Learning a new language is fun and offers new opportunities, but can also be a bit daunting at times, whether you are familiar with the language or not. Our German courses for beginners here at GermanMind are the most popular course, with hundreds of students signing up each year to begin their language journey with us.
All of our students who move on to the intermediate level tell us that there are three important steps to learning German from the beginner level, and they are:
Do your homework
Yes, we give you homework in class, and we check your course work the following week to make sure you have completed the assignments given. All of our classes are designed to help you achieve your language goals. This includes working through various course books and participating in extracurricular activities that complement your classroom work.
Work with your classmates
We keep class sizes small with a maximum of 8 students, and from day one you will work with another student. This buddy system has worked well for all students as it allows you to communicate your skills, challenges, and goals in German. All students are encouraged to communicate outside of class, whether by text message, phone, or Zoom. Before the introduction of covid, we organized coffee meetings for classes to share, but now we do it online. Student feedback suggests that sharing about their own language journey has helped others a lot with tasks like reading and pronunciation. We even have groups that met in class four years ago and still talk regularly, in German of course. This way you improve your learning progress and gain a new friendship at the same time!
Use the language in everyday life
At the beginning of learning a new language, it may seem overwhelming to use the language every day, but if you do, you will retain the language much better. Use flashcards during your lunch break, stick Post-its with German terms all over the house, try writing your shopping list in German, watch German movies, listen to German radio. You may not understand every word, maybe none at all, but the goal is to get comfortable with the sound of the language and the pronunciation of words.
Our German Beginner courses last between 8 and 12 weeks, and if you are passionate about learning German and follow these simple steps, you will flourish in the language in that short time and be ready for the next course.
Are you ready to learn? Check our timetable to see when the next class is free.
Here's what you should do on your first day in the German course
It's the first day of your German course and you're both excited and nervous about the weeks ahead. Luckily, you are in Ireland's leading German school where we are passionate about our native language.
Before each German course begins, we like to talk with our students and discuss a very important aspect of your learning - your goals! This is crucial for you as a student and us as teachers to assess your goals and ensure that we achieve each and every one of them.
Some students come to GermanMind to learn German for fun, others want to speak the language to better connect with friends, and still others to improve their career prospects. Research shows that people who set goals are more likely to achieve them. On the first day of class, we ask you to write down your goals so we can help you achieve them!
Write down your goals
We have very pretty GermanMind post-its on which we ask you to write down the results you want to achieve after 6 weeks of learning with us. Writing down your goals allows you to commit to them, and we keep these goals visible in each course to remind you of what you want.
Focus your goals
Again, this varies from student to student, but think week by week about what you want to accomplish inside and outside of class. Some students set a goal to learn 20 new words per week, three new sentences, basic commands, or one new topic per week. If you are unsure what your goals should be, we will help you by giving you additional homework that takes these goals into account. What will your language level be in week 8?
Challenge yourself
Week 1 and you're all excited to learn, have done your homework, continue reading in your course book, but how about diving deep into the language and watching a German movie on Netflix? Add two more words to your goal of 20 words per week, write your shopping list in German next week, and talk to your family in German by week 8.
Setting goals helps you focus and plan ahead for your weeks. Every one of our students achieves their language goals at GermanMind, and most keep coming back to continue learning. Read what our students have to say here.
5 Life-Changing Reasons Why You Should Learn German
Your travels will change
Have you ever gotten lost in a city where you don't speak the language? Have you ever been to a market and not known how to haggle? If you know the language when you travel, you'll be able to converse with the locals in Germany, chat with tour guides and immerse yourself in the local culture.
You will be more employable
Some of our students come to us because they want to use German to advance their careers. Since German is the second most popular language in Europe and there are a large number of very successful German companies in Ireland, your language skills will help you get a well-paying job. We work with many students who are currently working at companies like Lidl, Google, Facebook . We also work with students who want to work as bilingual employees for Irish companies who want to enter the German market. We have over 50 students who are successfully progressing in their careers thanks to their German language skills.
Every new language becomes easier
Most students come to us because they speak English as their first and only language, and once they are immersed in learning German, they say they find understanding and learning other languages much easier than before. Language is controlled in the left hemisphere of the brain, and like any other muscle, once activated to learn a new language, the brain is better able to retain and understand new languages. When you understand the grammar, nouns, and verbs in one language, you can apply these practices to other languages. You will be able to speak the many languages of Europe in no time!
You will become more confident
Learning a new language like German is a great way to boost your self-esteem and confidence. You have taken the first step to learn a new language, to try something new, and in class we encourage you every step of the way, and don't forget your friend either, because the new friendship will help you grow and develop.
As you grow with your language skills, your confidence will carry over to other areas of your life.
Our German courses start every month! Book now and let GermanMind help change your life. For more information about our courses, click here.
GermanMind is proud that our students who come to us with no knowledge of German leave our beginner courses speaking, understanding and writing the language.
A typical timetable for a beginner course looks like this:
German phonetics and numbers, alphabet
Introducing yourself and others
Verb conjugation
Talk about your abilities
Sentence structure
How to give directions
Over 500 German words
and soooo much more!
In class, we will focus on four important language skills: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. You will also learn grammar and expand your vocabulary through in-class interaction, homework, and extracurricular activities such as watching a German movie or listening to German radio.
We follow the guidelines of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CERF) and use high-quality teaching materials, including course books provided by your teacher and books you can buy online or at our affiliated bookstore, International Books in Dublin, where GermanMind students receive a 10% discount.