What dedicated language learner could pass up an opportunity to spend endless days studying German and all its nuances? Unfortunately, in our society, time is money and the reality of things can be quite different. Most of us just don’t have the time to study languages at our leisure.  Because time is such a constraint, there’s an important question to ask yourself before beginning to learn this beautiful language: How long does it take to learn German? Mark Twain said: "A gifted person ought to learn English in 30 hours, French in 30 days and German in 30 years." But it might not take quite that long! I’m sure we all instinctively look for the fastest and easiest ways to learn new things. Being efficient with our time allows... Show more

You know, German treats verbs differently. In contrast to pretty much any other European language, German moves the verb all the way around the sentence quite often. They call it "verb-second" and "verb-final." All that to say, you’re going to need to know your German verbs well if you want to be a good German speaker. Here are one hundred of the best German verbs for beginners to learn—how many do you know already? Table of Contents Regular Tourist Verbs in German Verbs at Home Verbs in the Kitchen Verbs at the University Verbs at Work Verbs for Your Spare Time Verbs at the Gym Verbs on a Date Conclusion 1. Regular Tourist Verbs in German Everybody wants to travel to Germany... Show more

What's that word? It's on the tip of your tongue! Put plain and simply, there's just no getting around the fact that you need a good vocabulary if you're going to speak good German. We've got that for you. Right here, stripped-down, are the top 100 German nouns, broken down into different categories so that you can easily find what you need. Basically, the perfect German nouns list for any beginner. If you're wondering why there are so many capitalized words on the list, it's because every noun in German is capitalized. Now, let's go! Table of Contents Nouns You Need for Travel Relaxing at Home Big Ideas In the Classroom University Life Hard at Work Sit Down for a Meal All About You Your... Show more

German conjunctions give sentences life and make the language come alive. In the German sentences using conjunctions below, you can see that all of the conjunctions are necessary for the sentence to give you a bigger picture of the situation. Du bist wirklich sehr hübsch, aber ein bisschen zu klein. You’re really pretty but a bit too small. Ich musste zu meiner Frau nach Hause, weil sie krank ist. I had to go home to my wife because she is sick. Er hat nicht auf seine Eltern gehört, deshalb hat er Hausarrest. He didn’t listen to his parents and therefore he is on house arrest. Throughout this article, you’ll see even more German conjunctions examples like the ones above. If you’re wondering how to learn German conjunctions... Show more

When you’re traveling outside of your home country, there’s a very good chance that you won’t speak the language of that country. For that reason, it can be really helpful to learn some basic German travel phrases before going to Germany, Austria, or even parts of Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxemburg. In this article, we’ll provide you with German phrases for tourists that will help you survive basic daily situations. For instance, when traveling to the center of Europe, you’ll probably have to take a train at some point. (And if you don’t have to take one, we suggest you take one anyway. This experience is part of traveling to Germany.) Once you’ve bought your ticket at Deutsche Bahn (the German railway company) and you’re ready to... Show more

The German language is currently the 15th most spoken language in the world. The number of first language speakers according to the 21st edition of Ethnologue is 76 million. Speakers of German are found in 28 countries, located in 6 continents. German has official language status in Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Austria. You'll also find German speakers in Kazakhstan, Russia, Brazil, Namibia, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, South Africa and Australia. Being part of the Indo European language family, the English language and the German language share around 60% of their lexicon. Like most languages, the German language has its own set of quirks and unique features, which at times add to the confusion of German... Show more

Incredible news from our friends over at Ultralingua, the online and mobile dictionary specialists. A good German dictionary can be hard to find, but with Ultralingua and GermanPod101 by your side, you’ll be armed with 2 of the most powerful German learning tools online. Ultralingua Cyber Monday Sale! Save up to 66% on on Ultralingua Dictionary products! Sale begins Sunday, November 25th, 2012 and ends at midnight Cyber Monday. (That’s November 26th, 2012!) Check out some of their amazing deals: The All New Ultralingua Dictionary for iPhone and iPad: Free to download, save 25% on all In-App Upgrades until Monday! Click here to download it free! Original Ultralingua iPhone and iPad Apps: Save 25% instantly when you purchase... Show more

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from everyone here at GermanPod101.com! We're grateful to have listeners just like you, and we're eagerly waiting for the upcoming year to learn German together! And when the New Year comes around, be sure to make a resolution to study German with GermanPod101.com! Have a healthy and happy holiday season. From the GermanPod101.com team!