B1 German - September 2015 (Language Learning Log) Language Learning Forum

B1 German - September 2015
Tags: Motivation \| Beginner \| Assimil \| German
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patrickwilken
Senior Member
Germany
radiant-flux.net
Joined 4525 days ago
1546 posts - 3200 votes

Studies: German

Message 9 of 31

29 October 2014 at 1:10pm | IP Logged

EnglishEagle wrote:

If somebody asked me what an essential or nonessential subordinate clause, I wouldn't have a clue! I know basic terms like verb, subject, object and past participle but beyond that I am lost.

I don't think you need to know these terms to learn German. So I would recommend not worrying about them unless you get pleasure from playing around with the grammar.
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EnglishEagle
Senior Member
United Kingdom
Joined 4567 days ago
140 posts - 157 votes

Studies: English*, German

Message 10 of 31

29 October 2014 at 2:46pm | IP Logged

patrickwilken wrote:

EnglishEagle wrote:

I have read several posts regarding what to do after Assimil and I
believe I read than EMK started on Potter after learning French with Assimil.

I started the HP in German after I was at about B1.

The thing to realize is that your vocabulary just won't be anywhere near good enough to comfortably pick up
anything by the time you've finished Assimil or any other course. You'll have vocab, but I vaguely remember that you
learn about 500 words (?) through Assimil, but even a young adult book requires, say, about 6000 words to read
knowing 98% of the words.

On the other hand, you'll have almost too much grammar from the Assimil course to read. You really don't need that
much grammar to access native materials.

So the trick is to start reading when you can with a crutch like a pop-up dictionary in an e-book (the PONS is good
for German). With that you should be fine to start reading something as hard as HP almost as soon as you want, as it
makes very little difference whether you start reading with a vocabulary of 200, or 500 or even 1000 words.

When you start you'll find that your reading rate is painfully slow, but if you read a bit every day you'll find really
rapid progress.

BTW: A lot of people recommend HP for German, but there are lots of other options out there. The Percy Jackson
series is a bit easier, the Hunger Games trilogy is a bit harder than the early HP books, but has the advantage it's
written in the first-person perspective. If you look for Young Adult books that should help as their vocabulary is
usually a bit simpler, but anything that uses concrete language is fairly simple to use.

Thank you for your advice! Considering I am only a 1/4 of the way through Assimil I am not going to worry too
much, yet. I think I will probably start reading with a pop up dictionary when I start the active wave. However,
considering this is my first foreign language that I am learning I don't really know what I am doing. I am just hoping
that are trialling different ways of studying that I will find something that really works for me.
1 person has voted this message useful

patrickwilken
Senior Member
Germany
radiant-flux.net
Joined 4525 days ago
1546 posts - 3200 votes

Studies: German

Message 11 of 31

29 October 2014 at 3:00pm | IP Logged

EnglishEagle wrote:

Thank you for your advice! Considering I am only a 1/4 of the way through Assimil I am not going to worry too much, yet. I think I will probably start reading with a up dictionary when I start the active wave. However, considering this is my first foreign language that I am learning I don't really know what I am doing. I am just hoping that are trialling different ways of studying that I will something that really works for me.

Sure. It's good to get an overview of the language, but there is nothing like being able to access the language via books and films.

Are you using SRS software like Anki? Lack of words will stop you reading, not grammar, in the end, and Anki is a great way to build up vocabulary as you go.
1 person has voted this message useful

patrickwilken
Senior Member
Germany
radiant-flux.net
Joined 4525 days ago
1546 posts - 3200 votes

Studies: German

Message 12 of 31

29 October 2014 at 3:12pm | IP Logged

You might find these books useful: http://www.amazon.de/Learn-German-With-Stories-Beginners-ebo ok/dp/B00F33E3C0/ref=pd_sim_kinc_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0FB8J1QRTP RKTNNDW639.

BTW: If you do buy a Kindle, I recommend going for the cheaper one. The more expensive Paperwhite is not as good for looking up words.
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EnglishEagle
Senior Member
United Kingdom
Joined 4567 days ago
140 posts - 157 votes

Studies: English*, German

Message 13 of 31

29 October 2014 at 3:26pm | IP Logged

patrickwilken wrote:

EnglishEagle wrote:

Thank you for your advice! Considering I am only a 1/4 of the way
through Assimil I am not going to worry too much, yet. I think I will probably start reading with a up dictionary
when I start the active wave. However, considering this is my first foreign language that I am learning I don't really
know what I am doing. I am just hoping that are trialling different ways of studying that I will something that really
works for me.

Sure. It's good to get an overview of the language, but there is nothing like being able to access the language via
books and films.

Are you using SRS software like Anki? Lack of words will stop you reading, not grammar, in the end, and Anki is a
great way to build up vocabulary as you go.

I've downloaded Anki on my computer and also my phone but have yet to use it. People have different methods for
using Anki and I am not particularly sure what to do. I know that some people input individual words where others
insist on putting in full sentence. I might try a combination of the two. I know that some people on this forum have
said that they put sentences in Anki that they have found in the dictionary, which could be quite useful.

Edit:

Thank you for giving me the link for the book. When my parents come home from work I am going to ask them to
purchase it for on their Amazon account.

Edited by EnglishEagle on 29 October 2014 at 3:36pm
1 person has voted this message useful

patrickwilken
Senior Member
Germany
radiant-flux.net
Joined 4525 days ago
1546 posts - 3200 votes

Studies: German

Message 14 of 31

29 October 2014 at 4:15pm | IP Logged

EnglishEagle wrote:

I've downloaded Anki on my computer and also my phone but have yet to use it. People have different methods for using Anki and I am not particularly sure what to do. I know that people input individual words where others insist on putting in full sentence. I might try a combination of the two. I know that people on this forum have said that they put sentences in Anki that they have found in the dictionary, which could be quite useful.

Everybody is different. Personally I found a combination of cards that tested words, plus additional cards with the words on them most helpful for memory. Simply seeing only words makes it harder to get the words into memory. Also you can think of every sentence as a little grammar lesson too.
1 person has voted this message useful

csidler
Diglot
Pro Member
Australia
chadsidler.com
Joined 4815 days ago
51 posts - 59 votes

Speaks: English*, German
Studies: Italian, French
Personal Language Map

Message 15 of 31

30 October 2014 at 12:34am | IP Logged

I would recommend you wake up 15 minutes earlier each day than you normally would.

Create an account at www.memrise.com and look up the 1000 Introductory Words German course.

Learn/Plant 10 new words a day. Keep that up, every, single, day for 2 months straight. Then try doing 20 words a
day.

Just wake up 15 mins earlier... and get it over and done with.
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EnglishEagle
Senior Member
United Kingdom
Joined 4567 days ago
140 posts - 157 votes

Studies: English*, German

Message 16 of 31

30 October 2014 at 5:17pm | IP Logged

I think I'm going to be incorporating teach yourself German (complete) into my routine as well, as Moses McCormick
seems to hold it in high regard! I am also thinking of taking the sentences from the Langenscheidt 'basic German
vocabulary' book and plugging them into Anki. However, I won't do this part until I am in the active phase. Will
update later after I've completed another Assimil lesson.

Edited by EnglishEagle on 30 October 2014 at 5:18pm

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