German has a reputation for being pretty challenging for English speakers. There are many factors that make learning it a difficult task – the grammar, pronunciation, and the numerous verb forms just to name a few. But with enough dedication and practice, anyone can learn to speak this challenging language.
While German might not make the list of the easiest languages to learn, it isn't one of the top ten most difficult ones either. If you're looking for a quick answer to whether learning German really is as hard as you've heard – the answer is yes and no.
Yes and no. Compared to the very popular Romance language Spanish and French, German is regarded as hard to learn. But in truth, German is actually easier to learn than a lot of other languages. The answer truly lies somewhere in between.
The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) estimates that learning German will take about 30 weeks, or 750 classroom hours, as it is rated as a category two language similar to English.
But what makes German so hard to learn? The only reason that German seems so difficult to people is that it has grammar rules that other languages don't. German is a language with relatively high “inflection,” meaning that the words in a sentence change based on their grammatical roles.
French tends to be easier for beginners, though it gets harder as you get into its intermediate and advanced layers. German has a tougher on-ramp for beginners, but gets easier as you go along.
The German language has 6 CEFR levels – starting with A1 (absolute beginner), and ending with C2 (completely fluent).
Language students who practice a method of complete immersion, with eight hours of practice per day, could learn German to a high level in a matter of months. Those who dedicate at least one hour per day to language learning can achieve an intermediate level within two years.
According to the U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI), you'll need about 750 hours of study to become fluent in German. This means that if you study 12-15 hours a week, you'll be able to speak like a pro in just a year!
Mandarin is unanimously considered the most difficult language to master and is spoken by over a billion people in the world.
The most common way of saying “hello” in German is “Hallo”. This is a casual greeting. You should only use it when greeting friends and family: Hello = Hallo.
Across multiple sources, Mandarin Chinese is the number one language listed as the most challenging to learn. The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center puts Mandarin in Category IV, which is the list of the most difficult languages to learn for English speakers.
However, in general, we can say that German is generally considered to be an easier language for English speakers to learn than Japanese. This is because German and English share many similarities in terms of grammar and vocabulary.
In particular, Swiss German, which is spoken in northern Switzerland and extreme Southwest Germany, can be phenomenally difficult to understand. Many say it's akin to an American listening to an extreme Scottish accent; it can almost sound like another language entirely.
Similar to riding a bike, what children have learned at a young age they will never forget. Are teenagers too old to start learning German? You are never too old to learn something new. Most people actually first start learning foreign languages after childhood, and they show that it certainly can be done.
The third level in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages is level B1. It is definitely a step beyond the A1 and A2 exams. Passing a level B1 exam means that you are entering the intermediate level of your journey through the German language.
Depending on the German federal state, level B1 or B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is required.
Germany – more than 80 million speakers. Austria – 8 million speakers. Switzerland – 4.6 million speakers. Belgium – 75.000 speakers.
Can you live in Germany without knowing German? It is just about possible to live in Germany without knowing much German. But in order to find employment and to fully integrate into society, you will need to be able to speak and read German to a good standard, especially if you live outside the major cities.
Switzerland
The nation is recognized as the main player in the predominantly German-speaking parts of Europe. On its territory, there are about 5.3 million native German speakers, who make up 64% of Switzerland's population. Switzerland is a peculiar but scenic country that uses four official languages.
German is the most widely spoken native language in Europe
English, French and German are the three official working languages of the European Union. In absolute numbers, German is the second most-spoken language on the continent of Europe. However, when it comes to native speakers, German is number one.
1. French (Français) French is the most popular foreign language in India, and the reasons to learn French are apparent. With over 30 Francophone countries around the globe, It is spoken by roughly 300 million French speakers globally.
The six countries that have German as their official language, in alphabetical order, are: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Over 78% of the world's German speakers live in Germany.