Learning Deutsch 101. Everything you want to know
Deutsch? Ich verstehe das nicht! In English, I don’t understand!
Determined, dedicated and for the love of learning our partner’s main language, we passionately decided to enroll the Deutsch language class.
We were all strangers to the Deutsch language on the first day of class. Our Deutsch lehrer, Greg, however, was kind enough to speak a mix of Tagalog and English to us and explain everything we needed to know about our course.
Although some of us have quite familiarised ourselves about Deutsch through some apps like Duolingo or through our partners, who are, of course, from Germany and Austria.
I was in total surprise upon seeing the book all written in the Deutsch language. I was clueless with so many vocabularies – what they mean, how to use them and if they actually made sense.
Learning Deutsch may come with a little sacrifice. For instance, I’ve decided to move back to my hometown last May but now I have to travel to Manila every week just to attend my Deutsch class.
Also, it’s a preparation for me on my moving in Deutschland in the very near future!
But upon slowly learning the language, everything seemed to be fun and actually, delightful!
Das, Die, Der- Masculine, Feminine, Neutral? What’s that?
On our first day, our lecturer said that the German language is 3x harder than English. Yep, that’s true! As we went through the lessons, we discovered a lot of things you wouldn’t even think existed in learning a language. But don’t back out just yet!
There are ways to slowly understand the language. Here’s what you can do: First, get yourselves familiar with words in the natural environment. Second, there’s a gender for every word (Das- neutral, die- feminine, der- masculine), so memorization is the key. They have 16 forms for the article “the,” so it is very important to familiarize yourselves with the appropriate articles to start learning the language correctly. Third, there are a lot of conditions to consider before you could create a sentence in German, but the key is to let how the language work sink in so we’ll get the hang of it every time you try to formulate a sentence.
I have classmates I practice with so it somehow makes it easier and more fun to learn the language. It takes time and patience but we know we’ll get there soon!
Exciting but challenging!
” Was kann ich sagen? Hmm..I must say that learning a new language can be very challenging and fun at the same time. Learning Deutsch/German is exciting, yet never easy. It’s definitely not a joke. It’s true that its level of difficulty is thrice than English. But actually, that’s what makes it more interesting. It’s thrilling that it makes me wanting more. Overall, I love the whole experience. How fulfilling it is now to be able to speak and understand a little bit of such a complicated language like Deutsch.
Absolutely, worth the head-scratching moments and hardships.”
A different language on a whole new level
Thinking about learning a new language can be exciting and thrilling but being able to experience learning a different language is on a whole new level. Learning German is fun and challenging. You need a lot of patience because it can be really stressful. But having the opportunity to learn, thanks to my uncle (Shane Fresnoza), I am able to experience a new world and was able to meet new friends. I am just thankful that there is a little difference in the alphabet of German and English.
And here are tips from us to make learning Deutsch more fun and enjoyable! ? ?
- Watch YouTube channels like ” Learn German with Jenny” for better understanding.
- Focus, read a lot and memorize vocabularies. These are keys to understanding Deutsch well!
- Have fun in class!
- Communicate with your classmates. Make friends with them.
- Practice speaking with your partner or anyone who speaks the Deutsch language.
- Do your homework. It’s a very good practice.
How to enroll at Deutsch course ?? ☟
Go to their website
- There you’ll find all the necessary information about the course you want to take. Click the German language in the section and you will see this ☟
- Scroll down and you’ll find dates and prices.
- Voila! You may now choose your course!
- You may enroll online or in person, and pay at their main office, or via LBC or Deutsch bank. (Check the office hours below!)
- After successfully enrolling online, you will receive an acknowledgment email. ☟
In our case since we’re all beginners in Deutsch, we chose the A1.1, Saturday class from 7:30 am to 11:45 am with 30min breaktime ⌚️ from 9:30-10:00am.
COURSES ???
A1.1
Course Fee : ₱ 6,800/ € 115
Course duration ? : This Deutsch course began on July 14, 2018 – September 22, 2018.
Book Fee ? : ₱ 500.00
A1.2
Course Fee : ₱6,800/ € 115
Course duration ?: September 29, 2018 – December 08, 2018 ( ongoing)
Book Fee ? : ₱ 500.00
A1.3
Course Fee : ₱ 6,800/ € 115
Course duration ? : January 05, 2019 – March 16, 2019
Book Fee ? : None
and more advance courses.. You can refer here.
We’ve happily finished the A1.1 and we’re now enjoying on A1.2! And most of us are planning to enroll at A1.3. ??????
Important reminders ☝️☝️☝️
- You won’t be allowed to enroll in any Deutsch courses unless you’ve finished A1.1 which is the basic and starter. Also, you have to buy a book. Yep. It’s a requirement. It’s 500Php and each course needs one, though A1.3 doesn’t require it anymore.
- Only 3 absences are allowed in each course. Beyond that won’t let you have your certificate of completion.
- Your attendance also has a grade. So don’t be absent or late! Be a German!
GOETHE-INSTITUT PHILIPPINEN ?
Does this course also work in another country? ???
That I’m not really sure of. You may refer to their website for more information.
Can you continue the course even outside the country? ???
I believe yes. In case you weren’t able to finish the course and suddenly moved to Germany, Austria or any country offering the Deutsch course, yes you can!
Is Goethe Philippinen acredited in Germany and Austria? ???? ???
Absolutely yes! ???
Overall (and so far), I and the rest of my classmates have been thoroughly enjoying our Deutsch class. No matter how hard it is for us, it’s absolutely worth it! Plus, we’ve created a genuine friendship with each other! ????
” 
Special thanks to my partner Chris for the endless support and for my friend tita Patit for introducing me Goethe class.
Disclaimer : This is isn’t sponsored by Goethe Institut Philippinen and courses and fees may vary depending on the country.
escapesanddiaries
Born, raised, and forever loyal to the Philippines. Catherine is a teacher and a BA in Mass Communication graduate who loves anything child-friendly. She loves writing in her diary every day and is in love with beaches, books, Safari, and Tokyo. Her ultimate dream destinations are Madagascar, Mongolia, and Hawaii. Check out her van camping adventures in Europe at vancampingguide.com.
One Comment
Marge Gavan
I thought about writing my French class experience but you know, katamaran got in the way, so naunahan mo ko hahaha… I can relate with the struggle of learning a new language but as you guys said, we just got to be patient. We’re like kids again who are learning a language for the first time. Sometimes, I remind myself this when I feel impatient about my progress or when I’m having those nganga moments in class. I think the biggest challenge of learning a language is being hard on oneself. So cool lang, and keep at it. You’d probably be fluent in no time when you’re already in Germany but I’m glad that you took that first step into learning German.