My methods for effective German lessons

Your level and my approach

 

With beginner students, I start by looking at various ways of expressing simple phrases in German, such as how to introduce yourself and talk about your pastimes. We will then move on to the conjugation of regular verbs, key rules regarding word order, and the differences in pronunciation between the German and English alphabets. While building your vocabulary on a range of topics, our main focus will be to keep your sentences simple but correct before gradually adding complexity as we move along. 

 

One of the difficulties of learning any foreign language, incredibly as challenging as German, is resisting the constant temptation to translate from your mother tongue into German. Not only do literal translations rarely make sense, they also increase the likelihood of mistakes. My solution to this problem is to help students simplify their ideas by keeping their focus on German grammar and by checking which words they have at their disposal. The advantages of this approach are grammatical accuracy and confidence in writing and speaking. As soon as my students have developed the flexibility to simplify with ease, we work towards increasing the nuance and complexity of their sentences through text work, grammar training and discussions in class. 

 

Intermediate-level and advanced students also benefit from my method, which is simple but correct. Yet, here, the focus lies in mastering word order and the cases - nominative, accusative, dative and genitive - the building blocks of German grammar. Understanding word order rules will help you accurately structure your sentences during speaking and tell you where to find certain key elements - subject, verb, objects, time, place - when reading. Mastering the cases will determine your handling of nouns and your usage of prepositions and adjectives. At intermediate and especially advanced levels, students face the challenge of having to apply several grammatical rules at the same time. So, focusing on the building blocks of German grammar will allow you to converse, write, and read with the confidence that you understand how the language works. 

 

Adopting simple but correct methods also assists students who have to unlearn certain mistakes that they weren’t aware of in the past, for the method forces you to reconsider your approach to the language from the bottom up.

 

Progress and estimated timeline

 

My tuition is designed to ensure that students make rapid progress. It takes, on average, five to eight months of weekly two-hour lessons to bring absolute beginners to the intermediate level. However, regular revision and completion of homework are essential. One of my most recent students, who took the B1 exam at the Goethe Institut after five months of tuition, passed with flying colours, achieving an average score of over 90%. Four months later, she also passed the C1 exam with 77%. C1 is the second highest level, enabling you to study and work in Germany. In other words, she went from knowing just a few German words to fluency in nine months. Whilst this is exceptional, getting to advanced level German in less than a year is a feasible goal for really committed students.

 

For our younger students studying toward GCSE and A-Levels, 95% have achieved A* or the equivalent with an average preparation time of four to eight months of weekly two-hour tuition. Success depends on the student’s commitment to revision between lessons.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me for further information about my methods.