OnLine Language Courses: German?
 

Last Summer I toured the Alps with friends. Two weeks by car. We are heading back.

I would like to improve my conversational German before next years trip.
Research shows there are three Online Language courses: Babbel; RosettaStone; and Pimsleur.

What is the Pelican Brain Pool's experiences and recommendations for these courses?

We have had great results in multiple languages with Duolingo.

Good user interface, good technique. I have not tried German, but if it is as good as their Mandarin and Dutch (for my wife) then it is a winner in my books.

D.

I did a little Pimsleur at one point but not much stuck. Also think I got annoyed by their business model. Details fuzzy, but that's my recollection.

I did Rosetta Stone 1-3 and that has served me very well. My ear still isn't great (too many words, too fast), but have built a decent vocabulary which makes a huge difference. My bride has a better ear, so she is better in dialogue situations and I'm better in reading menus, museum descriptions, signs, etc. I played with Duolingo for a while which would have been useful, but found it mostly duplicative of what I already had through Rosetta Stone.

I also have Google translate on the phone and carry a dictionary for back-up when we travel.

Best wishes.

Bad ear for making out subtleties. Bad memory. Too much work.

> Speak English. They do too, anyway.

I know. Ugly American here.

Just let the phone handle it.

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Given this technology, I wonder if I can get glasses with closed captioning?

I started in 8th grade with a book called Learn German in 10 Minutes a Day. I couldn't wait until I got to high school, as my mom told me I could go to Germany as soon as my German was as good as our German exchange student's English was. When my parents sold that house 25 years later, there were still German vocabulary decals all over it from that book. Now I can speak German like a native and keep in shape by listening to a few radio station apps. I love hearing about traffic conditions in Frankfurt when I live in Phoenix.

BTW, Germans are very appreciative of foreigners who've made the effort to learn the language.

A couple of years ago we decided to move to France. In preparation, I started with Duolingo but it didn’t really stick. Sure I could progress through the levels but when I would visit France it was not of much use. I then hired an online coach (based in France) and there was a significant step improvement. Something about being forced to speak with a person in the moment and the responsibility of completing my weekly homework really improved my French. It was $25 an hour each week and a great investment. That said, I still struggle even though I’m exposed to French language each day. I wish they would just speak slower!!!

Our group had German and Italian as a second language speakers. It was a huge plus in really getting to know the many people we ran into. All roads were primarily through the country side, and it was wonderful. Not only the Germans but the Austrians and the North of Italy and Switzerland.

One local restaurant was very German. By the time in our adventure we picked up a few words but still relied on our German speaking travel mates. We were greeted warmly and there was an American woman who was born and raised in San Bernardino, having relocated to Germany a decade ago. She really opened up the room for us. The waiters asked if they could practice their ENGLISH on us! From there on the evening was most memorable.

Rick your comment is the prime reason I want to get better at German. I found the same appreciation in France many years ago; please and thank you go a long way.

Are there nigh classes near you?

I've done three sets of German night classes and had a German girlfriend for a year. Both good, but just a different sort of good.

And the night classes are fun.

I'm also interested. I started Duolingo which is great but with my work schedule its hard to practice everyday on an app. I do drive 2-3 hours a day. Would love to be a blessing to listen to something in the car.

IMHO immersion is the best way to learn language. Clearly not as easy as online but learning language in isolation doesn't really help prepare you for real time conversation.

Yes, based on Yorkie and Rick's recommendation I am checking out the local sources for language courses.

Started the Duolingo.

When I tried to take Mandarin night classes, I only got to the second level because I was the only person who signed up for the third level and they kept canceling the class.

Austria and Südtirol in northern Italy really speak a tough dialect. I've spent almost as much time in Austria as Germany, so I can handle it now, but it usually takes a few hours upon arrival before that dormant part of my brain wakes up and remembers everything. Learning textbook German works fine for most parts of Germany, especially northern Germany. But it's not real helpful in Bavaria and Austria.