langer Zeit man hätte es nicht für möglich gehalten.... mit jetzt 74 bin ich in vielem eher australisch als deutsch!!! Alles Gute.....

[@christianedoeur9394]

Hallo, mein Post ist an der falschen Stelle gelandet- einer der Poster fragte sich, ob es "ältere" Rückwanderer gibt.....

[@perromanchado]

Darf ich mal fragen, in welchem Stadtteil du wohnst?

[@britingermany]

Good old Bahnhofsviertel 😉

[@perromanchado]

@@britingermany Splendid! :)